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 |
| Title: | Cheshire County Data from Ancestry |
| Link: | Cheshire County Data from Ancestry |
| Description: | Cheshire County Data Collection from Ancestry |
| Extra Info: | Includes the registers of Chester Cathedral, 1687-1812 and other parish register extracts. |
| Classification: | Births, Burials / Cremations, Census, Marriages, Monumental Inscriptions, Parish Records, Wills / Probate |
| Title: | Chris Newhall's Family History |
| Link: | http://www.wildot.co.uk/famhist.htm |
| Description: | Chris Newhall's Family History |
| Extra Info: | Includes NEWHALL, BAILEY, BEECH, CATLEY and many other surnames. |
| Classification: | Baptisms, Burials / Cremations, Census, Marriages, Monumental Inscriptions, Parish Records, War Memorials & Other Memorials, Wills / Probate |
| Title: | Disley, Lyme Handley, Taxal & Whaley |
| Link: | http://www.disley.net/ |
| Description: | Disley, Lyme Handley, Taxal & Whaley |
| 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, Census, Monumental Inscriptions, Parish Records |
| Title: | Hurst and Surrounding District (Ashton-under-Lyne) |
| Link: | http://www.c5d.co.uk/hurstpages.php |
| Description: | Hurst and Surrounding District (Ashton-under-Lyne) |
| Extra Info: | Includes Queens Street memorial inscriptions and baptisms, also baptisms at Hooley Hill Methodist Chapel. |
| 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: | 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 |
| Title: | Parish of Nantwich or Wich-Malbank - A History of the Town and Parish |
| Link: | A History of the Town and Parish of Nantwich or Wich-Malbank |
| Description: | A History of the Town and Parish of Nantwich or Wich-Malbank by James Hall, 1883 |
| Extra Info: | Includes some baptism, marriage and burial entries for 1539-1649. |
| 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 Project for Cheshire |
| Link: | https://cprdb.csc.liv.ac.uk/ |
| Description: | Parish Register Project for Cheshire |
| Extra Info: | Check which parishes are covered so far under 'progress'. |
| Classification: | Baptisms, Burials / Cremations, Marriages, Parish Records |
| Title: | Parish Registers of Bebbington, Cheshire |
| Link: | http://archive.org/details/parishregisters00pargoo... |
| Description: | Parish Registers of Bebbington, Cheshire |
| Extra Info: | Online book. Registers 1558-1701. |
| Classification: | Marriages, Parish Records |
| Title: | Parish Registers of Cheshire - Phillimore (5) |
| Link: | http://archive.org/details/cheshireparishre05phil |
| Description: | Parish Registers of Cheshire - Phillimore - Marriages Vol 5 |
| Extra Info: | Online book. Marriages. Alderley 1629-1837, Bosley 1729-1750, Capesthorne 1722-1747, Chelford 1674-1752, Marton 1563-1769, Poynton-cum-Worth 1723-1753, Siddington 1722-1783, Pott Shrigley 1685-1751. |
| Classification: | Baptisms, Burials / Cremations, Marriages, Parish Records |
| Title: | Parish Registers of Chester - Bruera Church, Cheshire |
| Link: | http://archive.org/details/registerofbruera00brue |
| Description: | Parish Registers of Bruera Church, formerly in the Parish of St. Oswald, Chester, Cheshire |
| Extra Info: | Online book. Parish Registers 1662-1812. |
| Classification: | Baptisms, Bishops Transcripts, Burials / Cremations, Marriages, Monumental Inscriptions, Parish Records |
| Title: | Parish Registers of Chester - St. Mary-on-the-Hill |
| Link: | http://archive.org/details/historyofchurchp00earw |
| Description: | Parish Registers of St. Mary-on-the-Hill, Chester - A History of the Church and Parish |
| Extra Info: | Online book. Registers from 1601-1812, the transcription of the early register of St Mary's is taken from the Bishop's transcripts |
| Classification: | Baptisms, Burials / Cremations, Marriages, Parish Records |
| Title: | Parish Registers of Chester Cathedral |
| Link: | Parish Registers of Chester Cathedral |
| Description: | Parish Registers of Chester Cathedral (Ancestry) |
| Extra Info: | Parish Registers 1687-1812. |
| Classification: | Baptisms, Burials / Cremations, Marriages, Parish Records |
| Title: | Parish Registers of Chester Cathedral, Cheshire |
| Link: | https://archive.org/details/publications54pari |
| Description: | Parish Registers of Chester Cathedral, Cheshire |
| Extra Info: | Online book. Parish Registers 1687-1812. |
| Classification: | Marriages, Parish Records |
| Title: | Parish Registers of Kelsall, Cheshire |
| Link: | https://web.archive.org/web/20160811081914/http://... |
| Description: | Parish Registers of Kelsall, and Other Records |
| Extra Info: | This is an archived copy of a site which is no longer live. The marriage information is still accessible. |
| Classification: | Baptisms, Burials / Cremations, Marriages, Parish Records |
| Title: | Parish Registers of Stockport - St Mary, Cheshire |
| Link: | http://archive.org/details/parishregisterso01stma |
| Description: | Parish Registers of Stockport - St Mary, Cheshire |
| Extra Info: | Online book. Parish Registers 1584-1620. |
| Classification: | Baptisms, Burials / Cremations, Marriages, Parish Records |
| Title: | Parish Registers of Upton in Overchurch, Cheshire |
| Link: | http://archive.org/details/registersofupton33upto |
| Description: | Parish Registers of Upton in Overchurch, Cheshire |
| Extra Info: | Online book. Parish Registers 1600-1812. |
| Classification: | Baptisms, Census, Marriages, Parish Records |
| Title: | Romany References and Records |
| Link: | http://web.archive.org/web/20091026134802/http://g... |
| Description: | Romany References and Records |
| Extra Info: | This is an archived copy of a site that is no longer active, although most information still seems to be available. |
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