Intentions to Marry, 1903 South Island

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840424, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

Imaged by Carole at Archives NZ Wellington, October 10 2025.

1903 is bound in two volumes, North Island districts and South Island districts.

Page 251

District of Christchurch Quarter ending 31 March 1903 Registrar L. C. Williams

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

5 January 1903

Leonard Wilson
Mary Anne Davis

Leonard Marriot Wilson
Mary Anne Davis
💍 1903/925

Edward Cassor
Mary Jane Davis
💍 1904/163

Bachelor
Spinster

Fruiterer
Domestic

29
25

Christchurch
Christchurch

4 years
4 days

St Michael's Church, Christchurch

03/978

5 January 1903

Rev. Canon Averill, Anglican

No	1
Date of Notice	5 January 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Leonard Wilson	Mary Anne Davis
BDM Match (82%)	Leonard Marriot Wilson	Mary Anne Davis
	💍 1903/925
BDM Match (65%)	Edward Cassor	Mary Jane Davis
	💍 1904/163
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Fruiterer	Domestic
Age	29	25
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	4 years	4 days
Marriage Place	St Michael's Church, Christchurch
Folio	03/978
Consent
Date of Certificate	5 January 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. Canon Averill, Anglican

5 January 1903

Samuel Woodcock
Margaret Florence Ryan

Sarsfield Flood
Margaret Florence Ryan
💍 1903/976

Bachelor
Spinster

Club Manager
Domestic

24
20

Christchurch
Sydenham

5 years
3 years

Cathedral, Christchurch

03/1038

Patrick Ryan, father of bride

5 January 1903

Rev. J. O'Connell, Roman Catholic

No	2
Date of Notice	5 January 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Samuel Woodcock	Margaret Florence Ryan
BDM Match (63%)	Sarsfield Flood	Margaret Florence Ryan
	💍 1903/976
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Club Manager	Domestic
Age	24	20
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Sydenham
Length of Residence	5 years	3 years
Marriage Place	Cathedral, Christchurch
Folio	03/1038
Consent	Patrick Ryan, father of bride
Date of Certificate	5 January 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. O'Connell, Roman Catholic

5 January 1903

Edwin Thomas Batchelor
Irene Eliza Mary de Mans

Bachelor
Spinster

Schoolmaster
Schoolteacher

32
33

New Brighton
New Brighton

15 days
23 days

Holy Trinity Church, Avonside

03/1009

5 January 1903

Rev. Canon Pascoe, Anglican

No	3
Date of Notice	5 January 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edwin Thomas Batchelor	Irene Eliza Mary de Mans
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Schoolmaster	Schoolteacher
Age	32	33
Dwelling Place	New Brighton	New Brighton
Length of Residence	15 days	23 days
Marriage Place	Holy Trinity Church, Avonside
Folio	03/1009
Consent
Date of Certificate	5 January 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. Canon Pascoe, Anglican

5 January 1903

Samuel Hellegan
Alice Maud Creakle

Samuel Halligan
Alice Maud Cockle
💍 1903/1663

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic

23
19

Christchurch
Christchurch

6 months
6 months

Registrar's Office, Christchurch

03/915

Creakle, father of bride

5 January 1903

Registrar of Marriages, Christchurch

No	4
Date of Notice	5 January 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Samuel Hellegan	Alice Maud Creakle
BDM Match (85%)	Samuel Halligan	Alice Maud Cockle
	💍 1903/1663
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic
Age	23	19
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	6 months	6 months
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Christchurch
Folio	03/915
Consent	Creakle, father of bride
Date of Certificate	5 January 1903
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages, Christchurch

6 January 1903

Edward Townshead
Ada Wilmshurst

Edmund Townshend
Ada Wilmshurst
💍 1903/926

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic

28
25

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 years
2 years

St Michael's Church, Christchurch

03/979

6 January 1903

Rev. Canon Averill, Anglican

No	5
Date of Notice	6 January 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edward Townshead	Ada Wilmshurst
BDM Match (88%)	Edmund Townshend	Ada Wilmshurst
	💍 1903/926
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic
Age	28	25
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 years	2 years
Marriage Place	St Michael's Church, Christchurch
Folio	03/979
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 January 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. Canon Averill, Anglican

6 January 1903

Philip James Kelly
Catherine Mulligan

Philip James Kelly
Catherine Mulligan
💍 1903/1664

Bachelor
Widow

Tram Driver
Housekeeper

28
38

Christchurch
Christchurch

4 years
4 years

Registrar's Office, Christchurch

03/916

6 January 1903

Registrar of Marriages, Christchurch

No	6
Date of Notice	6 January 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Philip James Kelly	Catherine Mulligan
	💍 1903/1664
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Tram Driver	Housekeeper
Age	28	38
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	4 years	4 years
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Christchurch
Folio	03/916
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 January 1903
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages, Christchurch

6 January 1903

Thomas Andrew Walger
Euphemia Rodie Sparks

Thomas Andrew Wallace
Euphemia Rodie
💍 1903/1715

Bachelor
Spinster

Accountant
Milliner

39
31

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 days
5 days

St Andrew's Church, Christchurch

03/1020

6 January 1903

Rev. J. Macdougall, Presbyterian

No	7
Date of Notice	6 January 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Andrew Walger	Euphemia Rodie Sparks
BDM Match (74%)	Thomas Andrew Wallace	Euphemia Rodie
	💍 1903/1715
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Accountant	Milliner
Age	39	31
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 days	5 days
Marriage Place	St Andrew's Church, Christchurch
Folio	03/1020
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 January 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Macdougall, Presbyterian

678

Henry Ledford
Agnes Green

Henry Ledgard
Agnes Green
💍 1903/1706

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic

26
19

Sydenham
Sydenham

2 years
2 years

St Paul's Church, Christchurch

03/1012

Registrar, by authority, January 1903, Consent of Father

5 January 1903

Rev. L. S. Electric, Presbyterian

No	678
Date of Notice
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry Ledford	Agnes Green
BDM Match (92%)	Henry Ledgard	Agnes Green
	💍 1903/1706
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic
Age	26	19
Dwelling Place	Sydenham	Sydenham
Length of Residence	2 years	2 years
Marriage Place	St Paul's Church, Christchurch
Folio	03/1012
Consent	Registrar, by authority, January 1903, Consent of Father
Date of Certificate	5 January 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. L. S. Electric, Presbyterian

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).