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Before 1837, the recognised way of marrying without banns having been called, was by obtaining (for a fee) a marriage licence from an Archbishop, a Bishop or his surrogate. Canon Laws of 1534 and 1603 stipulated that licences only be granted unto 'persons ... as be of good state and quality' and ...'upon good caution and security taken'. In practice it was generally only those of a certain social status who could afford a licence anyway, although, in addition to gentry, small landowners, professionals and yeoman farmers, mariners and soldiers often took advantage of this convenient, private and speedy way of marrying. Between 1754 and 1837, when all marriages had to take place in the parish church, non-conformist couples commonly married by licence. Occasionally, parish officials applied for a marriage licence, to speedily marry off a poor pregnant woman who would otherwise become dependent on their parish. However, ordinary labouring couples could not generally afford the marriage licence fee, and had to marry by banns.

The banns of marriage, commonly known simply as 'the banns', (from an Old English word meaning 'to summon') are the public announcement in a parish church that a marriage is going to take place between two specified persons. The purpose of banns is to enable anyone to raise any legal impediment to it, so as to prevent marriages that are legally invalid, either under canon law or under civil law. Impediments vary between legal jurisdictions, but would normally include a pre-existing marriage (having been neither dissolved nor annulled), a vow of celibacy, lack of consent, or the couple's being related within the prohibited degrees of kinship. In England, under the provisions of Lord Hardwicke's Marriage Act, a marriage is only legally valid if the reading of the banns has taken place or a marriage licence has been obtained. By this 1753 statute, 26 Geo. II, c. xxxviij, the banns are required to be read aloud in church over a period of three Sundays prior to the actual wedding ceremony. Banns must be read in the parish church of both parties to the marriage, as well as in the church where the marriage ceremony is to take place (where this is different). Omission of this formality renders the marriage void. Prior to this law, it was possible for eloping couples to marry clandestinely in various places—finding an imprisoned clergyman in the Fleet Prison was one well known way (a 'Fleet Marriage'), at least for couples near London. After the law, elopers had to leave England, usually for Scotland, and proverbially, to the village of Gretna Green, in order to contract a marriage while avoiding these formalities. These details often figure in melodramatic literature set in the period.

what does Bannns/Licence B actualy mean regards Paul