Canon Law Meets Unintended Consequences: The Church of England and the Clandestine Marriage Act of 1753*

Francis, Keith A., Anglican and Episcopal History

The proof of Clandestine Marriages as now celebrated is attended with insuperable difficulties.

Lord Chancellor Hardwicke, 1753

The many notorious and scandalous Abuses of the Sacred Institution of Matrimony, which have been justly complained of for some Years past, could not but give Uneasiness to every serious and devout Christian.

A Gentleman of the Temple, 1754

Canon law is "the collection of rules, found in a diversity of sources of formal and other regulatory instruments of a particular church, designed to fulfil the purposes for which that church exists in the public sphere of its internal life: governmental, ministerial, pastoral, doctrinal, …

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Publication information: Article title: Canon Law Meets Unintended Consequences: The Church of England and the Clandestine Marriage Act of 1753*. Contributors: Francis, Keith A. - Author. Journal title: Anglican and Episcopal History. Volume: 72. Issue: 4 Publication date: December 2003. Page number: 451+. © Historical Society of the Episcopal Church Mar 2009. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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