Search marriages 1796-2005
useful links & resources
Search for your ancestors' marriage records in the following record collections. You can also search these records separately to narrow down your search:
How will these records help me?
Findmypast.co.uk has developed what we think is the easiest and fastest marriage search anywhere online. We have created MarriageFinderTM: a highly intelligent search facility which enables you to find a marriage by searching just once, not twice.
One search per marriage
Previously you had to search for both spouses separately and match them up yourself as the records were not name-indexed. Now, not only can you perform just one search, MarriageFinderTM will actually match up your ancestors' records, providing you with one definite marriage match, or a list of possible matches.
When you receive a definite spouse match, we will also provide you with the volume number and page number for both spouses' records. These are essential when ordering marriage certificates, so this will save you time.
To demonstrate how powerful the search is, we searched for 'John Smith' with 'Jane Jones' as his spouse across all counties and years. Even with these extremely common names, MarriageFinderTM found all the potential spouse combinations.
Search across all years
Findmypast.co.uk is the only place you can search the 1837-2005 marriage records all in one go. This means you will no longer need to enter a quarter and date range. To be able to search all years simultaneously is a major breakthrough in marriage searching, especially in cases when the marriage occurred earlier or later than you expected it to. Our vastly improved search will save you so much time and effort.
Solve your marriage mysteries
MarriageFinderTM also means the end of mystery marriages. If you only know one partner's name, search for their details and MarriageFinderTM will find all the possible matches. You can then view a record to check it is your ancestor. Alternatively, if you know the first or last name of the spouse, enter this information in your search to get an even more accurate list of spouse matches.
Gender recognition
Our intelligent search also identifies genders. In a list of possible spouse matches, your results will be ranked in order of their likely gender: people of the opposite sex at the top of the list, and people of the same sex at the end of the list.
For more information about how to search these records and how your results will be presented, click the 'search tips' tab above the search box.
Different results for subscribers and PayAsYouGo users
Your marriage results will be displayed differently depending on whether you have a subscription or use PayAsYouGo credits.
If you have a subscription: if we find a definite match, we will show you the records of both spouses on one page including original images.
If you are a PayAsYouGo credits user: your results will show you the person you searched for and links to the records of any definite or potential matches. You can then choose to view these records for five credits each.
The birth, marriage and death records from 1984 onwards were recorded in a computer database only so there is no original image for records post-1984.
Search tips
Your search will return a list of individual names and how many credits you will use to view each record.
Viewing the results will incur a cost of five credits for each of the individual entries, unless you have a subscription.
How to search the records
You must enter a last name in the first person search; entering a first name is optional. In the spouse search fields, you can enter a first name, last name, both or neither.
If you know both partners' names:
Enter both partners' names in the search box. When you click 'search', MarriageFinderTM will connect both partners, which means you will only have to search once, not twice.
Tip: It is best to start with minimal information and then narrow your search by clicking the link marked 'redefine your search'. If you don't know both partners' names: Search for one partner and MarriageFinderTM will find a list of all the possible matches. View a record to see the list of each person's possible spouse matches.
If there are over 2,000 entries, you will be asked to refine your search. How your results will be presented If you enter spouse details in your search, your results will include a 'Matched' column. There are three levels of match:
= definite marriage match. We have found a pre-matched record that matches the spouse details entered.
= the record matches the search criteria entered. For example, the main person and spouse searched for appear on the same page but they have not been pre-matched. This will generally be the case for pre-1912 records where pre-matching is not normally possible.
= this is essentially the same as but the people matched are of the same gender. For example, if you search for a Yates marrying a Taylor, if Robert Taylor and Mark Yates are found on the same page, this will be given a matching.
Your search results will tell you the following details of the marriage: registration district, county, year of registration, quarter of registration, spouse's last name (if after 1912), volume number and page number.
If you can't find who you're looking for, following these simple steps could solve the problem:
- Try leaving the 'county' field blank to start with. Your ancestors may not have married in the county you think, so selecting this county will not lead you to your ancestors' marriage. If they married on the border of two counties this could also mean you don't get the results you're expecting.
- Don't select a year range. The year you think your ancestors married may not be accurate, so not specifying a date span could produce the results you need.
- Always keep the 'Include variants' boxes ticked. Your ancestors' names may be spelled differently to how you think, so the variants search will provide you with results you may not otherwise have received.