Greek Marriages Act 1884

The Greek Marriages Act 1884 is an act of the British Parliament which allowed courts to declare the validity of Greek Orthodox marriages made between 1836 and 1857. The marriages were celebrated either in their homes or at the Greek Church in London, which by this time had become St Sophia's Cathedral.

The Marriage Act 1836 made marriage the business of multiple religious organisations, and the Matrimonial Causes Act 1857 made it the business of the state. But there was concern among the Greek community that Greek Orthodoxy had not been one of the religious organisations. If this was so, their marriages would be invalid.

The Act laid out a procedure for a court to declare such a marriage valid, and the requirements for doing so.

The first case brought under the Act was ''Zarafi v Attorney General'', in August 1885.

References

External links

Bill presented in the Commons

United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 1884

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