What is the Marriages Index?

It is an index to the marriages registers that have been produced since compulsory civil registration of marriages began in England and Wales on 1st July 1837 (although penalties for non-registration were not introduced until 1875). The index is maintained by the General Register Office (GRO).
The marriages registers themselves are not available to the public but anyone can inspect the index to the registers.
The details given in the marriages index may be helpful in themselves but they are usually used to find the details necessary for ordering a copy of a marriage certificate.
In particular, the marriages index gives you the 'GRO index reference' for each marriage. The 'GRO index reference' consists of the details given in the volume and page columns for each marriage entry.
For a useful guide to how the marriages index is arranged and what it contains, click the link 'Family History at the FRC' on the Family Records Centre's 'Research' page.
See also Where can I search the marriages index?

Page last updated: 27th January 2006