British nationals married at sea 1854-1908
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This search allows you to view the original records of the registers in which details of marriages on board ships were compiled. These records were completed by the captain of the ship, or another member of the crew.
These records are fully name indexed and the bride and groom's names appear on the same record.
The most consistent information available in the registers of marriages is the first name and last name of the parties concerned and we have used all of this information to create the searchable database of marriages.
Your results will usually show you the following information but please be aware that not all the fields are completed in all the records: groom's name, groom's age, groom's place of birth, groom's marital status, bride's name, bride's age, bride's place of birth, bride's marital status, date of marriage, ship's name, notes.
Find out more about these records in our knowledge base.
Can't find who you're looking for? Click the 'search tips' tab above for helpful advice on searching these records.
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.
How your results will be presented
Your search results will appear as a list of individual names. The bride and groom's details will both appear on the same record.
Your results will usually show you the following information but please be aware that not all the fields are completed in all the records: groom's name, groom's age, groom's place of birth, groom's marital status, bride's name, bride's age, bride's place of birth, bride's marital status, date of marriage, ship's name, notes.
If you can't find who you're looking for, following these simple steps could solve the problem:
- 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.