Marriage Records in the UK

Marriage Records before 1837

Births, Marriage and Death records (BMDs) are kept by the General Register Office (GRO) of England & Wales, part of the National Office of Statistics (ONS). These records have been kept by law since 1837, detailing every birth, marriage and death recorded in England & Wales since that date.

For records before 1837, you have to turn to Parish Registers to find baptism, marriage and burial records for your ancestors. The information on the records before 1837 is as follows:

Information on a Record: before 1754

Marriage Records before 1754 contained simply the names of the bride and groom and the date of the marriage. Some very early registers (in the 1500s) simply contain entries like "John Smith married his wife".

There was one exception - if the bride and groom were from different parishes than where the marriage was being performed, then the parish of residence (where the person was living at the time) was stated.

Information on a Record: 1754 - 1837

In 1754, new legislation was passed which stated that everyone had to marry in a licensed parish church in their own parish.

A pre-printed marriage register was used to record marriages, and this recorded the following:

- Name & Parish of both the Bride and Groom
- Date
- Signatures of Bride & Groom
- Signature of Clergyman performing the ceremony
- Signatures of two witnesses

To see more information about Parish Registers, go to ParishRegister.co.uk.