Intentions to Marry, 1877

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840389, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

Imaged by Luke at Archives NZ Wellington, April 16 2025

Page 634

District of Christchurch Quarter ending 31 December 1877 Registrar W Parkerson

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

4787

26 December 1877

Alexander Nicol
Eliza Pannett

Alexander Nicoll
Eliza Pannett
💍 1877/2585

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

33
31

Lincoln
Lincoln

3 days
10 years

In the house of Mr Pannett, Lincoln

77/2567

26 December 1877

Rev. I.W. Sawle

No	4787
Date of Notice	26 December 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alexander Nicol	Eliza Pannett
BDM Match (97%)	Alexander Nicoll	Eliza Pannett
	💍 1877/2585
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	33	31
Dwelling Place	Lincoln	Lincoln
Length of Residence	3 days	10 years
Marriage Place	In the house of Mr Pannett, Lincoln
Folio	77/2567
Consent
Date of Certificate	26 December 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. I.W. Sawle

4788

26 December 1877

Robert Norrie
Maria Round

Robert Norrie
Martha Bound
💍 1878/64

Bachelor
Spinster

Cabinetmaker

25
17

Christchurch
Waltham

8 months
7 years

In the Opawa Church

78/573

Elijah Round, Father

26 December 1877

Rev. G J Cholmondeley

No	4788
Date of Notice	26 December 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Norrie	Maria Round
BDM Match (88%)	Robert Norrie	Martha Bound
	💍 1878/64
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Cabinetmaker
Age	25	17
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Waltham
Length of Residence	8 months	7 years
Marriage Place	In the Opawa Church
Folio	78/573
Consent	Elijah Round, Father
Date of Certificate	26 December 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. G J Cholmondeley

4789

26 December 1877

John Bramley
Mary Ann Hampton

John Bramley
Mary Ann Hampton
💍 1877/3006

Bachelor
Spinster

Carter
Servant

32
27

Christchurch
Christchurch

11 years
2 years

In the house of Rev. C. Fraser, Tuam Street

77/3008

26 December 1877

Rev. C. Fraser

No	4789
Date of Notice	26 December 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Bramley	Mary Ann Hampton
	💍 1877/3006
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carter	Servant
Age	32	27
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	11 years	2 years
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev. C. Fraser, Tuam Street
Folio	77/3008
Consent
Date of Certificate	26 December 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

4790

27 December 1877

Job Lilley
Rosina Rachel Lemmon

Job Lilley
Rosina Rachel Lemmon
💍 1877/2635

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

23
18

Courtenay
Courtenay

18 years
3 years

In the Registration Office Christchurch

77/2617

There is no person having authority to consent

27 December 1877

Registrar of Marriages, W Parkerson

No	4790
Date of Notice	27 December 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Job Lilley	Rosina Rachel Lemmon
	💍 1877/2635
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	23	18
Dwelling Place	Courtenay	Courtenay
Length of Residence	18 years	3 years
Marriage Place	In the Registration Office Christchurch
Folio	77/2617
Consent	There is no person having authority to consent
Date of Certificate	27 December 1877
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages, W Parkerson

4791

27 December 1877

Antonio Brandon
Lydia Shipley

Antonio Brandon
Lydia Shipley
💍 1877/2621

Bachelor
Spinster

Cook
Servant

45
32

Christchurch
Christchurch

2 years
18 months

In the house of Mr James Tregeagle, Conference Street

77/2628

27 December 1877

Rev. C. Dallaston

No	4791
Date of Notice	27 December 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Antonio Brandon	Lydia Shipley
	💍 1877/2621
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Cook	Servant
Age	45	32
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	2 years	18 months
Marriage Place	In the house of Mr James Tregeagle, Conference Street
Folio	77/2628
Consent
Date of Certificate	27 December 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Dallaston

4792

27 December 1877

David Cochrane
Mary Furze

David Cochrane
Mary Furze
💍 1878/514

Bachelor
Spinster

Painter
Servant

30
24

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 years
3 years

In the house of Rev. C. Fraser, Tuam Street

78/495

27 December 1877

Rev. C. Fraser

No	4792
Date of Notice	27 December 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	David Cochrane	Mary Furze
	💍 1878/514
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Painter	Servant
Age	30	24
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 years	3 years
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev. C. Fraser, Tuam Street
Folio	78/495
Consent
Date of Certificate	27 December 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

4793

27 December 1877

William Henderson
Emily Mazey

William Henderson
Emily Mazay
💍 1877/3007

Bachelor
Spinster

Harness Maker
Dressmaker

21
22

Christchurch
Christchurch

15 years
10 years

In the house of Rev. C. Fraser, Tuam Street

77/3009

27 December 1877

Rev. C. Fraser

No	4793
Date of Notice	27 December 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Henderson	Emily Mazey
BDM Match (95%)	William Henderson	Emily Mazay
	💍 1877/3007
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Harness Maker	Dressmaker
Age	21	22
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	15 years	10 years
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev. C. Fraser, Tuam Street
Folio	77/3009
Consent
Date of Certificate	27 December 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

4794

31 December 1877

Joseph Fletcher
Fanny Eberne

Joseph Fletcher
Fanny Eberne
💍 1877/3008

Bachelor
Spinster

Fisherman
Servant

29
23

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 days
3 days

In the house of Rev. C. Fraser, Tuam Street

77/3010

31 December 1877

Rev. C. Fraser

No	4794
Date of Notice	31 December 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Joseph Fletcher	Fanny Eberne
	💍 1877/3008
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Fisherman	Servant
Age	29	23
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev. C. Fraser, Tuam Street
Folio	77/3010
Consent
Date of Certificate	31 December 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

4795

31 December 1877

George Samuel Taylor
Mary Ann Gates

George Samuel Taylor
Mary Ann Gates
💍 1878/537

Bachelor
Spinster

Butcher
Servant

28
19

Christchurch
Addinghton

4 years
3 years

In the Addington Church

78/510

William George Gates, father

31 December 1877

Rev. H. E East

No	4795
Date of Notice	31 December 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Samuel Taylor	Mary Ann Gates
	💍 1878/537
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Butcher	Servant
Age	28	19
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Addinghton
Length of Residence	4 years	3 years
Marriage Place	In the Addington Church
Folio	78/510
Consent	William George Gates, father
Date of Certificate	31 December 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. H. E East

4796

31 December 1877

Patrick Doyle
Estelle Josephine Hombrook

Patrick Doyle
Estelle Josephine Hornbrook
💍 1878/61

Bachelor
Spinster

Physician

29
19

Christchurch
Opawa

5 years
19 years

In the Roman Catholic Church, Shands Track

78/570

Alfred Hornbrook, Father

31 December 1877

Rev.J .C. Chervier

No	4796
Date of Notice	31 December 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Patrick Doyle	Estelle Josephine Hombrook
BDM Match (96%)	Patrick Doyle	Estelle Josephine Hornbrook
	💍 1878/61
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Physician
Age	29	19
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Opawa
Length of Residence	5 years	19 years
Marriage Place	In the Roman Catholic Church, Shands Track
Folio	78/570
Consent	Alfred Hornbrook, Father
Date of Certificate	31 December 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev.J .C. Chervier

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 1908. 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).