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Transcribed parish registers (and much more)

Baptisms, Marriages & Burials before 1837

When you have reached as far back as you can using your family's memories and Civil Registration records, you will need to turn to Parish Registers.

These are the records of vital events (baptisms, marriages and burials) before 1837.

Parish Registers

From 1538 and until 1837 baptisms, marriages and burials were recorded at local churches. After each Sunday Service the events of the week were written in the register - initially often loose-leaf papers - then locked away for safe-keeping.

In 1598 it was ordered that the records be kept in bound parchment books and that all the previous records be copied into these books from the beginning.

In reality the original records were generally only copied from 1558, the first year of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

Bishops Transcripts

With the order to keep the records in books came a requirement to make annual returns.

Within one month of every Easter the Parish Registers of the previous year had to be copied and the copy sent to the Bishop. These are the records known as Bishops Transcripts.

Where records are missing from Parish Registers it may be that they can be found in Bishops Transcripts.

What information do the Registers contain?

Births were rarely recorded, but most baptisms occured within 2 to 3 months of a birth. The Registers will usually give the parents' names and their abode. Using this information you may be able to find the marriage record of the parents.

A marriage record will often detail the names of both the parties' parents, and this will help you to locate the baptism records of the parents.

Burial records will usually include the age of the deceased, and his family relationship, ie, 'son of...', father of...', etc. In the absence of census records this is a valuable way of confirming or establishing other family members.

Where are the registers today?

Most Parish Registers are kept in local and county record offices. For a variety of reasons they are not complete:

When Parish Registers were introduced, a fine for not registering was imposed. This was viewed by most people as a tax, and many refused to comply.
The costs of the bound parchment books were to be met by charging for entries. Many clergy objected to this, and didn't comply.
Between 1643 and 1647 (the English Civil War) and until 1660 (the Reformation) many registers were abandoned, hidden, or destroyed.

Many individuals and organisations are transcribing parish registers to make them available free on the internet.

Search Local BMD and Parish Records for a selection of sites holding transcribed records.

Few of the transcriptions are complete but additions are constantly being made and new sites are added regularly.