Parish Records
Parish Registers
In 1538 Henry VIII became the first monarch to pass legislation requiring that parish priests keep baptism, marriage and burial registers. 1538 is therefore the earliest date that many family historians strive to trace back to. However, the existence of the parish register did not compel an individual to baptise a child or notify anyone of their marriage. But in the main, from this date up until 1st July 1837, religious denominations recorded all of the baptisms, burials and marriages within a parish.
The first events were recorded on paper in leather-bound books. Due to the quality of this early paper, many of these records have disintegrated or else been damaged or lost. In 1592, Elizabeth I passed a law requiring events to be recorded on the harder-wearing vellum or parchment and ordered that they should be stored and locked in a chest. She also ordered that all the historical entries should be transferred to the new books, but this was not carried out by everyone. Some only went back to 1558, the date of Elizabeth’s accession. From the late sixteenth century onwards many registers have been deposited with local records offices.
Bishop’s Transcripts
In 1598 Elizabeth also ordered that a duplicate register should be made by each parish and sent to the bishop of the diocese. These registers are known as the Bishop’s Transcripts (BTs). They contain similar information to the parish register but sometimes the bishop may have supplemented his register with additional information.
Marriages Between 1538 and 1753, there was no clear definition of how a marriage was made. They took place in many types of establishment where clandestine, runaway marriages and marriages between minors were common. Clergy often conducted irregular marriages in return for a fee, particularly when there was an obvious pregnancy, and also carried out non-Anglican marriages. But some statistics claim that in the 1700s, 95% of the population was Anglican therefore you will probably find your ancestors around that time in Church of England registers.
Parish marriage registers contained only the names of the two spouses, the bride’s maiden name and the date of the event. Marriages usually took place in the bride’s parish, but often the ceremony was held in the nearest city or market town.
Lord Hardwicke’s Marriage Act, introduced in 1753, improved the system of registration and regularized marriage so that it had to take place on licensed premises, limited to churches or chapels according to the Church of England rites and be performed by an Anglican clergyman. Jews and the Religious Society of Friends (the Quakers) were exempt but the Act compelled Non-conformists (dissenting Protestants) such as Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians etc. as well as Roman Catholics to marry in Anglican Churches in order for their marriage to be legal.
Where to start
If you are looking for records prior to the 1st July 1837, then you need to find the baptism, burial or marriage record that was originally completed by the minister of the church. These are known as the Parish Registers. They can either be found at the church itself, or often the church will deposit them at County Record Offices. In some cases where the Parish Registers show little information or have been damaged or destroyed, you may be able to trace the Bishop’s Transcripts that have been deposited with a Record Office.
Some registers may have been photographed onto microfilm, microfiche or CD Rom format, or some at the very least may have been indexed by surname and year.
For information on how to start searching for Parish Records, click on
Searching for Historical Records.