Prior to the introduction of civil registration in England and Wales on 1 July 1837,[1] marriage records can be found within parish registers of local churches and nonconformist chapels. This article focuses on marriage records after July 1837, when civil registration began. Scottish civil registration was introduced later in 1855.
There are many registration districts within the United Kingdom and these have changed over time.
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Marriage certificate details
The format of a marriage certificate remained the same in England and Wales from 1837 until 2021. The details provided are below:
- Place of marriage
- Full names of the bride and groom
- Ages of the bride and groom (sometimes written only as 'full age' if they were aged 21 or over)
- Bride and groom’s marital status (i.e. single, widowed, divorced)
- Occupation of the bride and groom
- Residence of the bride and groom (may be a street address or the name of a parish)
- Bride and groom's fathers' names and their occupations
- Whether the couple married by banns or licence
- The name of the person who performed the ceremony
- The signature or mark of the bride and groom (a mark is usually shown as an 'X')
- The signatures of two witnesses (these may or may not be relatives of the married couple)
From 4 May 2021, mother's names were included for the first time on English and Welsh marriage certificates and the process became electronic. Couples now sign a marriage schedule and receive their marriage certificate at a later date. In addition to the above details, Scottish marriage certificates also include the mother's name, including her maiden name.
Points to consider regarding marriage records
As well as discovering the above information, there are extra details you may come across. There are also possible errors.These include:
- If the father of the bride or groom's name and occupation are both left blank this implies that it is not known and they were most likely born illegitimately
- Alternatively, if a person was born illegitimately but wished to hide this fact they may provide false details for their father
- The witnesses may be relations of the bride and groom and provide you with a new avenue to research. They may also be friends, colleagues, neighbours or church employees
- Unlike today where facts are checked, this was less stringent in our ancestor's time. This means they often lied about their age and marital status. Bigamists usually claimed to either be single or widowed at the time of their second simultaneous marriage despite their first spouse still being alive
- Having a copy of our ancestor's signature on their marriage certificate can help us to prove their identity on other historical records where signatures appear. This is particularly useful where the person had a common name
- If the bride was married previously she would normally be married under the surname of her first husband. Her maiden name is usually given in the name of her father
- As with all historical records, the spelling of names may differ than what we expect. If you cannot find a person in the index try searching for different name variations such as Smith instead of Smyth.
Where to find records
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As with birth certificates and death certificates, marriage certificates for England and Wales can be ordered via the General Register Office (GRO). Scottish marriage certificates can only be ordered online from Scotlands People. For ancestors born in what is now Northern Ireland, marriage certificates can be ordered via the General Register Office Northern Ireland (GRONI). They are available for all marriages from 1864 and for non-Roman Catholic marriages from 1845 onwards. There is a fee for ordering a marriage certificate which varies between each website.
To order a marriage certificate, it helps to have the correct reference. These can be found on subscription sites such as MyHeritage's collection England & Wales, Marriage Index, 1837-2005. After using the search to find a marriage for your ancestors you will be provided with the quarter in which they married. Quarter 1 (M) refers to January, February and March. Quarter 2 (J) refers to April, May and June. Quarter 3 (S) refers to July, August and September. Lastly, Quarter 4 (D) refers to October, November and December. Also given will be the registration district, the volume number and the page number. These details can then be used to ensure you order the correct marriage certificate from the above places.
Details of some marriages can also be found online, such as in MyHeritage's England Marriages, 1538-1973 collection which has over 38 million records.
See also
Explore more about marriage records in the United Kingdom
- England & Wales, Marriage Index, 1837-2005record collection at MyHeritage
- England Marriages, 1538-1973record collection at MyHeritage
- Scotland, Marriages, 1561-1910record collection at MyHeritage
- Wales Marriages, 1541-1900record collection at MyHeritage