In England and Wales, rites of marriage performed by a Pagan or Druid
priest do not carry legal status. Couples who wish to be married legally
must also attend a Registry Office and sign the necessary papers before
the government appointed registrar.
Whilst many couples do arrange the legal element of their wedding, other
couples decide that to be married before the gods, the ancestors and the
community is what matters, and the legal part is unnecessary. A small
number arrange their own marriage contract through a personal solicitor.
In Scotland, however, the situation is changing.
Pagan Marriage Gains Legal Recognition in Scotland
In October 2004 the Pagan Federation (Scotland) was formally recognised
by the Registrar General as being an organisation suitable to nominate
Approved Celebrants to conduct religious marriages.
As a result of this there are now several celebrants who are registered
with the PF (Scotland) Celebrants database that can conduct religious
marriages under legislation set out in the Marriage (Scotland) Act 1977.
Of the Celebrants on the Druid Network list, those marked (Legal)
have been given the title of ‘Approved Celebrant’ and are
able to conduct legal Handfastings for the Pagan Community. These can
only take place within Scotland.
For furthur information please contact the celebrants directly via The
Druid Network Celebrants page or contact:
Louise Park
PF Scotland Celebrants Register Co-ordinator
PF (Scotland)
PO Box 14251
Anstruther
KY10 3YA
Or email her here Louise
Below is the full article
published in the Pagan Federation's Journal, Pagan Dawn, Imbolc 2005.
Pagan Marriage Gains Legal Recognition in Scotland
On the 27th of October, The Pagan Federation (Scotland) was formally
recognised by the Registrar General as being an organisation suitable
to nominate Approved Celebrants to conduct religious marriages. Following
discussions that took place over a period of three months, and a face
to face meeting with representatives of PF (Scotland), the Registrar General,
in consultation with his colleagues, agreed that the Pagan Federation
(Scotland) meets the requirements for a religious body as specified under
Scots law.
As a result, the majority of celebrants who are registered with the PF
(Scotland) Celebrants database are now able to conduct religious marriages
under legislation set out in the Marriage (Scotland) Act 1977, which governs
all marriages, both civil and religious, in Scotland. Although not the
first Pagan group to be so recognised, PF (Scotland) can uniquely provide
Celebrants for almost any tradition, not just Wicca. We can also cover
large parts of Scotland, as we have Celebrants from the Gateway to the
Highlands down to the Borders, and from the East coast to the West.
Responding to the Registrar General’s decision, Louise Park, PF
Scotland’s Celebrants database co-ordinator said, "This is
a great step forward for Pagan rights in Scotland, in that we can legally
perform all the normal functions of a religious body. The Pagan traditions
are now genuinely on an equal footing with all of the major religious
groups active in Scotland today."
The Celebrants database was set up in early 2004 to respond to an increasing
number of enquiries from members and non-members, asking for Celebrants
to perform a variety of Rites of Passage. In addition to marriage ceremonies,
we can provide a wide range of others, including baby namings, handfastings,
coming of age rites and funerals. We do not conduct religious initiation
ceremonies, though we may be able to point enquirers in the right direction,
and some Celebrants may be involved in training and initiation outside
of this community service role. If you have an unusual request, we can
probably find someone who can assist, and even if we don’t have
a Celebrant based in the region you wish your ceremony to take place,
many of us are prepared to travel in order to meet the needs of the community.
Anyone who is interested in joining our Celebrants database, or who wishes
assistance with their own Rite of Passage, should contact Louise by email
at louise [at] medionemeton [dot] the-dell [dot] org [dot] uk or write to PF (Scotland), PO Box
14251, Anstruther KY10 3YA.
Celebrants do not need to be members of the Pagan Federation, though
they should be well respected in their community and must have their application
validated by a member of the PF Scottish Council. However, any Celebrant
on the database who wishes to become Approved by the Registrar General
must be a member of the Pagan Federation, be aged over 21, and have their
nomination ratified by a ballot of the PF Scottish Council. Although the
number of Approved Celebrants we can nominate is currently limited, we
hope that we will be able to expand the service in the future.
