But there is said to have been a more or less irregular marriage.

It has not been possible to form either of these irregular marriages since 1 July 1940.

A further law change was made in 1940 to abolish these irregular marriages by declaration.

However, any irregular marriages contracted prior to 1940 can still be upheld.

There are seven defined impediments to both regular and irregular marriage:

Under Scots law, there have been several forms of "irregular marriage", among them:

Irregular marriage by declaration de presenti-declaring in the presence of two witnesses that one takes someone as one's wife or husband.

"Irregular marriage" remained valid if promises were made between the couple in front of witnesses, without any residence qualifications.

Irregular marriage relations was one of the main areas of working class family life giving rise to middle class anxiety during the period.

Irregular marriages were not socially accepted and many people who decided to contract them did so where they were relatively unknown.

Irregular marriage by cohabitation with habit and repute.

These were clandestine or irregular marriages performed at Fleet Prison, and at hundreds of other places.

Marriage lost its sacramental status at the Reformation and irregular marriage continued to be accepted as valid throughout the period.

The committee's findings led to the Marriage (Scotland) Act 1939, which outlawed the process of "irregular marriages".

The laws pay a great deal of attention to the rights of the Church, including punishment for irregular marriages and for pagan worship.

Scottish law allowed for "irregular marriages", meaning that if a declaration was made before two witnesses, almost anybody had the authority to conduct the marriage ceremony.

Irregular marriage conditional on consummation.

An irregular marriage could result from mutual agreement, by a public promise followed by consummation, or by cohabitation and repute.

The last form of irregular marriage, marriage by cohabitation with habit and repute, was abolished from 4 May 2006 and required more than just living together.

The Marriage Duty Act 1695 put an end to irregular marriages at parochial churches by penalizing clergymen who married couples without banns or licence.

The now demolished Old Toll House at Lamberton, situated just across the border in Scotland, was notorious for its irregular marriages.

This would expand rapidly after the passage of Lord Hardwicke's Marriage Act ended irregular marriages in England in 1754.

As archpriest, Robert devoted himself to the suppression of simony, lay investiture, clerical concubinage, irregular marriages, and to the healing of feuds.

As a result, illegitimacy and irregular marriage possibly receded in the second half of the century as working-class women sought refuge in chastity and conventional marriage.

By the time "irregular marriages" were outlawed in Scotland by the Marriage (Scotland) Act 1939, Rennison had conducted 5,147 ceremonies.