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Libraries and archives. Lambeth Palace Library is the historic library and record office of the Archbishops of Canterbury and the main archive for the documentary history of the Church of England.
- Family History
Find information on baptism, wedding and funeral records,...
- Records and Information Management
The guides are designed to help parishes, dioceses, bishops...
- Family History
Find information on baptism, wedding and funeral records, adoption records and Anglican clergy records. The Lambeth Palace Library website has some guides to help you research your family history.
The guides are designed to help parishes, dioceses, bishops and cathedrals develop a consistent and best practice approach to looking after church records in their care, whether paper or electronic. There is a separate guide for each specific set of church records.
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- Introduction
- Religions of England
- Accessing England Church Records
- Protestation Returns
- Archives
- Parish Boundaries
- Types of Records
- Search Strategies and Tips
- Online Learning
- Related Web Pages
See History of Parish Registers in England Church records are the main source for genealogy prior to 1837 when civil registrationbegan. It is also a useful source after 1837 in conjunction with civil registration. Although a nationwide order was given in 1538 that each parish keep a register of baptisms, marriages, and burials, many parishes did no...
Non-Conformist Churches
1. Various Non-Conformist groups, included all Methodists, Baptist and Presbyterian spin-off denominations, as well the Independents, Roman Catholic, and Society of Friends (Quakers). They slowly grew in legal standing and in numbers from about 1600 onwards, experiencing at first much persecution and discrimination.
Roman Catholic Church
1. Roman Catholicsremained present in England after the split between Rome and the Church of England in aboout 1536. They were heavily persecuted and most records became extant after laws of 1778, 1791 and 1829 lifted discrimination against them.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
1. Mormons, LDS or, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Church records include mostly membership records, i.e. baptisms, and some marriages and deaths, etc.,(about 51,000 attending members by 1851) begin by July, 1837. A few are available online through the 1) online Church History Library Catalog: just type name of England county and the word "branch". Most, if not, all records are available to access by in-person visit to the Church History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah. Note: T...
Accessing Records
The first step is to find out which records survive for the parish you are researching. The following places are useful for this: 1. GENUKI Church Database 2. 1851 Jurisdictions [parish boundary] maps- an interactive county map of England showing parish and multiple other jurisdiction boundaries, i.e. civil registration district (shows parishes within it) 3. Each parish's page on this wiki 4. Parish Registers - Family History before 1837 5. The parish's entry on the FamilySearch Catalog 6. Th...
Major Resources
1. The resources are prioritized from left to right, with the left column containing the most complete coverage for the county. 2. Percentages in parentheses indicate the approximate percentage of the records included in that collection. Many collections will have a table or index showing the specific parishes and years they have records for. 3. OPC is an abbreviation for Online Parish Clerks, a group of websites that transcribes parish records and make them freely available online 4. FHS is...
Non-Conformist Religions
For more background, see Religious non-conformity in England. General Collections 1. 1588-1977 England and Wales Non-Conformist Record Indexes (RG4-8), 1588-1977 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images [Note: Index was last updated Jan 4, 2013.] 2. 1777-1936 England, Bristol, Non-Conformist Church Records, 1777-1936 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images. Note: FamilySearch has images and indexes to nearly all National Archives UK RG registers. 3...
The Protestation Returns of 1641–1642 are lists of English males over the age of 18 who took, or did not take, an oath of allegiance "to live and die for the true Protestant religion, the liberties and rights of subjects and the privilege of Parliaments." These lists were usually compiled by parish, or township, within hundred, or wapentake. 1. Pro...
County Record Offices
Most of the Church of England parish registers and bishop's transcript copies are deposited in the county record offices throughout the country. Additionally, while a majority of the nonconformist church registers have been deposited at The National Archives, some of these church registers have been deposited in the county records offices. These record offices are open to the public and all have a website by which you can learn more about their services, the records and their availability, an...
Lambeth Palace Library
Lambeth Palace Library is the historic library and record office of the Archbishops of Canterbury and the principal repository of the documentary history of the Church of England. The Library does hold some records relevant to genealogy, but it is unlikely to be the best starting point for such research. The Library holds very few parish registers, however it does hold records relating to those marriages where a licence was issued under the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Library has written a...
To find an ancestor in church records, you should know their religion and the parish where they lived. The Place Search on the FamilySearch Catalog usually uses the parish names as given in The Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales. See England Gazetteers for this source and other help in finding a parish. Also see the England & Wales Jurisdictio...
Baptisms
Baptism records usually contain: 1. Child's given name 2. Father's given name, and from 1813 his occupation and residence/address 3. Mother's name, and (rarely) her maiden surname 4. Baptism date, and occasionally birth date, which can sometimes be several years before the baptism. It is worth mentioning that it was common practice in families to use the same Christian name over and over again until a child survived with it. This means that individuals need to try and capture all of the famil...
Marriages
Typically, the English married in their 20's. You may find records that show a couple’s “intent to marry” in addition to the records of the actual marriage. Sometimes, however, the couple registered their intent to marry but never married. Church of England parish register marriage records usually contain: 1. Marriage date 2. Name of the bride and groom After 1753, the records are more likely to show: 1. Residence of the bride and groom 2. Marital status of bride and groom 3. May list the dat...
Burials
A burial usually took place in the deceased’s parish a few days after the death. Church of England parish register burial records usually contain: 1. Burial date 2. Name of the deceased. 3. If the deceased is a child, the father’s name might be given. 4. If the deceased is a married woman, the husband’s name might be given 5. If the deceased is a widow, that may be noted. 6. May give the sex of the deceased The forms introduced in 1813 also called for: 1. Age of the deceased 2. Residence of t...
As you search church records, use the following strategies: 1. Search both Church of England parish registers and bishops’ transcripts, as either may contain entries missing from the other. 2. Note all entries, including burials, in the parish registers for the surname of interest unless the name is very common. 3. Note gaps or missing pages in the...
FamilySearch Help Center Online Lessons: 1. England Parish Chest Records 2. England Nonconformist Church Records- Parts 1 and 2 3. England Nonconformist Church Records 4. Tracing Non-Church of England Ancestry
Dec 23, 2022 · Church of England Records. In 1534, King Henry VIII established the Church of England, also known as the Anglican Church, the established or state church, or the Episcopal Church.
Welcome to CCEd. The Clergy of the Church of England Database 1540-1835 (CCEd), launched in 1999 and funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, makes available and searchable the principal records of clerical careers from over 50 archives in England and Wales with the aim of providing coverage of as many clerical lives as possible from ...
Mar 15, 2024 · In its most basic sense, a parish register is a record of the baptisms, marriages, and burials performed in a local congregation or parish of the Church of England.
