Bailiwick Of Guernsey, Parish Marriages

What can these records tell me?

These marriage records provide remarkable and detailed information including spouse name and details of both families. It helps to create a fuller picture of the family and social connections, helping to build connections to your ancestors and their lives.

Each record might include:

• First name
• Last name
• Man’s first name
• Man’s last name
• Man’s age
• Man’s parish
• Woman’s forenames
• Woman’s surname
• Woman’s age
• Woman’s parish
• Marriage year
• Marriage month
• Marriage day
• Man’s father’s forenames
• Man’s father’s surname
• Man’s mother’s forenames
• Man’s mother’s surname
• Woman’s father’s forenames
• Woman’s father’s surname
• Woman’s mother’s forenames
• Woman’s mother’s surname
• Dedication
• Parish
• Place
• County

French language and parishes

The names of the Guernsey parishes may appear in English or French, they include:

• St Peter Port – Saint-Pierre-Port
• St Sampson – Saint-Samson
• Vale – Valle
• Castel – Câtel
• St Saviour – Saint-Sauveur
• St Peter in the Wood – Saint-Pierre-du-Bois
• Torteval – Torteval
• Forest – La Forêt
• St Martin – Saint-Martin
• St Andrew – Saint-André

We also have records for the islands of Sark and Alderney.

Records in Guernsey were recorded in French due to the island’s historical and legal ties to Normandy. Until the 20th century, French was the official language of government and church proceedings.

Family relationships

Dates

Months

Common abbreviations

• 9bre instead of novembre
• Xbre instead of décembre
• 1 ier instead of prémier
• Occasionally, “le prémier mois de l’an” instead of janvier

Date phrases

• “…du dit mois” – “…of the said month”
• “…le premier jour de…” – “…the first day of…”
• “…18e…” – short for ‘dix-huitième’ – ‘eighteenth’