Acknowledgments Introduction Church Courts and the Canon Law of Marriage The Laity and Marriage Litigation in Fifteenth-Century England Courtship and Marriage Customs Depositions and Late Medieval London Court Procedure Suggestions for Further Reading Depositions from Marital Litigation Courtship and the Making of a Marriage Contract Exchange of Gifts Rituals at Marriage Location of the Exchange of Consent The Domestic Contract followed by Banns Contracts Conditional on the Consent of Family Members Common Knowledge and Concern about Marriage Disputed Contracts: Attempting to Escape False Testimony Multiple Contracts and Bigamy Divorce: Coercion or Force and Fear Divorce: Cruelty Fornication Adultery Notes