Intentions to Marry, 1883

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840395, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

Imaged by Luke at Archives NZ Wellington, May 16 2025.

Page 698 B

District of Christchurch Quarter ending 31 March 1883 Registrar J. M. Markerson

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

16 February 1883

William Weston
May Howard

William Weston
May Howard
💍 1883/921

Divorced
Spinster

Bookmaker

35
21

Christchurch
Christchurch

10 days
11 months

In the Avonside Church

83/1491

16 February 1883

Rev. W. le Pascoe, Church of England

No	53
Date of Notice	16 February 1883
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Weston	May Howard
	💍 1883/921
Condition	Divorced	Spinster
Profession	Bookmaker
Age	35	21
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	10 days	11 months
Marriage Place	In the Avonside Church
Folio	83/1491
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 February 1883
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. le Pascoe, Church of England

17 February 1883

George Castle
Jane Smith

George Caske
Jane Smith
💍 1883/441

George Crozier
Esther Smith
💍 1883/2221

Bachelor
Spinster

Gardener
Servant

29
17

St Albans
Christchurch

1 year
4 months

In the Registrar's Office

83/1453

James Smith, father

17 February 1883

Registrar of Marriages, J. M. Markerson

No	54
Date of Notice	17 February 1883
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Castle	Jane Smith
BDM Match (92%)	George Caske	Jane Smith
	💍 1883/441
BDM Match (61%)	George Crozier	Esther Smith
	💍 1883/2221
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Gardener	Servant
Age	29	17
Dwelling Place	St Albans	Christchurch
Length of Residence	1 year	4 months
Marriage Place	In the Registrar's Office
Folio	83/1453
Consent	James Smith, father
Date of Certificate	17 February 1883
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages, J. M. Markerson

17 February 1883

William Elliott
Mary O'Connor

William Elliott
Mary O'Connor
💍 1883/462

Bachelor
Spinster

Plumber
Servant

25
22

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 years
7 years

In the Registrar's Office

83/1454

17 February 1883

Registrar of Marriages, J. M. Markerson

No	55
Date of Notice	17 February 1883
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Elliott	Mary O'Connor
	💍 1883/462
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Plumber	Servant
Age	25	22
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 years	7 years
Marriage Place	In the Registrar's Office
Folio	83/1454
Consent
Date of Certificate	17 February 1883
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages, J. M. Markerson

19 February 1883

Henry Bunning
Mary Ann Hart

Henry Bunning
Mary Ann Hart
💍 1883/927

Bachelor
Widow

Bricklayer
Nurse

31
32

Papanui
Papanui

2 years
4 months

In St Michaels Church

83/1494

19 February 1883

Rev. W. Harper, Church of England

No	56
Date of Notice	19 February 1883
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry Bunning	Mary Ann Hart
	💍 1883/927
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Bricklayer	Nurse
Age	31	32
Dwelling Place	Papanui	Papanui
Length of Residence	2 years	4 months
Marriage Place	In St Michaels Church
Folio	83/1494
Consent
Date of Certificate	19 February 1883
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. Harper, Church of England

19 February 1883

Peter Rattegan
Elizabeth Hillier

Peter Rattigan
Elizabeth Hellem
💍 1883/469

Peter Hay Shennan
Elizabeth McWilliam
💍 1883/638

Peter Birley
Elizabeth Nield
💍 1884/122

Bachelor
Spinster

Bootmaker
Servant

38
22

Christchurch
Christchurch

8 years
10 years

In St Lukes Church

83/1519

19 February 1883

Rev. R. le Lizard, Church of England

No	57
Date of Notice	19 February 1883
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Peter Rattegan	Elizabeth Hillier
BDM Match (88%)	Peter Rattigan	Elizabeth Hellem
	💍 1883/469
BDM Match (66%)	Peter Hay Shennan	Elizabeth McWilliam
	💍 1883/638
BDM Match (60%)	Peter Birley	Elizabeth Nield
	💍 1884/122
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Bootmaker	Servant
Age	38	22
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	8 years	10 years
Marriage Place	In St Lukes Church
Folio	83/1519
Consent
Date of Certificate	19 February 1883
Officiating Minister	Rev. R. le Lizard, Church of England

19 February 1883

Henry Septimus Homes
Mary Pearse

Henry Septimus Decimus Homes
Mary Pearse
💍 1883/454

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

24
23

Christchurch
Christchurch

4 months
8 years

In the Registrar's Office

83/1458

19 February 1883

Registrar of Marriages, J. M. Markerson

No	58
Date of Notice	19 February 1883
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry Septimus Homes	Mary Pearse
BDM Match (86%)	Henry Septimus Decimus Homes	Mary Pearse
	💍 1883/454
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	24	23
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	4 months	8 years
Marriage Place	In the Registrar's Office
Folio	83/1458
Consent
Date of Certificate	19 February 1883
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages, J. M. Markerson

19 February 1883

Robert Marks
Alice Jessup

Robert Marks
Alice Jessup
💍 1883/452

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Servant

29
22

Christchurch
Christchurch

5 years
4 years

In the Registrar's Office

83/1456

19 February 1883

Registrar of Marriages, J. M. Markerson

No	59
Date of Notice	19 February 1883
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Marks	Alice Jessup
	💍 1883/452
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Servant
Age	29	22
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	5 years	4 years
Marriage Place	In the Registrar's Office
Folio	83/1456
Consent
Date of Certificate	19 February 1883
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages, J. M. Markerson

20 February 1883

James Reese
Norah Easterbrook

James Reese
Norah Easterbrook
💍 1883/929

Bachelor
Spinster

Butcher

25
20

Christchurch
Prebbleton

25 years
1 month

In the House of George Easterbrook

83/1481

George Easterbrook, father

20 February 1883

Rev. W. Morley, Wesleyan

No	60
Date of Notice	20 February 1883
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Reese	Norah Easterbrook
	💍 1883/929
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Butcher
Age	25	20
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Prebbleton
Length of Residence	25 years	1 month
Marriage Place	In the House of George Easterbrook
Folio	83/1481
Consent	George Easterbrook, father
Date of Certificate	20 February 1883
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. Morley, Wesleyan

20 February 1883

Edward Idle
Jane Joyce

Edward Idle
Jane Joyce
💍 1883/453

Bachelor
Spinster

Hotelkeeper
Servant

45
23

Christchurch
Christchurch

5 weeks
8 weeks

In the Registrar's Office

83/1457

20 February 1883

Registrar of Marriages, J. M. Markerson

No	61
Date of Notice	20 February 1883
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edward Idle	Jane Joyce
	💍 1883/453
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Hotelkeeper	Servant
Age	45	23
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	5 weeks	8 weeks
Marriage Place	In the Registrar's Office
Folio	83/1457
Consent
Date of Certificate	20 February 1883
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages, J. M. Markerson

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).