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Marriages in Wales between 1837 and 1901 were recorded by the government. These records are called civil registration records. Search these records to find information about your Welsh ancestor's marriage.

Find and search Wales civil registration records
A marriage certificate will show:


 * When married (day month and year)
 * Names of bride and groom
 * Age of bride and groom
 * marital condition of bride and groom
 * Rank or profession
 * Residence at time of marriage
 * Father's name of bride and groom
 * Father's rank or profession
 * Registration district name
 * County where married
 * Parish or other place of the marriage
 * names of witnesses

Before searching for civil registration certificates you should know at least the following:


 * first and last name for the bride or groom
 * about when the the marriage took place
 * the county where the couple married

Added information that will be helpful before searching for a marriage certificate:


 * full name of both the bride and groom
 * father's name and occupation of the bride and groom
 * the parish or town name where the couple married

Step 1. Search an Index
Search available marriage indexes.


 * 1) FreeBMD provides an extensive index which can be searched online for free.
 * 2) Before 1911 most marriages were performed at the parish church. With this in mind it is worth starting a search in parish register marriage records. The parish registers for Wales are being indexed by FindMyPast and will be available to search online in the coming months.
 * 3) Many parishes in the eastern portion of the county of Glamorgan are indexed in Wales, Glamorgan Marriages, 1837-1922.

Step 2. Obtain a copy of the record
After searching an index and finding what appears to be a relevant entry, obtain a copy of the marriage record/certificate. An index entry may provide enough detail to help answer a question but the additional details on the certificate will provide critical clues for successful and accurate research.


 * FindMyPast and FamilySearch may provide free or pay to view online images of marriages in the parish registers.
 * The national registrar provides an easy method for ordering a copy of a certificate online.

Step 3. Add new details to your notes
Add the new details learned from the marriage record to your note keeping system. Be sure to document where the new information came from.

Step 4. What to do if you don't find your ancestor
Click here to learn more about researching Welsh civil registration records from 1837 to 1901.

Sample Wales civil registration record
Marriage Certificate: