I am researching background information (general - not related to my family) about marriage laws in 1838. For instance:

What were the requirements for a legal marriage?
What did you have to declare or prove, and to whom?
Was illegitimacy or being under 21 a cause of difficulty? (eg, What parental consent was necessary?)
Was legal residency a requirement - eg if someone ran away to a large town and wished to marry there?

The people I have in mind are working class with limited money so special licences are not part of this question.

Any clues would be helpful - T.I.A.

Sue