Intentions to Marry, 1880

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840392, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

Page 660

District of Christchurch Quarter ending Apr - Jun

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

140

10 April 1880

John Greaves
Mary Jane Burton

John Creeney
Mary Jane Burston
💍 1880/1706

John Ward
Mary Jane Austen
💍 1880/1229

John McCabe
Mary Jane Nolan
💍 1880/1258

Bachelor
Spinster

Blacksmith

25
21

Christchurch
Christchurch

7 years
18 months

Roman Catholic Church

80/165

10 April 1880

Rev. L. Ginaty, Roman Catholic

No	140
Date of Notice	10 April 1880
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Greaves	Mary Jane Burton
BDM Match (80%)	John Creeney	Mary Jane Burston
	💍 1880/1706
BDM Match (66%)	John Ward	Mary Jane Austen
	💍 1880/1229
BDM Match (64%)	John McCabe	Mary Jane Nolan
	💍 1880/1258
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Blacksmith
Age	25	21
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	7 years	18 months
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Church
Folio	80/165
Consent
Date of Certificate	10 April 1880
Officiating Minister	Rev. L. Ginaty, Roman Catholic

141

10 April 1880

William Ashton
Mary Bailey

William Ashton
Jane Mary Bailey
💍 1880/1420

Bachelor
Spinster

Laborer

22
23

Christchurch
Christchurch

12 days
10 days

St. Lukes Church

80/149

10 April 1880

Rev. E.A. Lingard, Church of England

No	141
Date of Notice	10 April 1880
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Ashton	Mary Bailey
BDM Match (84%)	William Ashton	Jane Mary Bailey
	💍 1880/1420
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Laborer
Age	22	23
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	12 days	10 days
Marriage Place	St. Lukes Church
Folio	80/149
Consent
Date of Certificate	10 April 1880
Officiating Minister	Rev. E.A. Lingard, Church of England

142

12 April 1880

John Fry
Christina McLean

John Fry
Christina McLaren
💍 1880/1838

Widower
Spinster

Farmer

38
32

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 days
3 days

In the house of Rev. C. Fraser

80/129

12 April 1880

Rev. C. Fraser, Presbyterian

No	142
Date of Notice	12 April 1880
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Fry	Christina McLean
BDM Match (91%)	John Fry	Christina McLaren
	💍 1880/1838
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	38	32
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev. C. Fraser
Folio	80/129
Consent
Date of Certificate	12 April 1880
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser, Presbyterian

143

12 April 1880

Michael Mahony
Margaret Gave

Michael Mahoney
Margaret Gaul
💍 1880/1707

Bachelor
Widow

Laborer
Servant

27
28

Christchurch
Christchurch

4 years
5 years

In the Roman Catholic Church

80/166

12 April 1880

Rev. L. Ginaty, Roman Catholic

No	143
Date of Notice	12 April 1880
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Michael Mahony	Margaret Gave
BDM Match (89%)	Michael Mahoney	Margaret Gaul
	💍 1880/1707
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Laborer	Servant
Age	27	28
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	4 years	5 years
Marriage Place	In the Roman Catholic Church
Folio	80/166
Consent
Date of Certificate	12 April 1880
Officiating Minister	Rev. L. Ginaty, Roman Catholic

144

12 April 1880

John Barttell
Mary Bailey

John Bartlett
Mary Bailey
💍 1880/1839

Bachelor
Spinster

Horsemen

21
26

Christchurch
Christchurch

2 years
7 years

In the house of Rev. C. Fraser

80/130

12 April 1880

Rev. C. Fraser, Presbyterian

No	144
Date of Notice	12 April 1880
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Barttell	Mary Bailey
BDM Match (88%)	John Bartlett	Mary Bailey
	💍 1880/1839
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Horsemen
Age	21	26
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	2 years	7 years
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev. C. Fraser
Folio	80/130
Consent
Date of Certificate	12 April 1880
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser, Presbyterian

145

12 April 1880

George Charles Ross Richards
Emma Chivers

George Charles Ross Richards
Emma Chivers
💍 1880/1437

Bachelor
Spinster

Photographer

35
31

Christchurch
Christchurch

10 months
10 months

In the Wesleyan Church

80/192

12 April 1880

Rev. C. Reid, Wesleyan

No	145
Date of Notice	12 April 1880
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Charles Ross Richards	Emma Chivers
	💍 1880/1437
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Photographer
Age	35	31
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	10 months	10 months
Marriage Place	In the Wesleyan Church
Folio	80/192
Consent
Date of Certificate	12 April 1880
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Reid, Wesleyan

146

12 April 1880

Edward Rounding
Anna Macdonald

Edward Rounding
Norah Macdonald
💍 1880/1844

Bachelor
Spinster

Blacksmith

40
36

Christchurch
Christchurch

10 years
10 years

In the house of Rev. C. Fraser

80/134

12 April 1880

Rev. C. Fraser, Presbyterian

No	146
Date of Notice	12 April 1880
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edward Rounding	Anna Macdonald
BDM Match (87%)	Edward Rounding	Norah Macdonald
	💍 1880/1844
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Blacksmith
Age	40	36
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	10 years	10 years
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev. C. Fraser
Folio	80/134
Consent
Date of Certificate	12 April 1880
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser, Presbyterian

147

13 April 1880

Simon Reid
Elizabeth Laurent

Simon Keir Martin
Elizabeth Lawrenson
💍 1880/1443

Bachelor
Spinster

Printer

23
20

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 years
5 years

In the Rectory

80/194

Martin Laurent, having authority

13 April 1880

Rev. C.J. Welsh, Church of England

No	147
Date of Notice	13 April 1880
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Simon Reid	Elizabeth Laurent
BDM Match (63%)	Simon Keir Martin	Elizabeth Lawrenson
	💍 1880/1443
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Printer
Age	23	20
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 years	5 years
Marriage Place	In the Rectory
Folio	80/194
Consent	Martin Laurent, having authority
Date of Certificate	13 April 1880
Officiating Minister	Rev. C.J. Welsh, Church of England

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

100% Contrast

100% Brightness

Attribution: This image was digitised by Archives NZ Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga and is republished here under CC BY. It has been cropped and rotated for convenience.

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).