Find your ancestors in Rugby Marriages

Discover your ancestor’s marriage and continue to expand your family tree. You will find out your relative’s wedding date, father’s name, father’s occupation and even the names of those who witnessed the marriage.

Each record includes a transcript of the original marriage registry. The amount of information in each transcript can differ but most will include the following:

  • Name
  • Birth year
  • Marriage date
  • Bride’s name
  • Bride’s age
  • Bride’s condition (marital status)
  • Bride’s place (parish)
  • Groom’s name
  • Groom’s age
  • Groom’s condition (marital status)
  • Groom’s place (parish)
  • Groom’s occupation
  • Bride’s father’s name
  • Bride’s father’s occupation
  • Groom’s father’s name
  • Groom’s father’s occupation
  • Witness names
  • By licence or banns
  • Minister
  • Description (usually includes the name of the church where the wedding took place)
  • Place
  • County and country
  • Notes
  • Record set

Discover more about the Rugby Marriages

The market town of Rugby is located in the County of Warwickshire in the heart of the English Midlands. It is the second largest town in the county and home to the birth of the international sport of rugby. The Rugby Baptisms records the whole of the Borough of Rugby, including the towns of Bilton, Hillmorton and Newbold Upon Avon.

Many of the transcripts include details of whether the couple married by licence or banns. Marriage licences were created in the 14th century. Couples could obtain a marriage licence for a fee if they wished to waive the Bann period. Banns were announcements made in the church on three separate Sundays during the three months leading up to the wedding day. The announcements were made to give the congregation an opportunity to voice any objection to the marriage. Along with a marriage licence fee, the couples were obligated to sign a declaration stating that there were not lawful impediments to their marriage. There are different reasons why couples married by licence instead of by Bann; they may have wanted to get married quickly, they may have wanted to show that they could pay for a licence or the couple was getting married away from home.