Banns

Banns (or banns of marriage) are a public announcement of an intended marriage. Traditionally read aloud in church on three consecutive Sundays before the wedding, banns allowed the community to raise any legal objections — such as a prior marriage or too-close a family relationship — before the ceremony took place.

Banns records are valuable genealogical sources because they predate the marriage itself and often identify the home parishes of both parties. They were common in England, Ireland, many European countries, and wherever Christian church marriage records were kept. In England, banns were required by law from 1754 until special licences (which bypassed banns) became more commonly available.