Search Wales Roman Catholic Marriages

You will find information including

• First name
• Last name
• Marriage year
• Marriage date
• Marriage place
• Marriage parish
• Marriage county
• Spouse's first name
• Spouse's last name
• Father's first name
• Father's last name
• Spouses's father's first name
• Spouse's father's last name

Latin

The registers were recorded in either English or Latin. Until the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s, Latin was the language of the Catholic Church. Many of the registers recorded events in Latin. The names of individuals were Latinised; therefore, the name Mary may appear in its Latin form as Maria. We have included a list of common Latin words found in the England Roman Catholic parish marriages.

• Anno Domino – year of Our Lord
• Die mensis – day of month
• Filium / Filiam - son or daughter
• Matrimonium – the sacrament of Holy Matrimony or marriage
• Nomina parentum – the names of parents
• Observanda – observations or notes
• Praesntibus testibus – their presence as witnesses

Findmypast is dedicated to adding further dioceses to this collection of Roman Catholic records. The Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales placed a 110-year closure period on all sacramental records. Most of the records available here are from the 19th century.

The Roman Catholic Church in Wales, including Cardiff, has a rich and vibrant history that intertwines with the region's social, cultural, and religious fabric. While the presence of Catholicism in Wales can be traced back to the early Christian period, it was during the 19th century, especially after the Catholic Emancipation Act of 1829, that Catholic communities began to flourish more openly. The period of industrialization and urban growth in places like Cardiff played a key role in this resurgence.

Cardiff, as the capital city of Wales, became a central hub for Catholic life. The influx of Irish immigrants, many of whom were Catholic, contributed significantly to the development of Catholic communities. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many parishes were established in Cardiff, including the iconic St. David’s Cathedral, which serves as the mother church for the Archdiocese of Cardiff. The cathedral, built in the 19th century, remains a focal point of Catholic worship and a symbol of the Church's enduring presence in the region.