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, Marriages, One Name Study, Parish Records |
| Title: | ADDYMAN One Name Study |
| Link: | https://ons.addyman.homeip.net/ |
| Description: | ADDYMAN One Name Study |
| 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: | Burials / Cremations, Deaths, Marriages, Monumental Inscriptions, One Name Study, Parish Records, Wills / Probate |
| Title: | BOLSTRIDGE One Name Study |
| Link: | http://www.bolstridge.co.uk/genealogy/index.php |
| Description: | BOLSTRIDGE One Name Study |
| Extra Info: | Use sources to search for types of information such as burials. |
| Classification: | Baptisms, Births, Deaths, Marriages, One Name Study, Parish Records |
| Title: | CREE One Name Study |
| Link: | http://www.cree.name/ |
| Description: | CREE One Name Study |
| Classification: | Baptisms, Births, Burials / Cremations, Census, Deaths, Marriages, Monumental Inscriptions, One Name Study, Parish Records, Wills / Probate |
| Title: | DUGMORE's of the Past |
| Link: | http://www.ancestorsofbirmingham.com/dugmore/dugmo... |
| Description: | DUGMORE's of the Past |
| Extra Info: | DUGMORE's family name, mainly concentrated in the Midlands area. |
| 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: | Baptisms, Births, Burials / Cremations, Census, Deaths, Marriages, One Name Study, Parish Records |
| Title: | HAWGOOD One Name Study |
| Link: | http://www.hawgood.co.uk/Ons/ |
| Description: | HAWGOOD One Name Study |
| 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: | Baptisms, Burials / Cremations, Census, Marriages, One Name Study, Parish Records |
| Title: | JONES History Website of the UK |
| Link: | https://joneshistory.com/ |
| Description: | The Jones History Website of the UK |
| 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, Parish Records |
| Title: | Parish Registers of Stackpole, St. Petrox, Bosherston, St. Twynnells, Pembrokeshire |
| Link: | http://www.jhrtr.plus.com/registers/registers/regi... |
| Description: | Parish Registers of Stackpole, St. Petrox, Bosherston, St. Twynnells |
| Extra Info: | Up to 2000. |
| Classification: | Baptisms, Births, Burials / Cremations, Deaths, Marriages, Monumental Inscriptions, One Name Study, Parish Records, Wills / Probate |
| Title: | POWDITCH Family History |
| Link: | http://www.powditch.plus.com/ |
| Description: | POWDITCH Family History |
| Extra Info: | Mainly in Norfolk. Scroll down the homepage. |
| Classification: | Baptisms, Births, Burials / Cremations, Census, Deaths, Marriages, One Name Study, Parish Records |
| Title: | POWIS Surname and variants One-name Study |
| Link: | http://www.4trudy.co.uk/ |
| Description: | POWIS Surname and variants One-name Study |
| 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. |
| Classification: | Baptisms, Births, Burials / Cremations, Census, Deaths, Marriages, Monumental Inscriptions, One Name Study, Parish Records, Wills / Probate |
| Title: | STERRY One Name Study |
| Link: | https://www.sterryworldwide.com/ |
| Description: | STERRY One Name Study |
| Extra Info: | Includes extracts from civil registration, parish records and marriage licences. |
| Classification: | Baptisms, Burials / Cremations, Census, Marriages, One Name Study, Parish Records, War Memorials & Other Memorials, Wills / Probate |
| Title: | WESTAWAY One Name Study |
| Link: | https://web.archive.org/web/20210903002103/http://... |
| Description: | WESTAWAY One Name Study |
| Extra Info: | An archived copy of a site that is no longer active. Most information is still available to view. |
| Classification: | Baptisms, Births, Burials / Cremations, Census, Deaths, Marriages, One Name Study, Parish Records, Wills / Probate |
| Title: | YEO One Name Study |
| Link: | https://yeoonline.net/ |
| Description: | YEO One Name Study |
If you know of any web sites for BMD data not listed here, please let us know via the Contact Us page.