Keith's Chapel facts for kids
Keith's Chapel, also known as Mr Keith's Chapel or the May Fair Chapel, was a special private chapel in Curzon Street, Mayfair, Westminster. It was run by an 18th-century Church of England clergyman named Alexander Keith.
Keith first worked at the new Curzon Chapel, built in 1730. There, he started performing weddings without the usual church announcements (banns) or official papers (licenses). Because of this, the church removed him from his position in 1742. Keith then spent some years in prison. However, he soon opened his own private chapel very close to his old one. Here, he and his helpers continued to perform these unofficial weddings. This went on until 1754, when a new law called the Marriage Act 1753 changed how marriages could be done.
The weddings at Keith's Chapel were actually legal at the time. Before 1754, the most important thing for a marriage in England was that a Church of England clergyman performed it. At its busiest, about six thousand weddings happened at the chapel each year!
Keith advertised his chapel often in newspapers. For example, an ad in the Daily Post from 1744 told people exactly where to find it. It also explained that the cost for a wedding, including fees and a certificate, was one guinea. The ad even mentioned that the chapel had a porch like a country church. When his wife passed away in 1750, Keith even included an advertisement for his chapel's services in the announcement of her death.
Famous Weddings at Keith's Chapel
Many well-known people chose to get married at Keith's Chapel. Here are some of them:
- Duke of Kingston and Elizabeth Chudleigh
- Henry Brydges, 2nd Duke of Chandos and Anne Jeffrey in 1744
- Lord Strange and Lucy Smith in 1746
- Lord Kensington and Rachel Hill in 1749
- Sewellis Shirley and Margaret Rolle, who was the widow of the Earl of Oxford, in 1751
- James Hamilton, 6th Duke of Hamilton and Miss Gunning in 1752. They were married very quickly after midnight using a bed-curtain ring!
- Lord George Bentinck and Mary Davies in 1753
