Each record of a birth, marriage or death is an invaluable source.

In 1837 a legal system was introduced in England and Wales to record all births, marriages and deaths.  Hardwicke’s Marriage Act was introduced in 1753, which was meant to reduce the number of clandestine marriages.  Between the years of 1754-1837 marriage ceremonies had to take place in parish churches in order to be legally binding.  From 1837 onwards, civil marriages were allowed in the presence of a local registrar at a registry office.  It was also the case that marriages were permitted in Nonconformist chapels and Roman Catholic churches. One register was kept of nonconformist and civil marriages, and another duplicate register was forwarded to the Registrar General at the General Register Office.