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 713

District of Christchurch Quarter ending 30 June 1883 Registrar M Patterson

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

184

10 May 1883

Edwin Pardoe
Fanny Hadley

Edwin Pardoe
Fanny Hadley
💍 1883/1207

Bachelor
Spinster

Laborer

23 years
18

Christchurch
Christchurch

9 years
4 years

In the Registrars Office, Christchurch

83/289

John Hadley, Father

10 May 1883

Registrar Marriage

No	184
Date of Notice	10 May 1883
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edwin Pardoe	Fanny Hadley
	💍 1883/1207
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Laborer
Age	23 years	18
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	9 years	4 years
Marriage Place	In the Registrars Office, Christchurch
Folio	83/289
Consent	John Hadley, Father
Date of Certificate	10 May 1883
Officiating Minister	Registrar Marriage

185

10 May 1883

Samuel Miller
Martha Jane Thompson

Samuel Miller
Martha Jane Thompson
💍 1883/1508

Bachelor
Spinster

Contractor

28
19

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 days
3 days

In the House of Mr. Meather's

83/1340

William Thompson, Father

11 May 1883

Rev. J. W. Cree

No	185
Date of Notice	10 May 1883
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Samuel Miller	Martha Jane Thompson
	💍 1883/1508
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Contractor
Age	28	19
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	In the House of Mr. Meather's
Folio	83/1340
Consent	William Thompson, Father
Date of Certificate	11 May 1883
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. W. Cree

186

11 May 1883

William Charles Angus
Mary Ann Lemont

William Charles Angus
Mary Ann Lemont
💍 1883/1493

Bachelor

Laborer
Servant

27
22

Christchurch
Christchurch

6 days
4 years

In the House, Rakaia of John Grier

83/1349

11 May 1883

Rev. J. Elmslie

No	186
Date of Notice	11 May 1883
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Charles Angus	Mary Ann Lemont
	💍 1883/1493
Condition	Bachelor
Profession	Laborer	Servant
Age	27	22
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	6 days	4 years
Marriage Place	In the House, Rakaia of John Grier
Folio	83/1349
Consent
Date of Certificate	11 May 1883
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Elmslie

187

11 May 1883

George Greville Bridges
Mary Constance Cotterill

George Greville Bridges
Mary Constance Cotterill
💍 1883/1175

Bachelor
Spinster

Barrister

30
31

Riccarton
Christchurch

6 weeks
20 years

In St. Michaels Church, Christchurch

83/1330

11 May 1883

Rev. W. Harper

No	187
Date of Notice	11 May 1883
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Greville Bridges	Mary Constance Cotterill
	💍 1883/1175
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Barrister
Age	30	31
Dwelling Place	Riccarton	Christchurch
Length of Residence	6 weeks	20 years
Marriage Place	In St. Michaels Church, Christchurch
Folio	83/1330
Consent
Date of Certificate	11 May 1883
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. Harper

188

14 May 1883

Antonio Silva Harrie
Matilda Louisa Rhodes

Antonio Silva Harris
Matilda Lousia Rhodes
💍 1883/1291

Bachelor
Spinster

Storekeeper

24
21

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 days
3 days

In St. Pauls Church, Cashel Street

83/1402

14 May 1883

Rev. J. Elmslie, Presbyterian

No	188
Date of Notice	14 May 1883
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Antonio Silva Harrie	Matilda Louisa Rhodes
BDM Match (93%)	Antonio Silva Harris	Matilda Lousia Rhodes
	💍 1883/1291
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Storekeeper
Age	24	21
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	In St. Pauls Church, Cashel Street
Folio	83/1402
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 May 1883
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Elmslie, Presbyterian

189

14 May 1883

John Maberley Parker
Margaret Dale

John Maberly Parker
Margaret Dale
💍 1883/1290

Bachelor
Widow

Laborer

25
23

Christchurch
Christchurch

5 days
6 days

In the House of Rev. J. Elmslie, Lichfield Street

83/1407

14 May 1883

Rev. J. Elmslie, Presbyterian

No	189
Date of Notice	14 May 1883
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Maberley Parker	Margaret Dale
BDM Match (98%)	John Maberly Parker	Margaret Dale
	💍 1883/1290
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Laborer
Age	25	23
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	5 days	6 days
Marriage Place	In the House of Rev. J. Elmslie, Lichfield Street
Folio	83/1407
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 May 1883
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Elmslie, Presbyterian

190

14 May 1883

Thomas Francis Haynes
Susan Shaw

Thomas Francis Haynes
Susan Shaw
💍 1883/1229

Bachelor
Spinster

Coachman
Cook

26
27

Riccarton
Fendaltown

1 year
3 years

In the House of Rev. J. R. Cairns, South Belt, Sydenham

83/1334

14 May 1883

Rev. J. R. Cairns, Presbyterian

No	190
Date of Notice	14 May 1883
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Francis Haynes	Susan Shaw
	💍 1883/1229
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Coachman	Cook
Age	26	27
Dwelling Place	Riccarton	Fendaltown
Length of Residence	1 year	3 years
Marriage Place	In the House of Rev. J. R. Cairns, South Belt, Sydenham
Folio	83/1334
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 May 1883
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. R. Cairns, Presbyterian

191

15 May 1883

Frederick Betts
Catherine Foreman

Frederick Betts
Catherine Foreman
💍 1883/1208

Bachelor
Spinster

Carrier

21
21

Christchurch
Christchurch

4 days
4 days

In the Registrars Office

83/1290

15 May 1883

Registrar Marriage

No	191
Date of Notice	15 May 1883
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Frederick Betts	Catherine Foreman
	💍 1883/1208
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carrier
Age	21	21
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	4 days	4 days
Marriage Place	In the Registrars Office
Folio	83/1290
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 May 1883
Officiating Minister	Registrar Marriage

192

15 May 1883

Samuel Matter
Caroline McCann

Samuel Matter
Caroline McCann
💍 1883/1209

Bachelor
Widow

Fishmonger
Housekeeper

36
36

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 days
3 days

In the Registrars Office

83/1291

15 May 1883

Registrar Marriage

No	192
Date of Notice	15 May 1883
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Samuel Matter	Caroline McCann
	💍 1883/1209
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Fishmonger	Housekeeper
Age	36	36
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	In the Registrars Office
Folio	83/1291
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 May 1883
Officiating Minister	Registrar Marriage

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).