Search for marriages in Gibraltar from 1802 to 1942.
Search for marriages in Gibraltar from 1802 to 1942.
These records usually include the following information:
Some records will include extra information, such as fathers’ names, denomination, witnesses, rank or profession, the father's rank or profession, and exact place of marriage. Records with images may also include the couple's signatures.
There are four component record sets, which cover different event types and different time periods, as follows
The licences are, of course, documents created in advance of marriage and do not give the date of marriage but the date of issuing of the licence. The licences are the thinnest of the three record sets, giving the least information, whereas the civil and military marriages are very detailed.
Marriage venues are usually given and, as would be expected, often are churches, chapels or synagogues. However, a large number of marriages were celebrated at the registrar’s office or, for that matter, at private addresses (the latter perhaps especially in the case of Jewish weddings).
Although Gibraltar covers a small area, for much of the period covered by this record set the town was divided into 28 districts, within which houses were numbered in a very particular way, which you may sometimes see on historical documents. For example, D9 H12 would be house 12 in district 9.
Explore marriage records from Gibraltar’s Scottish Presbyterian Church, St Andrew’s Church of Scotland. Many of the records include marriages of British Army personnel stationed on the Rock and others who either worked or lived in the colony. St Andrew’s Church first opened in 1843 and is still open today. Marriage records begin from the early years of the church and up to 1935. No records exist of any civilian Minister being permanently in the colony until the Rev William Strauchan (a schoolmaster) commenced his work in January 1840 and continued for 9 years until December 1848. Prior to the building of the church, the Presbyterian congregation of Gibraltar worshipped in the Exchange Rooms of the Wesleyan chapel.
Gibraltar is a small peninsula located on the Iberian coast, south of Spain. Its strategic position, at the entrance of the Mediterranean Sea, has given it great significance in European history. It is sometimes referred to as The Rock or the Rock of Gibraltar because of the large limestone which forms part of the Betic Cordillera mountain range. The upper area is a nature reserve and home to about 250 Barbary Macaques, the largest wild monkey population in Europe.
The territory was ceded to the British from the Spanish after the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. Through the next century it endured continuous sieges from the Spanish in attempts to regain the region. It was a major base for the British forces during the Peninsular Wars. It has shown its strength as a military base during the Napoleonic wars and later during both world wars.
After the Napoleonic Wars, the peninsula became the home to a variety of immigrants. Genoese, Italians, Jews, Portuguese and of course Spanish and British all lived on the peninsula. Early in the 19th century outbreaks of yellow fever and cholera killed thousands. Sanitation and sewer systems were a concern. The town had small and crowded dwellings, which assisted the spread of disease. In 1865, a new Board of Sanitary Commissioners was established to create new drainage and better water supplies. Since the Treaty of Utrecht, Gibraltar has been under the responsibility of the British government. In 1965 and again in 2002, public referendums decided that the people of Gibraltar wanted to remain part of Britain rather than join Spain.