Introduction

Transcribed in this appendix are marriage cases drawn from England's ecclesiastical archives. They are meant to illustrate and in a few instances to expand on points made in the text of this study, for it is upon the examination of many cases like these that my conclusions have been based. The cases are here arranged according to subject, using the appropriate heading of the Decretals. I have prefaced each with a brief note about the formal law involved, and occasionally with remarks about the case itself.

A word should be said about the principles of transcription used. I have treated the records as documents illustrating concrete points of law. From this have followed several decisions. The transcriptions do not always include every document or entry available in the original records. I have selected enough to make the facts and legal issues of the case apparent. But purely formal entries and depositions which merely repeat what has already been said are usually not included. Also, I have occasionally added words to the text so that the meaning will be clear, in cases where the scribe has apparently left out a word through carelessness or error. These words are in every instance placed within square brackets. I have standardized the letters ‘c’ and ‘t’ to conform to modern usage. These letters are sometimes quite indistinguishable in the original record, particularly in those of the fifteenth century.