Daily AncestorDispensation
A dispensation was official church permission to set aside a rule in one case, most often to let a couple marry despite an impediment such as being related.
In Catholic marriage records a dispensation usually relaxed an impediment, such as kinship by blood or marriage. The bishop could also dispense the couple from some of the three readings of the banns.
When a marriage entry notes a dispensation for the third or fourth degree of kinship, the couple were cousins of some kind. That is a strong hint to look for shared grandparents or great-grandparents.
As seen in a recordCatholic marriage register, 1700s to 1800s
Married with dispensation in 3rd degree of consanguinity, Pierre Gagnon & Marie Gagnon
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Dispensation." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/church/dispensation. Last checked 2026-10-03.