Short Guide 2 - Birth, death and marriage records: Marriages

About Marriages | Indexes | Records relating to Marriage

About Marriages

The total number of women in the Colony is about one thousand four hundred and thirty, including Officers and free Settlers wives: the number of married among them, is three hundred and ninety five and unmarried one thousand and thirty five — these in general are living in open Prostitution. The total number of legitimate Children is eight hundred and seven, and the number of natural Children, one thousand and twenty five…"

- Revd Samuel Marsden: a few Observations on the Situation of the Female Convicts in New South Wales. c.1806 (M.L.Mss18).

You appear to be sensible of the Importance of promoting the Increase of Marriages in the Colony; and, undoubtedly, the very great proportion which appears to exist of illegitimate in comparison with Legitimate Children, leads to the conclusion that a proper System for advancing this grand object has not been adopted. From the Circumstances of the Colonists, and the Numbers that go out leaving their Wives or Husbands in England, and the Disproportion between the Sexes, it must be extremely difficult to remedy the evil complained of; but I have understood that sufficient Pains have not been taken with respect to the Disposal of the Female Convicts on their first arrival in the Colony, and that they have been indented to improper Persons in order to ease, as soon as possible, the Expense of supporting them by Government Rations. The Impolicy of this System is so obvious that I trust you will not persevere in it, but in every case endeavour to make the Reformation of the Female Convict and her regular Settlement by marriage a Consideration superior to the saving, for any short period, the expense of maintaining her."

- Castlereagh to Thigh, 31 December 1807 Historical Records of Australia 1.6.202

In the early colony, marriages were of two kinds, either by licence or by the publication of banns. As the fees were comparatively high, ?4.4.0, only the more affluent members of the community married by licence. The licence was granted by the Governor as there was no Bishop of the Church of England in the colony.

Most marriages followed the publication of the banns in a church on three successive Sundays. Convicts were married by banns having first obtained the Governor's permission.

Indexes

Microfiche copies of Indexes to Births, Deaths and Marriages
Available online at the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages website.
* Pioneer series, 1788-1888
* Federation series 1889-1918
* Between the wars series 1919-1945 (deaths and marrigaes only)
Available to view on microfiche in the reading room.
Microfiche copies are also available at the registry of Briths, Deaths and Marriages, the Society of Australian Genealogists, the Mitchell Library and in many libraries throughout Australia.

Records relating to Marriage

Colonial Secretary | Governor | Principal Superintendent of Convicts | Registrar General

Colonial Secretary

NRS 898, Special bundles, 1794-1825
Reel 763
* Norfolk Island: Annual return of births, deaths and marriages, 10 April 1810-10 April 1811 [4/1169 p.287a]
» See full list of titles in the Guide to Colonial Secretary's Corresponence

NRS 1037, Abstract of all licences for marriages granted to free persons, 17 March 1813-26 December 1827 *ARK [4/1710 pp.151-222]
Reel 2281; Fiche 836; COD10
Information given includes: the number and date of the licence; parties' names; and where, when and by whom the marriage was solemnised. In many cases name of parent (father or mother), name of previous spouse (for women only), occupation, and place of residence are also recorded.
An index to these abstracts has been published as Short Guide 5.
A card index has been prepared in State Records and typescript copies are located at 2/8304A & B and a microfilm copy at Reel 2278.

NRS 906, Special Bundles, 1826-1982
* List of Marriage Licences granted by Governor Darling, 23 December 1825-25 August 1828 [2/8306 pp.1-11]
Reel 2279

Governor

NRS 4558, Norfolk Island: Return of Marriages, 25 December 1856 - 13 June 1870
COD200
The return records date and the names of the parties.

NRS 4556, Norfolk Island: Register of births, deaths and marriages, 1894
Reel 2386

Principal Superintendent of Convicts

Registrar General

NRS 12937, Microfilm copies of Registers of Baptisms, Burials and Marriages, 1787-1856 *ARK
Set of 48 rolls of microfilm published by State Records in co-operation with the Genealogical Society of Utah and the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Sydney. Copies available in the State Records reading room Reels 5001-48; the Society of Australian Genealogists; the Mitchell Library and in a number of other libraries.
A full description of these records is contained in Short Guide 4.

NRS 12937 (part), Applications for Marriage Licences, 1836-44 [5/4219]
Reels 5016, 5047
This volume forms part of the series Registers of Baptisms, Burials and Marriages, 1787-1856 above.

NRS 12939, Consents of the Governor and Declarations for Presbyterian marriages, 6 February 1826 - 21 January 1860 [5/7691]
Reel 741
Original letters from the Colonial Secretary and later the Principal Superintendent of Convicts, to Presbyterian ministers granting, or not, permission for the publication of the banns of marriage 1826-46. From 1850-60 the volume consists mostly of declarations that parties are free to marry. There is an index in front of the volume.

*ARK signifies that a copy of the record or guide is part of the Archives Resources Kit and is held by the community access points.