Daily Ancestordispense de bans
Dispense de bans is an exemption from publishing the marriage banns, which let a couple marry sooner without the usual Sunday announcements.
Before a Catholic wedding the banns were normally read on several Sundays. A dispense de bans, granted by church authority, allowed the marriage to go ahead without waiting for some or all of them, and the entry may say how many banns were excused.
Look also for a dispense de parenté, granted by the bishop when the couple were related, which can reveal a shared ancestor. In French civil law the public prosecutor could likewise waive the civil banns for serious reasons.
Look it up: old jobs, causes of death, Latin, abbreviations, nicknames and more.
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "dispense de bans." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/french/dispense-de-bans. Last checked 2026-10-28.