Intentions to Marry, 1905 Canterbury, Otago, Chatham Islands

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840429, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

1905 is bound in three volumes - Auckland, Taranaki, Hawke's Bay (1905a), Wellington, Marlborough, Nelson, Westland (1905b), and Canterbury, Otago, Chatham Islands (1905c).

Page 037

District of Christchurch Quarter ending 31 March 1905 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

11 January 1905

Thomas John Walters
Rosina Barretta

Thomas John Watters
Rosina Baretta
💍 1905/4989

Bachelor
Spinster

Range maker

23
20

Linwood
Christchurch

2 Years
20 Years

St. Michaels, Christchurch

05/1045

Frederick Barretta, father

11 February 1905

Archdeacon Averill, Anglican

No	24
Date of Notice	11 January 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas John Walters	Rosina Barretta
BDM Match (94%)	Thomas John Watters	Rosina Baretta
	💍 1905/4989
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Range maker
Age	23	20
Dwelling Place	Linwood	Christchurch
Length of Residence	2 Years	20 Years
Marriage Place	St. Michaels, Christchurch
Folio	05/1045
Consent	Frederick Barretta, father
Date of Certificate	11 February 1905
Officiating Minister	Archdeacon Averill, Anglican

11 January 1905

George Campbell Webb
Louisa Rose Orchard

George Campbell Webb
Louisa Rose Orchard
💍 1905/4990

Bachelor
Spinster

Commission Agent

33
24

Christchurch
Christchurch

20 Years
23 Years

Registrar's Office, Christchurch

05/1004

11 January 1905

Launery, Registrar, Christchurch

No	25
Date of Notice	11 January 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Campbell Webb	Louisa Rose Orchard
	💍 1905/4990
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Commission Agent
Age	33	24
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	20 Years	23 Years
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Christchurch
Folio	05/1004
Consent
Date of Certificate	11 January 1905
Officiating Minister	Launery, Registrar, Christchurch

12 January 1905

Hugh Abercrombie
Eliza Gillatt

Hugh Abercrombie
Eliza Gillatt
💍 1905/5001

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic

39
20

Belfast
Springston

2 Months
20 Years

Registrar's Office, Christchurch

05/1005

John Gillatt, Father

12 February 1905

Launery, Registrar, Christchurch

No	26
Date of Notice	12 January 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Hugh Abercrombie	Eliza Gillatt
	💍 1905/5001
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic
Age	39	20
Dwelling Place	Belfast	Springston
Length of Residence	2 Months	20 Years
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Christchurch
Folio	05/1005
Consent	John Gillatt, Father
Date of Certificate	12 February 1905
Officiating Minister	Launery, Registrar, Christchurch

12 January 1905

Gilbert Lewis Lorrigan Lawrence
Edith Mary Bush

Gilbert Samson Longam Lawrence
Edith Mary Burk
💍 1905/635

Bachelor
Spinster

Tram Guard

21
21

New Brighton
New Brighton

1 Year
7 Years

House of Rev Dr Elmslie, Cashel Street, Christchurch

05/2939

12 January 1905

Rev. Dr. Elmslie, Presbyterian

No	27
Date of Notice	12 January 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Gilbert Lewis Lorrigan Lawrence	Edith Mary Bush
BDM Match (77%)	Gilbert Samson Longam Lawrence	Edith Mary Burk
	💍 1905/635
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Tram Guard
Age	21	21
Dwelling Place	New Brighton	New Brighton
Length of Residence	1 Year	7 Years
Marriage Place	House of Rev Dr Elmslie, Cashel Street, Christchurch
Folio	05/2939
Consent
Date of Certificate	12 January 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. Dr. Elmslie, Presbyterian

12 January 1905

Harry Bosomwork
Ethel Myra Norrie

Harry Brownworth
Ethel Myra Norrie
💍 1905/6141

Bachelor
Spinster

Driver
Saleswoman

24
22

St. Albans
Sydenham

20 Years
15 Years

Methodist Church, Durham Street, Christchurch

05/1136

12 January 1905

Rev. H. R. Dewsbury, Methodist

No	28
Date of Notice	12 January 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Harry Bosomwork	Ethel Myra Norrie
BDM Match (81%)	Harry Brownworth	Ethel Myra Norrie
	💍 1905/6141
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Driver	Saleswoman
Age	24	22
Dwelling Place	St. Albans	Sydenham
Length of Residence	20 Years	15 Years
Marriage Place	Methodist Church, Durham Street, Christchurch
Folio	05/1136
Consent
Date of Certificate	12 January 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. H. R. Dewsbury, Methodist

13 January 1905

Edward Cuthbert McCullough
Horrietta Katherine Mora

Edward Guthbert McCullough
Horrietta Kathrine Mora
💍 1905/5008

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic

24
21

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 Days
3 Days

Registrar's Office, Christchurch

05/1006

13 January 1905

Registrar Marriages, Christchurch

No	29
Date of Notice	13 January 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edward Cuthbert McCullough	Horrietta Katherine Mora
BDM Match (96%)	Edward Guthbert McCullough	Horrietta Kathrine Mora
	💍 1905/5008
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic
Age	24	21
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 Days	3 Days
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Christchurch
Folio	05/1006
Consent
Date of Certificate	13 January 1905
Officiating Minister	Registrar Marriages, Christchurch

13 January 1905

James Moses Hammon
Ellen Bell

James Moses Hammon
Ellen Ball
💍 1905/6162

Bachelor
Spinster

Plasterer

29
27

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 Years
3 Weeks

House of Mrs. Hammond, 43 Fitzgerald Avenue, Christchurch

05/1157

13 January 1905

Rev. I. Sarginson, Congregationalist

No	30
Date of Notice	13 January 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Moses Hammon	Ellen Bell
BDM Match (95%)	James Moses Hammon	Ellen Ball
	💍 1905/6162
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Plasterer
Age	29	27
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 Years	3 Weeks
Marriage Place	House of Mrs. Hammond, 43 Fitzgerald Avenue, Christchurch
Folio	05/1157
Consent
Date of Certificate	13 January 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. I. Sarginson, Congregationalist

14 January 1905

John Ronald Duncan
Elizabeth Pearson Clarke Lennie

John Ronald Duncan
Elizabeth Annie Clarke Lennie
💍 1905/634

Bachelor
Spinster

Engineer

36
27

Spreydon
Spreydon

18 Years
3 Weeks

St. Andrews Manse, Christchurch

05/2938

14 January 1905

Rev. J. Mackenzie, Presbyterian

No	31
Date of Notice	14 January 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Ronald Duncan	Elizabeth Pearson Clarke Lennie
BDM Match (89%)	John Ronald Duncan	Elizabeth Annie Clarke Lennie
	💍 1905/634
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Engineer
Age	36	27
Dwelling Place	Spreydon	Spreydon
Length of Residence	18 Years	3 Weeks
Marriage Place	St. Andrews Manse, Christchurch
Folio	05/2938
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 January 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Mackenzie, 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 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).