Marriages

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Civil Registration

The Civil Registration Act of 1837 made it a requirement that all subjects throughout the United Kingdom registered births, marriages and deaths. Each District had a Superintendent Registrar who was responsible to the Registrar General in London. Each Registrar issued printed books of Registration for births, marriages and deaths to each of his districts incumbents. They in turn would register the events and when the duplicate book was full, they were sent to the Superintendent Registrar who in turn would forward them to the Registrar General in London.

Marriages.

The Act of 1837 made non-registration of marriages punishable by the County Courts. The 1653 Act had made the age of consent of 16 years for males and 14 years for females. In 1753 Hardwicke’s Marriage Act placed constraints on those under age the age of twenty-one and needed the consent of their parents to marry. By 1823 the age of consent had changed again. A couple could undergo a legal marriage even without the parents consent, and the age reverted to 14 for boys and 12 for girls, although some marriages of younger children did take place (Colin R Chapman, Marriage Laws, Rites, Records & Customs). In 1929 the Act was again changed and made it illegal for anyone under the age of 16 to marry.

The archive of marriages for Monmouthshire is extensive and some Parish Registers have marriages that date back to the mid seventeenth century. For a list of those marriages for this particular part of the County and those transcribed by E.G.G.R.A see below.

Marriages transcribed by E.G.G.R.A.

Abersychan Holy Trinity 1953 to 1994
Aberystruth St Peters 1837 to 1945
Abersychan English Congregational 1901 to1987
Abersychan Viaduct Rd Methodist 1932 to 1971
Blaenavon St Peters 1805 to 1950
Blaenavon Park St 1916 to 1978
Garndiffaith St Johns 1923 to 1997
Garndiffaith Earl St Methodist 1920 to 1971
Garndiffaith United Methodist 1908 to 1953
Griffithstown St Hilda’s 1889 to 1971
Garndiffaith Victoria Village Methodist 1929 to 1932
Henllys 1814 to 1971
Llanfrechfa Upper, Holy Trinity 1860 to 1952
Llanover 1845 to 1971
Llanwenarth Citra 1820 to 1938
Llanwenarth Ultra 1866 to 1980
Llantarnam 1754 to 1953
Llanthewy Fach 1813 to 1966
Llanhilleth 1813 to 1941
Mamhilad 1799 to 1930
New Tredegar St Dingats 1899 to 1982
Panteg 1813 to 1970
Penygarn Baptist Church 1925 to 1970
Pontnewynydd St Lukes 1845 to 1971
Pontymoile 1655 to 1965
Pontypool St James 1917 to 1971
Pontypool Nicholas St, Methodist 1911 to 1991
Pontypool Mt Pleasant Congregational 1907 to 1971
Pontypool St Albans Catholic Church 1848 to 1891
Pontypool Crane St Baptist 1929 to 1970
Talywain St Thomas 1844 to 1964
Trevethin St Cadocs 1655 to 2000
Varteg Methodist Church 1920 to1995