Search Denbighshire Marriages and Banns

Banns

The records include an image of the original Banns books and a transcript of the entries.

Throughout the years the registers changed and so did the amount of information included; therefore, the details in the transcript can differ, but many will include a combination of the following information:

• Name
• Banns date
• Bride’s name
• Groom’s name
• Marriage date
• Bride’s parish
• Groom’s parish
• Place
• County and Country

Like many records, the images can often give you more detail than what is available on the transcripts. In the Banns books some of them will also include who was present and who performed the marriage ceremony.

Marriages

Each record includes a transcript of each marriage record and an image of the page within the record book. The details in record can vary, but most will include:

• Name and birth year
• Marriage date
• Marriage place
• Spouse’s name
• Bride and Groom’s age
• Couple’s fathers’ names

Viewing the image will add even further material for your family tree. The quantity of data recorded varied throughout the centuries, but many records will include:

• Marital status
• Occupation
• Residence
• Occupation of Bride and Groom’s fathers
• Witness names
• Signature of Bride and Groom
• By banns or licence

Denbighshire

Denbighshire, Sir Ddinbych in Welsh, is a north-eastern county of Wales, bordered at the north by the Irish Sea. While reviewing the records at times dates or other information may be missing. By viewing the images you will see that some pages within the records have been damaged by tears or by water.

It is valuable to record the name of the person who performed the ceremony in all records. In some families the reverend may be a family friend or even a relative and by recording the name you may find a trend further in your family history research.

Banns

In order to understand these records better, it is important to know what Banns are. Banns are the announcement of a couple’s intention to be married. The purpose of the announcements are to give anyone in the congregation an opportunity to voice objections to the marriage. The Banns must be read out in church on three Sundays in the three months leading up to the wedding day. This is useful for those records which do not include the wedding date. By recording the Banns you now have an educated idea of when your relatives were married.

It is valuable to record the name of the person who performed the ceremony in all records. In some families the reverend may be a family friend or even a relative and by recording the name you may find a trend further in your family history research.

Marriage records

After the establishment of the Anglican Church of England, Thomas Cromwell, the Vicar General, in 1538, mandated that all parishes were to keep records of marriages, baptisms and burials. Often these records were kept in a single book. The book was to be kept in a coffer, a small chest, locked by two keys. One key was held by the minister and the other by the church warden. Entries were to be made every Sunday after service. If records were not kept the church would be fined.

In 1597, a constitution of the Convocation of the Province of Canterbury was approved by Elizabeth I. It required that each parish send annual reports to the bishop. These were known as bishop transcripts. This new practice is significant for genealogist because it meant that two records were now being kept of baptisms, marriages and burials and it was double likely that the records would last. Record keeping was further improved by Hardwick’s Marriage Act in 1753. It required marriage records to be kept in a separate book with individual entries for each marriage. It dictated that each entry should record the names of the bride and groom, marital status, date, by banns or licence, officiate name and a signature or mark from the couple. In 1837, civil registration was introduced for both England and Wales. Couples were no longer required to be wed in a church, but instead could be married in the Registrar’s office.

In some parish records gaps may appear, this can be due to a number of reasons. Firstly, is the condition of the paper on which the records were written and where they were stored. Older records may have be ruined by disintegration or water damage. Also, during the Commonwealth years, form 1642 to 1650, records were neglected due to the Civil War. During this time Cromwell had ordered that marriages would be conferred by the Justice of the Peace and parish registers would be recorded by civil parish clerk. Records were given back to the church wardens and ministers after the restoration of Charles in 1650.

Patronymic Naming System

The Denbighshire Marriages include records which use the patronymic naming system. This system started in Wales in the 15th century through to the mid-18th century. It is the practice of using the father’s first name as the child’s surname. Usually, ‘ab’ or ‘ap’ is added between the child’s first name and the father’s first name. For example, William Ap David is William son of David. The patronymic naming system can affect your genealogical research. We would recommend searching by your relative’s first name and birth year without the family’s surname. Then narrow your search from those results.