Intentions to Marry, 1873

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840385, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

Imaged by Luke Howison at Archives NZ Wellington, December 4 2024

Page 597

District of Christchurch Quarter ending 30 June 1873

Date of Notice

Names and Surnames of Parties

BDM Match

Condition

Calling or Profession

Age

Dwelling Place

Length of Residence

Marriage Place

Folio

Consent

Date of Certificate

Officiating Minister

2883

19 March 1873

Charles James Dorn
Catherine Finn

Charles James Dorn
Catherine Finn
💍 1873/8470

73/1241

2 April 1873

Rev. C. Bowen

No	2883
Date of Notice	19 March 1873
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles James Dorn	Catherine Finn
	💍 1873/8470
Condition
Profession
Age
Dwelling Place
Length of Residence
Marriage Place
Folio	73/1241
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 April 1873
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Bowen

2899

7 April 1873

Joseph Hillshire
Catherine Prior

Joseph Wiltshire
Catherine Sarah Rider
💍 1873/10687

Bachelor
Spinster

Contractor

28
20

Merivale
Rolleston

7 weeks
6 years

In the house of Mr Prior

73/2001

Thomas Prior, father

14 April 1873

Rev. J. Knowles

No	2899
Date of Notice	7 April 1873
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Joseph Hillshire	Catherine Prior
BDM Match (75%)	Joseph Wiltshire	Catherine Sarah Rider
	💍 1873/10687
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Contractor
Age	28	20
Dwelling Place	Merivale	Rolleston
Length of Residence	7 weeks	6 years
Marriage Place	In the house of Mr Prior
Folio	73/2001
Consent	Thomas Prior, father
Date of Certificate	14 April 1873
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Knowles

2907

17 April 1873

Henry Greaves
Mary Prior

Henry Greaves
Eliza Mary Prior
💍 1873/6757

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer

26
19

Rolleston Springs
Rolleston

7 years
7 years

In the house of Mr Prior

73/1661

Thomas Prior, father

19 April 1873

Rev. W. E. Paige

No	2907
Date of Notice	17 April 1873
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry Greaves	Mary Prior
BDM Match (81%)	Henry Greaves	Eliza Mary Prior
	💍 1873/6757
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer
Age	26	19
Dwelling Place	Rolleston Springs	Rolleston
Length of Residence	7 years	7 years
Marriage Place	In the house of Mr Prior
Folio	73/1661
Consent	Thomas Prior, father
Date of Certificate	19 April 1873
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. E. Paige

2910

21 April 1873

John Milne
Margaret Grayhead

John Milne
Margaret Craighead
💍 1873/6469

Bachelor
Spinster

Iron Moulder

27
23

Christchurch
Lincoln

3 years
13 years

In the house of Mr Grayhead

73/563

10 May 1873

Rev. A. F. Douglas

No	2910
Date of Notice	21 April 1873
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Milne	Margaret Grayhead
BDM Match (92%)	John Milne	Margaret Craighead
	💍 1873/6469
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Iron Moulder
Age	27	23
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Lincoln
Length of Residence	3 years	13 years
Marriage Place	In the house of Mr Grayhead
Folio	73/563
Consent
Date of Certificate	10 May 1873
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. F. Douglas

2912

26 April 1873

William Charles Maddison
Mary Maria Thomas

William Charles Maddison
Mary Maria Thomas
💍 1873/6760

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

21
19

Templeton
Templeton

12 years
9 years

Church Templeton

73/662

Herbert Thomas, Father

26 April 1873

Rev. W. E. Paige

No	2912
Date of Notice	26 April 1873
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Charles Maddison	Mary Maria Thomas
	💍 1873/6760
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	21	19
Dwelling Place	Templeton	Templeton
Length of Residence	12 years	9 years
Marriage Place	Church Templeton
Folio	73/662
Consent	Herbert Thomas, Father
Date of Certificate	26 April 1873
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. E. Paige

2914

30 April 1873

High Vallance
Esther Wilkins

Hugh Vallance
Esther Wilkins
💍 1873/10690

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter
Servant

25
24

Merivale
Merivale

3 days
3 days

Church

73/2002

30 April 1873

Rev. J. Knowles

No	2914
Date of Notice	30 April 1873
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	High Vallance	Esther Wilkins
BDM Match (96%)	Hugh Vallance	Esther Wilkins
	💍 1873/10690
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter	Servant
Age	25	24
Dwelling Place	Merivale	Merivale
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	Church
Folio	73/2002
Consent
Date of Certificate	30 April 1873
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Knowles

2916

5 May 1873

George Early
Mary Florence Bolitho

George Early
Mary Florence Bolitho
💍 1873/6019

Bachelor
Spinster

Builder

26
20

Shands Track
Broadfields

7 years
6 months

Wesleyan Church

73/459

Mary Bolitho, mother being authority

19 May 1873

Rev. H. Keall

No	2916
Date of Notice	5 May 1873
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Early	Mary Florence Bolitho
	💍 1873/6019
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Builder
Age	26	20
Dwelling Place	Shands Track	Broadfields
Length of Residence	7 years	6 months
Marriage Place	Wesleyan Church
Folio	73/459
Consent	Mary Bolitho, mother being authority
Date of Certificate	19 May 1873
Officiating Minister	Rev. H. Keall

2917

6 May 1873

James Ritson
Mary Anna Earnshaw

James Ritchie
Mary Ann Earnshaw
💍 1873/6916

Bachelor
Spinster

Servant
Servant

28
22

Christchurch
Addington

2 weeks
6 weeks

In the house of Mr Earnshaw

73/410

6 May 1873

Rev. C. Fraser

No	2917
Date of Notice	6 May 1873
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Ritson	Mary Anna Earnshaw
BDM Match (82%)	James Ritchie	Mary Ann Earnshaw
	💍 1873/6916
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Servant	Servant
Age	28	22
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Addington
Length of Residence	2 weeks	6 weeks
Marriage Place	In the house of Mr Earnshaw
Folio	73/410
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 May 1873
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

2927

19 May 1873

James Bishop
Anne Bundle

James Bishop
Ann Brindle
💍 1873/6022

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

24
20

Papanui
Papanui

15 years
15 years

Church

73/418

Dinah Bundle, mother

19 May 1873

Rev. L. Moore

No	2927
Date of Notice	19 May 1873
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Bishop	Anne Bundle
BDM Match (86%)	James Bishop	Ann Brindle
	💍 1873/6022
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	24	20
Dwelling Place	Papanui	Papanui
Length of Residence	15 years	15 years
Marriage Place	Church
Folio	73/418
Consent	Dinah Bundle, mother
Date of Certificate	19 May 1873
Officiating Minister	Rev. L. Moore

2931

22 May 1873

Joseph Lindon
Emma Craze

Joseph Lindon
Emma Craze
💍 1873/6046

Widower
Spinster

Plasterer
Housekeeper

43
35

Christchurch
Christchurch

10 years
5 years

In the house of Rev I Alfred, Springfield Road

73/418

22 May 1873

Rev. I. Aldred

No	2931
Date of Notice	22 May 1873
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Joseph Lindon	Emma Craze
	💍 1873/6046
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Plasterer	Housekeeper
Age	43	35
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	10 years	5 years
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev I Alfred, Springfield Road
Folio	73/418
Consent
Date of Certificate	22 May 1873
Officiating Minister	Rev. I. Aldred

2947

13 June 1873

Richard Tinjau
Margaret Todd

Richard Morgan
Margaret Todd
💍 1873/6934

Bachelor
Spinster

Storekeeper

29
22

Christchurch
Addington

3 days
5 years

The Carati

73/924

13 June 1873

Rev. C. Fraser

No	2947
Date of Notice	13 June 1873
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Richard Tinjau	Margaret Todd
BDM Match (82%)	Richard Morgan	Margaret Todd
	💍 1873/6934
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Storekeeper
Age	29	22
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Addington
Length of Residence	3 days	5 years
Marriage Place	The Carati
Folio	73/924
Consent
Date of Certificate	13 June 1873
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

These records have been automatically transcribed and must be verified using the page image (below)

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What is an Intention to Marry?

The 1854 Marriage Act required Pakeha settlers (and later Maori) to register their intention to marry from 1855. The resulting Notices of intention to marry were sent by the district registrars to the Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages and bound into large volumes, each containing a year of notices. These registers were eventually deposited with Archives New Zealand.

What information does an ItM record?

A typical Intention to Marry notice records:

the bride and groom's full names
occupation of the groom (and sometimes the bride)
their ages
district where the marriage would take place
how long they had resided in the district
Where the marriage would take place (eg, a specific church)
Who would officiate the marriage (eg, a minister)
The date of the notice and also a date when the certificate was issued. Marriages had to take place within 3 months, and usually occurred within a week or so of the certificate date.
If one of the parties was under 21, a parent who consented to their marriage was usually specified

These details can provide clues for genealogical and historical research. Knowing the date and district makes it easier to look for wedding notices in Papers Past, and the amount of time that the parties had resided in a district can offer clues to whether a person was born in NZ, or when they immigrated.

However, finding individual records in the Intentions to Marry registers was typically a slow and manual process, usually requiring an in-person visit to Archives NZ's Wellington office (during limited opening hours) and using a handwritten card catalogue index to look up individual names.

Eight years of the registers had been digitised by Archives NZ prior to 2024, but even these digital versions required the use of a manual index and usually examining several pages to locate specific records.

What is the Intentions to Marry Project?

This project aims to transcribe the New Zealand Intentions to Marry registers (from 1855 to 1925) with the assistance of new technology (AI), making the records freely available and easily searchable.

The ITM records have also been cross-referenced with the registered marriages at DIA Births, Deaths and Marriages, where possible (a small fraction of the recorded intentions to marry did not become a registered marriage).

Currently we have almost all records between 1855 and 1903. More registers are being added almost every week.

The project is led by Luke Howison, a web developer who made the free genealogical research search tool NZ Ancestor Search Helper and Archway-style Collections Search. There are also some wonderful volunteers assisting with digitising the registers.

Can I volunteer to help?

Yes, you can! You can sign up to correct errors in the transcribed records and match ITMs with registered marriages.

I am also looking for Wellington-based volunteers to help me digitise more years of the registers. I can provide lighting equipment and a 'clicker' (to trigger your phone's camera).

How is the transcription done?

There are several steps to digitising and transcribing the records:

Digitising the registers (taking clean, straight, high-quality photos)
Processing the digitised pages by straightening, cropping and sharpening the images
Transcribing each page with a combination of AI tools
Matching each ITM with a registered marriage when possible
Human verification of the transcribed information

The main LLM (AI) used are the Google Gemini Pro and Flash models, which have excellent 'Vision' capabilities, and a generous free tier.

Archives NZ has released the register years they have digitised (1865-69, 1872, 1874 and 1880) under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 license.

The Intention to Marry registers (up to 1925) are more than 100 years old, so their Crown Copyright has expired, putting them in the public domain. This also applies to any 'mechanical reproductions' (eg, pictures or photocopies) of their content without substantial alteration.

The transcribed records on this website are released under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal license, which allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, even for commercial purposes, while giving credit to the creator (NZ Intentions to Marry Project).