Clergy Marriage Act 1548

The Clergy Marriage Act 1548 (2 & 3 Edw. 6. c. 21) was an act of the Parliament of England. Part of the English Reformation, it abolished the prohibition on marriage of priests within the Church of England. (Before Henry VIII declared himself Supreme Head of the Church of England, ecclesiastical matters were governed exclusively by Roman Catholic canon law, over which the English monarch had no authority.)

Clergy Marriage Act 1548^[a]

Act of Parliament
Parliament of England
Long title	An Acte to take awaye all posityve Lawes againste Marriage of Priestes.[b]
Citation	2 & 3 Edw. 6. c. 21
Territorial extent	England and Wales
Dates
Royal assent	14 March 1549
Commencement	24 November 1548[c]
Repealed	1 January 1970
Other legislation
Amended by	Continuance, etc. of Laws Act 1603Statute Law Revision Act 1887 Statute Law Revision Act 1888
Repealed by	Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1969
Relates to	Clergy Marriage Act 1551
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

Legacy

The whole act was revived and made perpetual by section 8 of the Continuance, etc. of Laws Act 1603 (1 Jas. 1. c. 25).

Section 3 of the act was repealed by section 1 of, and the schedule to, the Statute Law Revision Act 1887.

Section 2, from "and be it" to "aforesaide" was repealed by section 1(1) of, and part I of the schedule to, the Statute Law Revision Act 1888.

The whole act, so far as unrepealed, was repealed by section 1 of, and part II of the schedule to, the Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1969. (By virtue of section 10 of the Interpretation Act 1889, this did not revive the ban.)

See also

• Marriage Act

Notes

1. The citation of this act by this short title was authorised by section 5 of, and schedule 2 to, the Statute Law Revision Act 1948. Due to the repeal of those provisions, it is now authorised by section 19(2) of the Interpretation Act 1978.
2. These words are printed against this act in the second column of schedule 2 to the Statute Law Revision Act 1948, which is headed "Title".
3. Start of session.