"Anyone who knows anything

[Phoenix]

knows that mariage is one of the seven sacraments" Brian Sewell.

Well, so it may be to Catholics, but since 1837 surely a legal English marriage is a civil contract?

[Olde Crone]

Depends whether you consider a civil marriage as a legal one, ecclesiastically speaking! Many hard line C of E supporters did not consider the civil contract side was sufficient to form marriage, it needed the sacred rites to go with it, to turn it from a wedding into a marriage.

OC

[Phoenix]

While I can understand certain people not believing a marriage to be valid unless there has also been a religious ceremony - and there is a whole list of religions for whom this is the case - there are also legions of atheists who would strongly resent the notion of their legal marriage being regarded as a sacrament.

[Olde Crone]

But you can have either. It is only a sacrament if you make it so by having a religious marriage ceremony.

Marriage is indeed one of the seven sacraments but it doesn't have to be a sacrament to make it legal.

In days gone by, marriage contracts were civil documents enforced in the civil and ecclesiastical courts, regardless of whether the sacrament of marriage had taken place.

I have an early marriage contract for a Holden. It goes on for page after expensive page and was drawn up shortly after the BIRTHS of the intended bride and grrom. Sadly, miss holden died shortly before the marriage ceremony could take place, so the scribe went through the document changing her name from Ann to Mary and he married Mary instead.

OC

[Phoenix]

Lol!

I've seen an account of a Tudor wedding where mother and aunt of groom undertake a long journey on horseback to reach the bride's house and all the documents are signed in her mother's parlour, without any mention of church intruding.