Before a wedding, the betrothed pair and their witnesses were interviewed and, during this talk, a protocol about the examination of sponsors (examinis antematrimonialis sponsorum) was prepared. The examination was designed to record personal data, reveal a potential blood relationship, and prepare the future married couple for raising their children in a Catholic manner. Older records, which used a formula or full interview transcript, were later replaced by preprinted forms where the priest filled in the name, surname, religion, birth date & place, residence, family status, parents, dispensation if any canonical impediment was detected, and name of witnesses.