Find your ancestors in Hertfordshire marriages

What can these records tell me?

Transcripts may include the following information:

  • Names of the bride and groom
  • Marriage date
  • Marriage place
  • Ages of the bride and groom
  • Bride’s father’s name
  • Groom’s father’s name

    As with banns, the image of the original marriage entry may provide additional details: marital status, occupation, residence, father’s occupation, witnesses, and more.

    • Discover more

    The county of Hertfordshire lies in southern England and includes much of the northern and central areas of the London Borough of Barnet. The county town is Hertford. Many examples of Neolithic, Bronze Age, and Roman remains have been discovered in Hertfordshire and there are a number of Roman roads throughout the county. Modern-day Hertfordshire is served by a network of rail links and direct roads to London.

    Marriages

    Originally, marriage records were kept in a single volume along with baptisms and burials. The events were listed chronically throughout the volume with minimal detail. Marriage records were not separated into their own volumes until 1754 with the passing of Hardwick’s Marriage Act. At that time, it became a requirement to record the marital status of the bride and groom and whether the marriage was solemnised by banns or by licence. Later, the Church of England started to use pre-printed register books to keep the parish records. In 1837, civil registration was introduced, and couples were no longer obligated to wed within an Anglican Church. Only Quakers and Jews had previously been exempt from this obligation.