First report to the General Assembly of Rhode Island, relative to the registry and returns of births, marriages, and deaths, in the state, for the year ending May 31, 1853 / prepared under the direction of Asa Potter.

  • Rhode Island General Assembly
Date:
1854
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: First report to the General Assembly of Rhode Island, relative to the registry and returns of births, marriages, and deaths, in the state, for the year ending May 31, 1853 / prepared under the direction of Asa Potter. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

    54/348 (page 42)
    MARRIAGE. It is agreed and ordered by the authority of this present As- sembly, for the preventing many evils and mischiefs that may fol- low thereon, that no contract or agreement between a man and a woman to own each other as man and wife, shall be owned from heiiceforth throughout the whole Colony as a lawful marriage, nor their children or issue so coming together to be legitimate or lawfully begotten, but such as are, in the first place, with the pa- rents' consent, then orderly published in two several meetings of the townsmen, and lastly confirmed before the head officer of the town and entered into the town clerk's book. And that man that goes contrary to this present ordinance established, shall forfeit five pounds to the parents of the maid, and be bound to his good behavior; and all the accessories shall forfeit five pounds a man, half whereof shall go to the grieved parents, and the other half to the town. The next earliest Act, we have seen, is among those passed by the General Court of Commissioners at Warwick, March, 1655-56. It is as follows, viz. : It is ordered, that Marriages shall be published at a to\\Ti meeting, or on a training day at the head of the company, or by a writing under the Magistrate's hand fixed upon some noted place in the town. It is ordered, that in case the bans of Marriage be forbidden, the party coming before two Magistrates, shall be examined, if they disallow, they shall refer them to the next General Court of Trials, and if they allow, they may marry. On page 22d of a manuscript, in folio, in the Secretary of State's office, entitled, Laws and Acts made From the settlement of Hei* Majestyes Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, by the Gen Assembly of s^ Colony, & Confirmed by authority there- of, according to his Majestyes Gracious Charter, granted to Colony in y fifteenth year of his Reign Anno Domini, [1662,] we find the subjoined, viz.: And by this Assembly & y® Authority thereof we doe Enact & declare all marriages shall be in way manner & form as FoIIoweth y* man y* hath A respect to a maid & doth desire to obtaine her in Marriage If her Parents be Liveing shall first acquaint her Pa- rents thereof and upon their Consenting thereto he shall have