Search Church Records to Find Marriage Information in Wales Before 1837

Church records are the best source to learn about marriages before 1837. Most marriage records have been indexed.

Before using church records it will help to know

 * names for both the bride and groom (one may work if it is not Evan Evans)
 * year of the marriage (it can be estimated based on the birth year of the first child)
 * Where the person lived (the county name is good, a town or parish name is best)

Step 1. Search a marriage index

 * FamilySearch: incomplete
 * Findmypast: $ incomplete
 * Search a county wide marriage index for the county where the couple might have married

How to search church records Online indexes make it easy to search for marriages. See the tips below if you have trouble finding the correct marriage.

Step 2. Obtain a copy of the marriage record
Once you know when and where a couple married, according to an index reference, you should obtain a copy of that marriage record. The marriage record may provide details not included in an index or transcript.

There are four basic options for obtaining a copy of the marriage record:


 * Findmypast
 * Welsh parish registers on microfilm
 * County Record Offices in Wales
 * National Library of Wales

Church marriage records contain

 * Name of the groom
 * Name of the bride
 * Date of marriage
 * Marital condition (bachelor, spinster, widower, widow) after 1753
 * Names of witnesses, signatures, and place of residence
 * Whether married by banns or license

Tips

 * Some existing parish registers did not get indexed or have images published on FamilySearch and Findmypast. A list of the missing parishes is being prepared.
 * County family history societies have the most complete marriage indexes.
 * Some Welsh people married in England. Boyd's Marriage Index or county indexes for England may help you find a missing marriage.
 * Remember that spellings for places and names may vary over time.
 * Consider the possibility that the persons being searched for may have been using patronymics.
 * Search for the variant versions of the name being sought.
 * David / Davis / Davies
 * Evan / Evans
 * John / Jones
 * A couple may not have married in the county where they lived. If the marriage is not found in the expected county try indexes for the neighboring counties.