Search Church Records to Find Marriage Information in Wales Before 1837

Before using church records know:

 * names for both the bride and groom (one may work if it is not something like Evan Evans)
 * year of the marriage (it can be estimated based on the birth year of the first child)

Search a county marriage index
FamilySearch:

Anglesey, Breconshire, Caernarfonshire, Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Glamorgan, Merionethshire, Monmouthshire, Montgomeryshire, Pembrokeshire, Radnorshire

Findmypast: $

Anglesey, Breconshire, Caernarfonshire, Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Glamorgan, Merionethshire, Monmouthshire, Montgomeryshire, Pembrokeshire, Radnorshire

Check to see if the marriage was by Banns or License
Obtain the additional documents of marriage bond or marriage allegation for anyone married by license.

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.