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 705

District of Christchurch Quarter ending 31 March 1882 Registrar J 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

4 February 1882

Joseph Hatch
Mary Elizabeth Pynsent

Joseph Hatch
Mary Elizabeth Pynsent
💍 1882/654

Bachelor
Spinster

Clerk

34
34

St Albans
St Albans

3 months
5 months

In the House of Rev R. Taylor

82/1534

4 February 1882

Rev. R. Taylor, Methodist

No	37
Date of Notice	4 February 1882
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Joseph Hatch	Mary Elizabeth Pynsent
	💍 1882/654
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Clerk
Age	34	34
Dwelling Place	St Albans	St Albans
Length of Residence	3 months	5 months
Marriage Place	In the House of Rev R. Taylor
Folio	82/1534
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 February 1882
Officiating Minister	Rev. R. Taylor, Methodist

4 February 1882

John Proctor Hydes
Alice Margaret Prettiewick

John Proctor Hydes
Alice Margaret Pettierick
💍 1882/586

Widower
Spinster

Comedian

52
25

Christchurch
Christchurch

11 months
1 month

In the Registrar's Office

82/1514

4 February 1882

Registrar of Marriages, J M Parkerson

No	38
Date of Notice	4 February 1882
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Proctor Hydes	Alice Margaret Prettiewick
BDM Match (96%)	John Proctor Hydes	Alice Margaret Pettierick
	💍 1882/586
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Comedian
Age	52	25
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	11 months	1 month
Marriage Place	In the Registrar's Office
Folio	82/1514
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 February 1882
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages, J M Parkerson

6 February 1882

Thomas Royle Sherlock
Caroline Susannah Cowley

Thomas Royle Sherlock
Caroline Susannah Cowley
💍 1882/705

Bachelor
Spinster

Butcher
Servant

22
24

Sydenham
Bingsland

1 year
5 years

In the House of Rev C. Fraser

82/1534

6 February 1882

Rev. C. Fraser, Presbyterian

No	39
Date of Notice	6 February 1882
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Royle Sherlock	Caroline Susannah Cowley
	💍 1882/705
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Butcher	Servant
Age	22	24
Dwelling Place	Sydenham	Bingsland
Length of Residence	1 year	5 years
Marriage Place	In the House of Rev C. Fraser
Folio	82/1534
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 February 1882
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser, Presbyterian

6 February 1882

Daniel Buckett
Jane Dickson Reid

Daniel Buckett
Jane Dickson Reid
💍 1882/639

Bachelor
Spinster

Bricklayer
Servant

22
26

Christchurch
Christchurch

18 years
12 years

In the Presbyterian Church, Sydenham

82/1543

Isabella Seaboday[?], Mother

6 February 1882

Rev. C. Fraser, Presbyterian

No	40
Date of Notice	6 February 1882
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Daniel Buckett	Jane Dickson Reid
	💍 1882/639
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Bricklayer	Servant
Age	22	26
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	18 years	12 years
Marriage Place	In the Presbyterian Church, Sydenham
Folio	82/1543
Consent	Isabella Seaboday[?], Mother
Date of Certificate	6 February 1882
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser, Presbyterian

9 February 1882

Sydney Ivatt Fitch
Jane Elizabeth Todhunter

Sydney Ivatt Fitch
Jane Elizabeth Todhunter
💍 1882/899

Bachelor
Spinster

Gardener

33
22

Christchurch
Christchurch

10 days
10 days

In the Avonside CHurch

82/1483

9 February 1882

Rev. W. A. Pascoe, Church of England

No	41
Date of Notice	9 February 1882
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Sydney Ivatt Fitch	Jane Elizabeth Todhunter
	💍 1882/899
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Gardener
Age	33	22
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	10 days	10 days
Marriage Place	In the Avonside CHurch
Folio	82/1483
Consent
Date of Certificate	9 February 1882
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. A. Pascoe, Church of England

9 February 1882

Frederick William Ansley
Elizabeth Kerr

Frederick William Ansley
Elizabeth Kerr
💍 1882/896

Bachelor
Spinster

Butcher

23
19

Christchurch
Heathcote

4 years
19 years

In the House of Rev I. Elmslie

82/1503

Margaret Kerr, Mother

9 February 1882

Rev. I. Elmslie, Presbyterian

No	42
Date of Notice	9 February 1882
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Frederick William Ansley	Elizabeth Kerr
	💍 1882/896
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Butcher
Age	23	19
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Heathcote
Length of Residence	4 years	19 years
Marriage Place	In the House of Rev I. Elmslie
Folio	82/1503
Consent	Margaret Kerr, Mother
Date of Certificate	9 February 1882
Officiating Minister	Rev. I. Elmslie, Presbyterian

9 February 1882

Allan Hopkins
Sarah Ann Roebuck

Allan Hopkins
Sarah Ann Roebuck
💍 1882/901

bachelor
spinster

bricklayer

23
18

Christchurch
Christchurch

2 months
2 months

In the Wesleyan Church, Durham St

82/1485

William Roebuck, Father

9 February 1882

Rev. A. Reid, Wesleyan

No	43
Date of Notice	9 February 1882
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Allan Hopkins	Sarah Ann Roebuck
	💍 1882/901
Condition	bachelor	spinster
Profession	bricklayer
Age	23	18
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	2 months	2 months
Marriage Place	In the Wesleyan Church, Durham St
Folio	82/1485
Consent	William Roebuck, Father
Date of Certificate	9 February 1882
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. Reid, Wesleyan

10 February 1882

William Jeremiah Lambert
Janet Hardie

William Lambert
Jannet Hardie
💍 1882/712

Bachelor
Spinster

Butcher
Machinist

21
17

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 years
7 years

In the House of Rev C. Fraser, Tuam Street

82/1569

Andrew Douglas Hardie, Father

10 February 1882

Rev. C. Fraser, Presbyterian

No	44
Date of Notice	10 February 1882
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Jeremiah Lambert	Janet Hardie
BDM Match (77%)	William Lambert	Jannet Hardie
	💍 1882/712
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Butcher	Machinist
Age	21	17
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 years	7 years
Marriage Place	In the House of Rev C. Fraser, Tuam Street
Folio	82/1569
Consent	Andrew Douglas Hardie, Father
Date of Certificate	10 February 1882
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser, Presbyterian

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).