Parish Registers were instigated by Thomas Cromwell from 1538 in the reign of Henry VIII, recording every wedding, baptism and burial. There are gaps in the records for a variety of reasons, such as the civil war, but these records are a prime source for building family trees. From 1597 a copy of the records had to be made and sent to the Bishop. Sometimes the Bishops' Transcript may contain more information than the original, so it can often be worthwhile tracking down both. For more information on Parish Registers there is a brief history on the Wikipedia Parish Register page.
After 1837 Civil Registration was introduced and the Local BMD and GRO BMD records become the primary source.
| Classification: | GRO BMD, Births, Deaths, Marriages, National, Parish Records, Wills / Probate |
| Title: | Birth, Marriage & Death Certificates - BMD Index |
| Link: |  |
| Description: | Complete GRO indexes online & Non-Parochial BMDs service. Includes overseas BMD's for armed forces. |
| Extra Info: | Includes Pre-1837 Non-Conformist BMDs |
| Classification: | GRO BMD, Baptisms, Births, Burials / Cremations, Deaths, Marriages, National, Parish Records, War Memorials & Other Memorials |
| Title: | Find My Past - BMD's, Parish Records and More |
| Link: | |
| Description: | Find My Past - BMD's, Parish Records and More |
| Classification: | Baptisms, Burials / Cremations, Census, Marriages, Parish Records |
| Title: | A Romany Gypsy & Traveller Heritage Project |
| Link: | https://www.romaheritage.co.uk/ |
| Description: | Romani Parish and Census records |
| Classification: | Baptisms, Parish Records |
| Title: | Baptisms - England and Wales Christening Records |
| Link: | England & Wales Christening Records, 1530-1980 |
| Description: | England and Wales Christening Records, 1530-1980 |
| Extra Info: | Not complete. |
| Classification: | Baptisms, Burials / Cremations, Marriages, Parish Records, Wills / Probate |
| Title: | Berkshire County Data from Ancestry |
| Link: | Berkshire County Data from Ancestry |
| Description: | Berkshire County Data Collection from Ancestry |
| Extra Info: | Includes index to wills proved and administrations granted in the court of the archdeacon of Berks, 1508 to 1652. |
| Classification: | GRO BMD, Census, Parish Records, Pedigrees, Visitations |
| Title: | England Data from Ancestry |
| Link: | England Data from Ancestry |
| Description: | England Data Collection from Ancestry |
| Extra Info: | Includes 1861-1901 Censuses; 1837-2005 GRO BMD; visitations and other records. |
| Classification: | Marriages, Parish Records |
| Title: | English Clandestine Marriages |
| Link: | https://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-Records/england-clandestine-marriages |
| Description: | English Clandestine Marriages from 1667 to 1775. |
| Classification: | Baptisms, Burials / Cremations, Marriages, Parish Records, Wills / Probate |
| Title: | Family History Books via Family Search |
| Link: |  |
| Description: | Family History Books via Family Search |
| Extra Info: | More than 40,000 digitized genealogy and family history publications from the archives of some of the most important family history libraries in the world. Read online for free. Includes some parish register transcripts. |
| Classification: | Parish Records |
| Title: | Family Search - Maps |
| Link: | |
| Description: | Family Search - Maps |
| Extra Info: | Maps showing where parish boundaries are, when registers were first started. Not complete coverage. Click on map in the map screen to view road names. |
| Classification: | Baptisms, Bishops Transcripts, Burials / Cremations, Marriages, Parish Records, Wills / Probate |
| Title: | Family Search Records Collection - England |
| Link: | |
| Description: | Family Search Records Collection - England |
| Extra Info: | An increasing number of records, including census and parish records. |
| Classification: | Baptisms, Burials / Cremations, Census, Marriages, Parish Records |
| Title: | Family Search Records Collection - Worldwide |
| Link: | |
| Description: | Family Search Records Collection - Worldwide |
| Extra Info: | Includes the England and Wales 1841 & 1861 Census, and foreign records, such as the American census that contains Britons who were aboard. |
| Classification: | Baptisms, Burials / Cremations, Marriages, National, Parish Records |
| Title: | FreeReg Project |
| Link: |  |
| Description: | Transcriptions for Parish Registers |
| Classification: | Baptisms, Burials / Cremations, Marriages, Monumental Inscriptions, Parish Records |
| Title: | Internet Archive |
| Link: | http://archive.org/ |
| Description: | Internet Archive |
| Extra Info: | Has many scanned books, including some parish registers. Click on texts and then search the archive. Note baptism and baptisms give different results. |
| Classification: | Marriages, Parish Records |
| Title: | Marriages - England and Wales |
| Link: | England & Wales Marriages, 1538-1988 |
| Description: | England and Wales Marriages, 1538-1988 |
| Extra Info: | Not complete. |
| Classification: | Burials / Cremations, Parish Records |
| Title: | Newtown Road Cemetery, Newbury, Berkshire |
| Link: | http://www.fnrcnewbury.org.uk/ |
| Description: | Newtown Road Cemetery, Newbury, Berkshire |
| Extra Info: | Images of burial registers. Currently 1917-1991, but check back as they hope to add some earlier burials soon. |
| Classification: | Banns, Baptisms, Births, Burials / Cremations, Deaths, Marriages, National, Parish Records |
| Title: | Non-Conformist and Non-Parochial BMDs |
| Link: | https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/affiliate/?affid=... |
| Description: | Non-Conformist and Non-Parochial BMDs from the National Archive, hosted by The Genealogist |
| Extra Info: | They include the birth records at Dr Williams' Library in London, hospital records of maternity, overseas registrations for British citizens and those on board ships. |
| Classification: | Baptisms, Burials / Cremations, Marriages, Parish Records |
| Title: | Nonconformist Register - Northowram of Coley Register |
| Link: | http://archive.org/details/nonconformistreg00byuhe... |
| Description: | Nonconformist Register - Northowram or Coley Register 1644-1752 |
| Extra Info: | Online book. Parish Registers 1584-1620. Index of surnames and place names at end of book. |
| Classification: | Baptisms, Burials / Cremations, Marriages, Parish Records, Wills / Probate |
| Title: | Open Library |
| Link: | http://openlibrary.org/ |
| Description: | Open Library - Scanned Books Online |
| Extra Info: | Includes full images of many books of transcribed parish registers. Use the search facility and select e books only. Can also search within book text easily. |
| Classification: | Baptisms, Burials / Cremations, Marriages, Monumental Inscriptions, Parish Records |
| Title: | Parish of Padworth, Berkshire and its Inhabitants |
| Link: | http://archive.org/details/recordofparishof00sharu... |
| Description: | Parish of Padworth and its Inhabitants, Berkshire |
| Extra Info: | Online book. Includes some monumental inscriptions, and some extracts from the parish records. |
| Classification: | Parish Records |
| Title: | Parish Register - William Bradock's Guide 1910 |
| Link: | http://archive.org/details/parishregister00braduof... |
| Description: | Parish Register - William Bradock's Guide 1910 |
| Extra Info: | Online book. It explains that start of parish registers and other associated items, such as Phillimore marriages, Hardwicke's marriage act, banns, explanation of register entries, foundlings, as well as some interesting register extracts. |
| Classification: | Baptisms, Burials / Cremations, Census, Marriages, Parish Records |
| Title: | Parish Register and Census Transcripts - A Selection |
| Link: | http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~juliet22/genealogy/... |
| Description: | Parish Register and Census Transcripts - A Selection |
| Extra Info: | May not display correctly in all browsers. Transcripts from Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire, Dorset, Hampshire, Kent, Lancashire, Northumberland for a selction of names. |
| Classification: | Baptisms, Burials / Cremations, Marriages, Parish Records |
| Title: | Parish Register Marriage Search |
| Link: | https://ukga.org/browse.php |
| Description: | Marriage Search of Parish Registers for Various Counties |
| Extra Info: | Scroll down for a scan of some Phillimore marriage transcriptions, scroll further down for searchable parish registers. |
| Classification: | Baptisms, Burials / Cremations, Marriages, Parish Records |
| Title: | Parish Register Transcriptions |
| Link: | http://web.archive.org/web/20120302095016/http://w... |
| Description: | Transcription and Extracts Index for Berkshire, Kent, Somerset and Suffolk |
| Extra Info: | This is a copy of an archived site. Most information seems to be available. May take a few moments to load. |
| Classification: | Banns, Baptisms, Burials / Cremations, Census, Marriages, Monumental Inscriptions, Parish Records |
| Title: | Parish Register Transcripts and Other Miscellaneous Records |
| Link: | http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~pbtyc/genealogy/PR_... |
| Description: | Parish Register Transcripts and Other Miscellaneous Records |
| Extra Info: | Extracts of parish records for Somerset, Berkshire, Kent and Suffolk. |
| Classification: | Marriages, Parish Records |
| Title: | Parish Registers of Berkshire - Phillimore (1) |
| Link: | http://archive.org/details/berkshireparishr01phil |
| Description: | Parish Registers of Berkshire - Phillimore - Marriages Vol 1 |
| Extra Info: | Online book. Marriages. Wantage 1538-1837 and West Woodhay 1653-1812. |
| Classification: | Marriages, Parish Records |
| Title: | Parish Registers of Berkshire - Phillimore (2) |
| Link: | http://archive.org/details/berkshireparishr02phil |
| Description: | Parish Registers of Berkshire - Phillimore - Marriages Vol 2 |
| Extra Info: | Online book. Marriages. Harwell 1559-1837, Bradfield 1559-1812, Sparsholt 1559-1812, West Hendred 1558-1837, Sulham 1723-1837, Kingston Lisle 1560-1837, Purley 1663-1840, Buscot 1676-1812, West Hanney 1564-1837. |
| Classification: | Baptisms, Burials / Cremations, Marriages, Parish Records |
| Title: | Parish Registers of Bisham, Berkshire |
| Link: | http://archive.org/details/registerofbisham15bish |
| Description: | Parish Registers of Bisham, Berkshire |
| Extra Info: | Online book. Baptisms, marriages and burials 1560-1812. |
| Classification: | Baptisms, Burials / Cremations, Marriages, Parish Records |
| Title: | Parish Registers of Blewbury, Berkshire |
| Link: | https://archive.org/details/publications70pari |
| Description: | Parish Registers of Blewbury, Berkshire |
| Extra Info: | Online book. Registers 1588-1813. Includes a names index. |
| Classification: | Baptisms, Burials / Cremations, Marriages, Parish Records |
| Title: | Parish Registers of Denchworth, Berkshire |
| Link: | http://archive.org/details/registersofdench73denc |
| Description: | Parish Registers of Denchworth, Berkshire |
| Extra Info: | Online book. Covers 1540-1812. With names index. |
| Classification: | Baptisms, Burials / Cremations, Marriages, Parish Records, Wills / Probate |
| Title: | Parish Registers of Thatcham, Berkshire |
| Link: | http://archive.org/details/transcriptsfrom00rawlgo... |
| Description: | Parish Registers of Thatcham, Berkshire - Extracts |
| Extra Info: | Online book. A range of extracts from 1562 through to 1809, including some wills. |
| Classification: | Baptisms, Burials / Cremations, Marriages, Parish Records |
| Title: | Parish Registers of Upton, Berkshire |
| Link: | http://archive.org/details/registerofuptoni08upto |
| Description: | Parish Registers of Upton, Berkshire |
| Extra Info: | Online Book. Baptisms and Burials 1588-1741, marriages 1588-1735. |
| Classification: | Baptisms, Burials / Cremations, Census, Marriages, Monumental Inscriptions, Parish Records |
| Title: | Parish Registers on Sue Froud's Family History Pages |
| Link: | https://web.archive.org/web/20160327062213/http://... |
| Description: | Parish Registers on Sue Froud's Family History Pages |
| Extra Info: | An archived copy of a site that is no longer live. Most information still seems to be available. Scroll down for counties. Selected parish records and more for several counties. |
| Classification: | Parish Records |
| Title: | Parishmouse Family History Guides |
| Link: | https://www.parishmouse.co.uk/ |
| Description: | Parish Registers, Parish Records and Historical Directories. |
| Extra Info: | Each parish page provides a list of adjacent parishes, historical descriptions of the parish, links to free parish registers and records. |
| Classification: | Baptisms, Burials / Cremations, Marriages, Parish Records |
| Title: | Romany Genes 2 Website |
| Link: | https://web.archive.org/web/20210423045021/http://... |
| Description: | Romany Genes 2 Website |
| Extra Info: | An archived copy of a site that is no longer active. Most information is still available to view. Maybe slow to load. |
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