{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/marriage-act-1949/section-23",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/marriage-act-1949/section-23.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/Geo6/12-13-14/76",
  "legislation_title": "Marriage Act 1949",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/marriage-act-1949",
  "path": "section/23",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "23",
  "heading": "Benefices held in plurality.",
  "text": "Where two or more benefices are held in plurality under the Pastoral Reorganisation Measure, 1949, the bishop of the diocese in which the benefices are situated or, during a vacancy in the see, the guardian of the spiritualities thereof, may in writing direct where banns of matrimony of persons entitled to be married in any church of those benefices may be published and where marriages of those persons may be solemnized:\nProvided that—\n(a) nothing in this section shall deprive a person of the right to be married in any church in which he would have been entitled to be married if no directions had been given under this section; and\n(b) a person may be married in a church in which he would have been entitled to be married as aforesaid notwithstanding that the banns of matrimony have, by virtue of this section, been published only in some other church.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "M",
      "label": "M1",
      "text": "1949 No. 3."
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C1",
      "text": "S. 23 extended (with modifications) (W.) by Marriage (Wales) Act 1986 (c. 7, SIF 49:1), s. 1"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C2",
      "text": "S. 23 applied (with modifications) (1.7.2012) by Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011 (No. 3), s. 112(3), Sch. 3 para. 12(4) (with ss. 100, 105(4), 107, 108(6), Sch. 8); 2012 No. 1, art. 2"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C3",
      "text": "S. 23 extended (with modifications) by Pastoral Measure 1983 (No. 1, SIF 21:4) ss. 27, 29, 40, Sch. 3 para. 14(4)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo6/12-13-14/76/section/23",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T11:20:09.980125+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}