Sydney Diocesan Archives, Anglican Diocese of Sydney Sydney Diocesan Archives, Anglican Diocese of Sydney

How marriages are recorded in the Anglican Diocese of Sydney

Not all churches in this diocese have sent their marriage registers to the Archives.
Apply for a copy of a marriage record

Marriages are manually recorded in registers. Each parish creates its own marriage registers.

Marriage registers are the only Church record of marriages within the Diocese of Sydney, and there is no central database of marriages. For this reason, it is essential to know in which church or parish a marriage was held.

A Marriage Register includes:

  • Name of the church and parish
  • Date of marriage
  • Surnames of parties
  • Given names of parties
  • Usual occupation
  • Usual place of residence
  • Conjugal status, condition, or marital status
  • Birthplace of parties
  • Date of birth (older registers record age only)
  • Father’s name in full, of both parties (older registers also record the father’s occupation)
  • Mother’s maiden name in full, of both parties
  • Full name and signature of witness (older registers only contain the signatures)
  • Name and signature of the officiating minister
  • Older registers may have the Marriage Certificate Number and Form of Consent

It is only possible to supply copies of marriage records to the people named in the record.

The Sydney Diocesan Archives cannot provide records for baptisms, confirmations or marriages performed in any of the other 22 Anglican dioceses in Australia, or any other church in Australia.