Parish records--primarily births, baptisms, marriages, and burials--provide the best source of vital record information in the centuries before civil registration. This collection includes parish records and similar sources in the United Kingdom approximately 1538 to 1837. The records include baptisms, burials, marriages, tombstone inscriptions, obituaries, wills, and other miscellaneous types of records.

What should I know about this product to access the data? Some of the records may be in Latin or even a Welsh or Scottish dialect depending on location. The spelling is archaic, and is transcribed as it was written. There are many spelling inconsistencies and non-standard grammar.

This database may not include all dates and records for each parish/church. Use caution in assuming that any database is a complete set of records-even for the counties and time period listed.

Due to the legibility of the original sources, there may be gaps in the records, including partial sentences, cut-off words, and other omissions.

Because of the nature of the records, and the fact that the records were originally compiled by a third party, it is difficult to absolutely verify the completeness and validity of the data. The information you find in this product is as correct as it was when Ancestry.com received it, and has merely been reproduced in an electronic format.

What historical background should I know to use this data? In the late 16th century, through a series or mandates, clergy were required to compile bound volumes of parish records such as baptisms, births, marriages, and burials. Many of these parish registries have since been transcribed and collected by genealogical societies. These records can be valuable sources for finding vital information of people of the time.

Civil registration of births, deaths, and marriage, often called General Registration, began in July of 1837, providing a national vital records index superseding church records.

Once an ancestor is found, search surrounding locations for family members that often lived near each other in this time period.

How do I find copies of the originals? These records are a finding aid that helps you locate an ancestor in time and place in history. With a location and an approximate date, the microfilm number of pertinent corroborating records can often be found on the LDS Church's FamilySearch site (www.familysearch.org) in the Family History Library Catalogue. These, and other microfilms and microfiche of original parish records, may often be found in the relevant County Record Office in the UK.

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