BANNS, the announcement of intended marriage, requiring the hearers to make known any cause why the parties should not be united in matrimony. By the publication of these banns is meant the legal proclamation or notifi cation within the parish, district or chapelry, of the names and descriptions of the persons who intend to be there married; the object being to secure public knowledge of intended marriages, and that all who have objections to the marriage may be enabled to state them in time. If the bridegroom live in a different parish from the bride, the banns must be proclaimed also in that parish, and a certificate of such proclama tion must be produced before the celebration of the marriage. According to the old English canon law, the publication of banns might be made on holidays; but a change was made to Sundays by Lord Hardwicke's Marriage Act in 1753, and although that act was afterward su perseded by the 4 Geo. IV chap. 76, the regu lation as to Sundays has been since continued.
Seven days' notice at least must be given to the clergyman before publication of banns. Banns were customary in various places before they were prescribed by the entire Church in the Fourth Council of Lateran. The Council of Trent ordered pastors to pub lish them at the principal mass in the parish church, or churches, of the parties, on three successive Sundays or festivals. This publica tion should be made within two months preceding the marriage. For grave reasons the bishop can dispense from this obligation. By the English Prayer Book the announcement is required to be made in the words of the rubric on each of the three Sundays preceding the ceremony. If objections are offered by anyone present, the clergyman cannot proceed further. Except in the Roman Catholic Church the cus tom of thus publishing the banns of marriage is practically obsolete in the United States.