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- About England & Wales marriages 1837-2008
The record set comprises almost 96 million records from 53 counties in England and Wales.
Civil registration of births, marriages and deaths began in July 1837. At that time, England & Wales was subdivided into administrative areas known as registration districts. Within each district, a registrar recorded births, marriages and deaths.
Four times a year, in March, June, September, and December, all the registers for England & Wales were collated into a single countrywide index, arranged alphabetically by surname. Each quarter covers the month itself and the two preceding months. Note that, for the researcher, marriages, unlike births, have the advantage of being registered immediately at the time of the event.
Please note that our marriage records do not extend as far as the present day. Marriages are delayed in reaching the central register, as (unlike births and deaths) the information relating to marriages has to be collated from churches and other religious establishments as well as district register offices. Marriages traditionally took place in the parish of the bride, which may or may not be located in the same registration district as the parish of the groom.
If you can’t find your ancestors in these records, it’s possible they eloped or were in common law relationships.
Marriage certificates are very useful documents, as they include a wealth of detail about the bride and groom, as well as their respective fathers and occasionally other relatives who were witnesses.
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