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 626

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

4699

8 October 1877

George Hawker
Catherine Cheeseman

George Hawker
Catherine Cheeseman
💍 1877/2565

Widower
Widow

Barber
Machinist

56
46

Woolston
Heathcote Valley

11 years
20 years

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

77/2571

8 October 1877

Rev. C. Fraser

No	4699
Date of Notice	8 October 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Hawker	Catherine Cheeseman
	💍 1877/2565
Condition	Widower	Widow
Profession	Barber	Machinist
Age	56	46
Dwelling Place	Woolston	Heathcote Valley
Length of Residence	11 years	20 years
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev. C. Fraser, Tuam St
Folio	77/2571
Consent
Date of Certificate	8 October 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

4700

8 October 1877

Abashai Pressney Farrow
Margaret Stewart Jenkins McGregor

Abishai Pressney Farrow
Margaret Stuart Jenkins McGrigor
💍 1877/2994

Bachelor
Spinster

Clerk

26
19

Christchurch
Christchurch

7 years
14 years

In St Michaels Church, Christchurch

77/2981

Peter McGregor Father

8 October 1877

Rev. E. G. Penny

No	4700
Date of Notice	8 October 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Abashai Pressney Farrow	Margaret Stewart Jenkins McGregor
BDM Match (93%)	Abishai Pressney Farrow	Margaret Stuart Jenkins McGrigor
	💍 1877/2994
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Clerk
Age	26	19
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	7 years	14 years
Marriage Place	In St Michaels Church, Christchurch
Folio	77/2981
Consent	Peter McGregor Father
Date of Certificate	8 October 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. E. G. Penny

4701

8 October 1877

Francis William Clark Lukey
Elizabeth Wood Mason

Francis William Clark Leekey
Elizabeth Wood Mason
💍 1877/2993

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

36
24

Christchurch
Christchurch

4 days
4 days

In St Michaels Church, Christchurch

77/2980

8 October 1877

Rev. E. G. Penny

No	4701
Date of Notice	8 October 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Francis William Clark Lukey	Elizabeth Wood Mason
BDM Match (96%)	Francis William Clark Leekey	Elizabeth Wood Mason
	💍 1877/2993
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	36	24
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	4 days	4 days
Marriage Place	In St Michaels Church, Christchurch
Folio	77/2980
Consent
Date of Certificate	8 October 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. E. G. Penny

4702

9 October 1877

Allan Bowles Cambridge
Lorette Stewart Wearn

Allan Bowler Cambridge
Laurette Steward Wearn
💍 1877/2906

Bachelor
Spinster

Artist

25
20

Christchurch
Christchurch

10 years
3 years

In St Johns Church, Christchurch

77/2917

There is no person having authority to give consent

9 October 1877

Rev. H C. M. Watson

No	4702
Date of Notice	9 October 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Allan Bowles Cambridge	Lorette Stewart Wearn
BDM Match (91%)	Allan Bowler Cambridge	Laurette Steward Wearn
	💍 1877/2906
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Artist
Age	25	20
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	10 years	3 years
Marriage Place	In St Johns Church, Christchurch
Folio	77/2917
Consent	There is no person having authority to give consent
Date of Certificate	9 October 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. H C. M. Watson

4703

11 October 1877

Thomas Valentine Pyne
Mary Sirkett

Thomas Valentine Pyne
Mary Sirkett
💍 1877/2969

Bachelor
Spinster

Storeman
Dressmaker

43
42

Christchurch
Christchurch

2 years
6 days

In the Congregational Church, Christchurch

77/2956

11 October 1877

Rev. W J Stevens

No	4703
Date of Notice	11 October 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Valentine Pyne	Mary Sirkett
	💍 1877/2969
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Storeman	Dressmaker
Age	43	42
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	2 years	6 days
Marriage Place	In the Congregational Church, Christchurch
Folio	77/2956
Consent
Date of Certificate	11 October 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. W J Stevens

4704

15 October 1877

Robert Johnstone
Margaret Murray

Robert Johnstone
Margaret Murray
💍 1877/2567

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Servant

26
28

Christchurch
Christchurch

1 week
1 month

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

77/2573

15 October 1877

Rev. C. Fraser

No	4704
Date of Notice	15 October 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Johnstone	Margaret Murray
	💍 1877/2567
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Servant
Age	26	28
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	1 week	1 month
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev. C. Fraser, Tuam Street
Folio	77/2573
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 October 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

4705

15 October 1877

William Hedley Hyde Payne
Elizabeth Caroline Howell

William Hedley Hyde Payne
Elizabeth Caroline Howell
💍 1877/2619

Bachelor
Spinster

Bootmaker
Servant

21
23

Christchurch
St Albans

19 years
6 months

In the house of Mr. W. Moore St Alans

77/2626

15 October 1877

Rev. J Crump

No	4705
Date of Notice	15 October 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Hedley Hyde Payne	Elizabeth Caroline Howell
	💍 1877/2619
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Bootmaker	Servant
Age	21	23
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	St Albans
Length of Residence	19 years	6 months
Marriage Place	In the house of Mr. W. Moore St Alans
Folio	77/2626
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 October 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. J Crump

4706

18 October 1877

Edward Thompson
Annie Caroline Lawlor

Edward Thompson
Annie Caroline Lawler
💍 1877/2995

Bachelor
Spinster

Waterman
Laundress

38
33

Christchurch
Christchurch

1 week
3 days

In St Michaels Church Christchurch

77/2982

18 October 1877

Rev. E. G. Penny

No	4706
Date of Notice	18 October 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edward Thompson	Annie Caroline Lawlor
BDM Match (98%)	Edward Thompson	Annie Caroline Lawler
	💍 1877/2995
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Waterman	Laundress
Age	38	33
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	1 week	3 days
Marriage Place	In St Michaels Church Christchurch
Folio	77/2982
Consent
Date of Certificate	18 October 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. E. G. Penny

4707

18 October 1877

Thomas Lyford
Elizabeth Seabright

Thomas Lyford
Elizabeth Seabright
💍 1877/2568

Bachelor
Spinster

Groom

19
17

Christchurch
Christchurch

4 years
14 years

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

77/2574

Thomas Lyford, Father William Seabright father

18 October 1877

Rev. C. Fraser

No	4707
Date of Notice	18 October 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Lyford	Elizabeth Seabright
	💍 1877/2568
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Groom
Age	19	17
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	4 years	14 years
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev. C. Fraser, Tuam Street
Folio	77/2574
Consent	Thomas Lyford, Father William Seabright father
Date of Certificate	18 October 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

4708

22 October 1877

John Were Baker
Mary Ann Constable

John Nere Baker
Mary Ann Constable
💍 1877/2626

Bachelor
Spinster

Coach Builder

28
18

Christchurch
Christchurch

8 days
8 days

In the Wesleyan Church, Durham Street

77/2633

William Constable Father

22 October 1877

Rev. W. Morley

No	4708
Date of Notice	22 October 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Were Baker	Mary Ann Constable
BDM Match (97%)	John Nere Baker	Mary Ann Constable
	💍 1877/2626
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Coach Builder
Age	28	18
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	8 days	8 days
Marriage Place	In the Wesleyan Church, Durham Street
Folio	77/2633
Consent	William Constable Father
Date of Certificate	22 October 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. Morley

4709

22 October 1877

William Rowe
Jane Heron

William Rowe
Jane Heron
💍 1877/2569

Widower
Widow

Blacksmith
Housekeeper

37
36

Lincoln Road
Lincoln Road

3 years
12 years

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

77/2575

22 October 1877

Rev. C. Fraser

No	4709
Date of Notice	22 October 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Rowe	Jane Heron
	💍 1877/2569
Condition	Widower	Widow
Profession	Blacksmith	Housekeeper
Age	37	36
Dwelling Place	Lincoln Road	Lincoln Road
Length of Residence	3 years	12 years
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev. C. Fraser, Tuam Street
Folio	77/2575
Consent
Date of Certificate	22 October 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

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

100% Contrast

100% Brightness

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).