Church Records: Marriages
Baptisms | Marriages | Investigations | Burials |
The process of marrying in Catholic societies potentially generated several different records:
- Pre-marriage investigation
- Parish marriage register entry
- (liber/matricula matrimonialis, registrum matrimoniorum)
- Marriage dispensation
- (matrimonialis dispensationis)
- Church and civil court records relating to marital relations
- Dowry inventories and pre-nuptial/post-nuptial contracts
The first two record types on the above list relate to the marriage performed by the parish priest. The third one refers to the application by a future bride and groom to the bishop and the subsequent investigation to waive an impediment to the proposed marriage. The fourth category generally refers to broken promises to marry—lawsuits and prosecutions relating to marital conflicts and annulments found in the diocesan and civil courts. The last items are contracts defining property contributions to and ultimate property distributions from the marriage, often not only involving the bride and groom but their respective parents as well.