Marriages in the London Wall Greek Church, 1837-1865

Between 1836 and 1865, a series of marriages took place within the Greek Orthodox community of London. Initially performed in homes and a converted chapel, ceremonies began to be held in the newly constructed Greek Orthodox Church from 1850 onwards. Unaware of the legal necessity of registering marriages with the government, marriages were not reported. Eventually, this issue was recognised, and the Greek Marriages Act of 1884 sought to validate the marriages that had taken place. Following legal cases, the Orthodox Church provided a copy of the chapel register to demonstrate that the weddings had taken place according to the rites of the Orthodox faith. The marriages were subsequently deemed valid by the UK government.