The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-04-02 00:00:00

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MARRIAGE ACT.

bas been erroneously stated, that the "Marriage
Art Amendrient Bill" hail. passed into a law. An " Act
to render valid certain Marriages," passed during the
present Session, hits received the Royal Assent; but the
Marriage Act Amendment Bill is now in progless
through Parliament. The folloaing is a copy of the
Validity Bill" :
Winprone by aa het passed In the third year of the Reign of
be-present Majesty King George the Fourth, intituied "An
Act to amend certain Provisions of the Twenty-sixth of
@gorge the Second, for the better preventing of clandestine
Martieges," it is amourst other things enacted, that no per-
son shad. from and alter the passing of this Act, be deemed
authorized by law to grant any license for the solemnization
ot any marriage, except the Archbishops of Canterbury end
York, according to the rights now tested lo them, and except
Vie several other Bishops within their respectiVe dioceses,
tor-the marriageof persons of wheat shall be resident at
tltratime within the diocese of the Bishop in whose name
such license shall be granted ; and whereas, notwithstand-
ing such enactment, divers liceeses for marriage have,
*sough error, been granted since the passing of the said
Act by or in the name of bodies corporate or persons, their
officers or surrogates, other than the said Archbishops and
iiishops,which bodies corporate or persons, their officers or
surrodates, before the passing of the said Act, were or were
deemed to be authorized by law to grant such licenses; and
divers persoi.s hare been married by virtue or in mist-
'Vence of licenses so granted, the validity of which mar-
- usages is affected by the enactment aforeseld ; and whereas
'it it expedient to remedy the same ; be it enacted by the
it.nz's most excellent Majesty, by and with the consent o
the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this pre-
f
sent Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same
thit. all and every marriages and marriage solemnized by
virtue or in consequence of a license granted after the Rem-
ise of the said Act of the third year of his present Majesty,
and before the passing of this Act, by or in the name of a
body corporate or person, his or their officer or surrogate,
other than the Archbishops ofCanterbury and York, accord-
ing to the rights vested in them respectively, or the several
other Bishops within their respective dioceses, which body
eorporetpassine or erson, his or their officers and surrogates, be-
fore the person his or their officers and surrogates, be.
fore the passing of the said Act, were or were deemed to be
authorized by law to grant such licenses, shall be as good
rod %slid marriages to all intents and purposes whatsoever,
as the same would have been if the said enectmentsrestrain-
ing the power and authority of granting such licenses had
not been made.
And be it further enacted, that such bodies corporate and
persons as aforesaid, their officer; and surrogates who have
granted such licenses as aforesaid since the passing of the
ct
raid
be oA, and the officers and otheits ecincerned therein, shall
not r bet held to be liable to airy pains and penalties for
or on account of the granting of the same.