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, 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, Bishops Transcripts, Deaths, Marriages, Parish Records |
| Title: | Caernarvonshire Data from Ancestry |
| Link: | Caernarvonshire Data from Ancestry |
| Description: | Caernarvonshire Data Collection from Ancestry |
| Extra Info: | Includes The First volume of the Conway parish registers : in the rural deanery of Arllechwedd, diocese of Bangor, Caernarvonshire, 1541; The diocese of Bangor in the sixteenth century : being a digest of the registers of the bishops, A.D. 1512-1646 |
| Classification: | Burials / Cremations, Census, Obituaries, Parish Records, War Memorials & Other Memorials |
| Title: | Carnarvon Traders |
| Link: | http://www.carnarvontraders.com |
| Description: | Carnarvon Traders - A Site about Carnarvon and its History |
| Extra Info: | A whole range of records and information. |
| 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, 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: | Monumental Inscriptions, Parish Records |
| Title: | Gwynedd Data from Ancestry |
| Link: | Gwynedd Data from Ancestry |
| Description: | Gwynedd Data Collection from Ancestry |
| Extra Info: | Includes Lleyn Hundred and Eifionydd Commot Churchyards. |
| 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: | 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, Marriages, Monumental Inscriptions, Parish Records |
| Title: | Parish Registers of Conway |
| Link: | Parish Registers of Conway |
| Description: | Parish Registers of Conway (Ancestry) |
| Extra Info: | Registers cover the period 1541-1793. |
If you know of any web sites for BMD data not listed here, please let us know via the Contact Us page.