Intentions to Marry, 1882

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840394, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

Imaged by Carole at Archives NZ Wellington, April 16 2025

Page 433

District of Wellington Quarter ending 31 December 1882 Registrar Joeph Goupey Holaswirth

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

226

1 November 1882

Matthew Shaw Laurie
Mary Ann Dew

Matthew Shaw Laurie
Mary Ann Dew
💍 1882/2942

Bachelor
Spinster

Ironmonger

21
24

Wellington
Do

years
Do

Registrar's office

82/2837

1 November 1882

J. G. Holasworth

No	226
Date of Notice	1 November 1882
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Matthew Shaw Laurie	Mary Ann Dew
	💍 1882/2942
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Ironmonger
Age	21	24
Dwelling Place	Wellington	Do
Length of Residence	years	Do
Marriage Place	Registrar's office
Folio	82/2837
Consent
Date of Certificate	1 November 1882
Officiating Minister	J. G. Holasworth

227

3 November 1882

Ernest Samuel Chedley
Jane Laurie

Ernest Samuel Medley
Jane Laurie
💍 1882/122

Bachelor
Spinster

Clerk

23
20

Do
Do

Registrar's office

82/2839

Jane Neldham, Mother

3 November 1882

J. G. Holasworth

No	227
Date of Notice	3 November 1882
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Ernest Samuel Chedley	Jane Laurie
BDM Match (95%)	Ernest Samuel Medley	Jane Laurie
	💍 1882/122
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Clerk
Age	23	20
Dwelling Place	Do	Do
Length of Residence	Do	Do
Marriage Place	Registrar's office
Folio	82/2839
Consent	Jane Neldham, Mother
Date of Certificate	3 November 1882
Officiating Minister	J. G. Holasworth

228

6 November 1882

Thomas Henry
Jane McPhee

Thomas Henry
Jane McPhee
💍 1882/2949

Bachelor
Spinster

Compositor

26
20

Do
Do

Cricket Club Arms Hotel

82/2821

Malcolm McPhee, Father

6 November 1882

Rev James Paterson

No	228
Date of Notice	6 November 1882
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Henry	Jane McPhee
	💍 1882/2949
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Compositor
Age	26	20
Dwelling Place	Do	Do
Length of Residence	Do	Do
Marriage Place	Cricket Club Arms Hotel
Folio	82/2821
Consent	Malcolm McPhee, Father
Date of Certificate	6 November 1882
Officiating Minister	Rev James Paterson

229

6 November 1882

Thomas Beatty
Annie Coward

Thomas Batty
Annie Coward
💍 1882/2818

Bachelor
Spinster

Cabinet Maker

22
22

Do
Do

1 month
5

Home of Rev R. Bavin

82/2865

6 November 1882

Rev. Rainsford Bavin

No	229
Date of Notice	6 November 1882
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Beatty	Annie Coward
BDM Match (96%)	Thomas Batty	Annie Coward
	💍 1882/2818
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Cabinet Maker
Age	22	22
Dwelling Place	Do	Do
Length of Residence	1 month	5
Marriage Place	Home of Rev R. Bavin
Folio	82/2865
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 November 1882
Officiating Minister	Rev. Rainsford Bavin

230

6 November 1882

John Edward Lloyd
Annie Chidlow

John Edwards Lloyd
Annie Chidlow
💍 1882/2944

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

25
28

Do
Do

2 years
4 months

Registrar's office

82/2838

6 November 1882

J. G. Holasworth

No	230
Date of Notice	6 November 1882
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Edward Lloyd	Annie Chidlow
BDM Match (97%)	John Edwards Lloyd	Annie Chidlow
	💍 1882/2944
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	25	28
Dwelling Place	Do	Do
Length of Residence	2 years	4 months
Marriage Place	Registrar's office
Folio	82/2838
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 November 1882
Officiating Minister	J. G. Holasworth

231

7 November 1882

Henry Roberts
Marion Jones

Henry Roberts
Marion Jones
💍 1882/2817

Bachelor
Spinster

Compositor

26
22

Do
Do

years
Do

Home of Rev W. Bumber

82/2864

7 November 1882

Rev. W. Bumber

No	231
Date of Notice	7 November 1882
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry Roberts	Marion Jones
	💍 1882/2817
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Compositor
Age	26	22
Dwelling Place	Do	Do
Length of Residence	years	Do
Marriage Place	Home of Rev W. Bumber
Folio	82/2864
Consent
Date of Certificate	7 November 1882
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. Bumber

232

8 November 1882

Arthur Gyles
Sarah Rebecca Brown

Arthur Gyles
Sarah Rebecca Brown
💍 1882/2819

Bachelor
Spinster

Compositor

24
19

Do
Do

Home of the Rev W. Bumber, Ingestre Street

82/2866

Alfred Gyles Brown, Father

8 November 1882

Rev. W. Bumber

No	232
Date of Notice	8 November 1882
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur Gyles	Sarah Rebecca Brown
	💍 1882/2819
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Compositor
Age	24	19
Dwelling Place	Do	Do
Length of Residence	Do	Do
Marriage Place	Home of the Rev W. Bumber, Ingestre Street
Folio	82/2866
Consent	Alfred Gyles Brown, Father
Date of Certificate	8 November 1882
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. Bumber

233

10 November 1882

George Luke
Mary Alice Spencer

George Luke
Mary Alice Spencer
💍 1882/2806

Bachelor
Spinster

Coach Painter

18
18

Do
Do

Mr. Prince's Home, Hopper Street

82/2854

Samuel Luke, Father Edmena Spencer, Father

10 November 1882

Rev. A. J. Smith

No	233
Date of Notice	10 November 1882
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Luke	Mary Alice Spencer
	💍 1882/2806
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Coach Painter
Age	18	18
Dwelling Place	Do	Do
Length of Residence	Do	Do
Marriage Place	Mr. Prince's Home, Hopper Street
Folio	82/2854
Consent	Samuel Luke, Father Edmena Spencer, Father
Date of Certificate	10 November 1882
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. J. Smith

234

14 November 1882

Samuel Robinson
Alicia Harriet Hill

Samuel Robinson
Alicia Harriet Hill
💍 1882/2945

Bachelor
Spinster

Manager

26
21

Do
Do

14 days
1 week

Registrar's office

82/2840

14 November 1882

J. G. Holasworth

No	234
Date of Notice	14 November 1882
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Samuel Robinson	Alicia Harriet Hill
	💍 1882/2945
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Manager
Age	26	21
Dwelling Place	Do	Do
Length of Residence	14 days	1 week
Marriage Place	Registrar's office
Folio	82/2840
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 November 1882
Officiating Minister	J. G. Holasworth

235

14 November 1882

Robert Haskell Angus
Mary Anne Gigger

Robert Maskell August
Mary Anne Gigger
💍 1882/2947

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

25
22

Johnsonville
Hawkins Road

10 weeks
years

Registrar's office

82/2842

14 November 1882

J. G. Holasworth

No	235
Date of Notice	14 November 1882
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Haskell Angus	Mary Anne Gigger
BDM Match (93%)	Robert Maskell August	Mary Anne Gigger
	💍 1882/2947
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	25	22
Dwelling Place	Johnsonville	Hawkins Road
Length of Residence	10 weeks	years
Marriage Place	Registrar's office
Folio	82/2842
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 November 1882
Officiating Minister	J. G. Holasworth

236

15 November 1882

John Willoughby Comishall
Anne Hadfield

John Willoughby Marshall
Anne Hadfield
💍 1882/2835

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

21
24

Wellington
Do

4 days
years

St. Pauls

82/2858

15 November 1882

Rev. R. J. Thorpe

No	236
Date of Notice	15 November 1882
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Willoughby Comishall	Anne Hadfield
BDM Match (92%)	John Willoughby Marshall	Anne Hadfield
	💍 1882/2835
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	21	24
Dwelling Place	Wellington	Do
Length of Residence	4 days	years
Marriage Place	St. Pauls
Folio	82/2858
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 November 1882
Officiating Minister	Rev. R. J. Thorpe

237

16 November 1882

Alexander Ryan Seep
Harriet Annie Smith

Alexander Ryan Toop
Harriett Annie Smith
💍 1882/3493

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter

22
19

Do
Do

years
Do

Cathedral Home, Elizabeth Street

75581

Emma Smith, Mother

16 November 1882

Rev. H. B. Receiting

No	237
Date of Notice	16 November 1882
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alexander Ryan Seep	Harriet Annie Smith
BDM Match (90%)	Alexander Ryan Toop	Harriett Annie Smith
	💍 1882/3493
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter
Age	22	19
Dwelling Place	Do	Do
Length of Residence	years	Do
Marriage Place	Cathedral Home, Elizabeth Street
Folio	75581
Consent	Emma Smith, Mother
Date of Certificate	16 November 1882
Officiating Minister	Rev. H. B. Receiting

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).