Intentions to Marry, 1875

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840387, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

Imaged by Luke at Archives NZ Wellington, May 16 2025.

This register is quite fragile and some of the pages are damaged or even missing.

Page 583

District of Christchurch Quarter ending 31 December 1875 Registrar J. W. Parkinson

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

3850

25 October 1875

Charles Lawson
Hannah Whittington

Charles Lawson
Hannah Whittington
💍 1875/2745

Bachelor
Spinster

Laborer

32
22

Woolston
Do

7 years
12 years

In the Opawa Church

75/2360

26 October 1875

G. J. Cholmondeley

No	3850
Date of Notice	25 October 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Lawson	Hannah Whittington
	💍 1875/2745
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Laborer
Age	32	22
Dwelling Place	Woolston	Do
Length of Residence	7 years	12 years
Marriage Place	In the Opawa Church
Folio	75/2360
Consent
Date of Certificate	26 October 1875
Officiating Minister	G. J. Cholmondeley

3851

26 October 1875

Thomas Arkieson
Clara Haig

Thomas Adkisson Gates
Clara Ward
💍 1875/2277

Bachelor
Spinster

Schoolmaster

22
21

Christchurch
Do

5 years
5 years

St. Michael's Church Christchurch

75/2457

26 October 1875

Rev. H. J. Edwards

No	3851
Date of Notice	26 October 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Arkieson	Clara Haig
BDM Match (66%)	Thomas Adkisson Gates	Clara Ward
	💍 1875/2277
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Schoolmaster
Age	22	21
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Do
Length of Residence	5 years	5 years
Marriage Place	St. Michael's Church Christchurch
Folio	75/2457
Consent
Date of Certificate	26 October 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. H. J. Edwards

3852

26 October 1875

Alfred Isaac Twining
Marion Simcock

Alfred James Twinning
Marion Sinnock
💍 1875/2288

Bachelor
Spinster

Tugman

23
24

Christchurch
Do

7 months
15 years

St. Michael's Church Christchurch

75/2452

26 October 1875

Rev. H. J. Edwards

No	3852
Date of Notice	26 October 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alfred Isaac Twining	Marion Simcock
BDM Match (79%)	Alfred James Twinning	Marion Sinnock
	💍 1875/2288
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Tugman
Age	23	24
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Do
Length of Residence	7 months	15 years
Marriage Place	St. Michael's Church Christchurch
Folio	75/2452
Consent
Date of Certificate	26 October 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. H. J. Edwards

3853

26 October 1875

William Abel
Rhina Matilda Jam Fulton

William Abel
Robina Matilda Jane Fenton
💍 1875/3030

Bachelor
Spinster

Clerk

28
20

Christchurch
Do

4 years
13 years

In the Presbyterian Church

75/3157

Robert Fulton, Father

26 October 1875

Rev. C. Fraser

No	3853
Date of Notice	26 October 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Abel	Rhina Matilda Jam Fulton
BDM Match (88%)	William Abel	Robina Matilda Jane Fenton
	💍 1875/3030
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Clerk
Age	28	20
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Do
Length of Residence	4 years	13 years
Marriage Place	In the Presbyterian Church
Folio	75/3157
Consent	Robert Fulton, Father
Date of Certificate	26 October 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

3854

26 October 1875

William Pearce
Elizabeth Kelley

William Pearce
Elizabeth Kelly
💍 1875/2726

Widower
Widow

Inspector of Nuisances

44
36

Christchurch
Do

13 years
2 years

In the Church of St. Luke

75/3005

26 October 1875

Rev. R. A. Lingard

No	3854
Date of Notice	26 October 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Pearce	Elizabeth Kelley
BDM Match (97%)	William Pearce	Elizabeth Kelly
	💍 1875/2726
Condition	Widower	Widow
Profession	Inspector of Nuisances
Age	44	36
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Do
Length of Residence	13 years	2 years
Marriage Place	In the Church of St. Luke
Folio	75/3005
Consent
Date of Certificate	26 October 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. R. A. Lingard

3855

27 October 1875

John W. Gorman
Elizabeth Boswell

John McGorman
Elizabeth Snoswell
💍 1875/2380

John Gordon
Elizabeth Allan
💍 1875/1377

John Tifford
Elizabeth Hill
💍 1875/2952

Bachelor
Spinster

Detective

35
19

Lyttelton
Christchurch

18 months
6 months

Lyttelton

75/2334

Rev. J. Berry, person having authority to consent

27 October 1875

Rev. J. Berry

No	3855
Date of Notice	27 October 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John W. Gorman	Elizabeth Boswell
BDM Match (84%)	John McGorman	Elizabeth Snoswell
	💍 1875/2380
BDM Match (62%)	John Gordon	Elizabeth Allan
	💍 1875/1377
BDM Match (60%)	John Tifford	Elizabeth Hill
	💍 1875/2952
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Detective
Age	35	19
Dwelling Place	Lyttelton	Christchurch
Length of Residence	18 months	6 months
Marriage Place	Lyttelton
Folio	75/2334
Consent	Rev. J. Berry, person having authority to consent
Date of Certificate	27 October 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Berry

3856

28 October 1875

Basil Blacklock
Eliza Baxter

David Blacklock Carruthers
Eliza Baxter
💍 1875/3047

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

32
27

Christchurch
Do

3 days
3 days

In the house of Mr. Carruthers

75/3145

28 October 1875

Rev. C. Fraser

No	3856
Date of Notice	28 October 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Basil Blacklock	Eliza Baxter
BDM Match (73%)	David Blacklock Carruthers	Eliza Baxter
	💍 1875/3047
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	32	27
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Do
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	In the house of Mr. Carruthers
Folio	75/3145
Consent
Date of Certificate	28 October 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

3857

29 October 1875

Alfred Restieaux
Emily Barnett

Alfred Restieaux
Emily Barnett
💍 1875/3028

Bachelor
Spinster

Porter

26
21

Christchurch
Do

14 years
2 years

In the Presbyterian Church

75/3149

29 October 1875

Rev. C. Fraser

No	3857
Date of Notice	29 October 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alfred Restieaux	Emily Barnett
	💍 1875/3028
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Porter
Age	26	21
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Do
Length of Residence	14 years	2 years
Marriage Place	In the Presbyterian Church
Folio	75/3149
Consent
Date of Certificate	29 October 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

3858

30 October 1875

James Connor
Lena Wilson

James Leitch
Letitia Wilson
💍 1876/647

Bachelor
Spinster

Laborer
Servant

35
27

Christchurch
Do

3 days
3 days

In the Roman Catholic Church

75/2652

30 October 1875

Rev. J. P. Chareype

No	3858
Date of Notice	30 October 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Connor	Lena Wilson
BDM Match (61%)	James Leitch	Letitia Wilson
	💍 1876/647
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Laborer	Servant
Age	35	27
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Do
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	In the Roman Catholic Church
Folio	75/2652
Consent
Date of Certificate	30 October 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. P. Chareype

3859

30 October 1875

Thomas Bayman
Caroline Forrest

Thomas Baynon
Caroline Forrest
💍 1875/2530

Bachelor
Spinster

Groom
Servant

22
18

Christchurch
Do

7 weeks
6 weeks

In the House of Mr. Nixon

75/2740

There is no person having authority to consent

30 October 1875

Rev. B. I. Westbrooke

No	3859
Date of Notice	30 October 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Bayman	Caroline Forrest
BDM Match (92%)	Thomas Baynon	Caroline Forrest
	💍 1875/2530
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Groom	Servant
Age	22	18
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Do
Length of Residence	7 weeks	6 weeks
Marriage Place	In the House of Mr. Nixon
Folio	75/2740
Consent	There is no person having authority to consent
Date of Certificate	30 October 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. B. I. Westbrooke

3860

1 November 1875

William Cooper
Annie Wylie

William Cooper
Annie Wylie
💍 1875/3048

Bachelor
Spinster

Jeweller
Servant

24
21

Christchurch
Do

1 year
15 months

In the House of Rev. C. Fraser

75/3146

1 November 1875

Rev. C. Fraser

No	3860
Date of Notice	1 November 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Cooper	Annie Wylie
	💍 1875/3048
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Jeweller	Servant
Age	24	21
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Do
Length of Residence	1 year	15 months
Marriage Place	In the House of Rev. C. Fraser
Folio	75/3146
Consent
Date of Certificate	1 November 1875
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).