Civil Registration

England

Contents

• Civil Registration of births, marriages and deaths (known as "Vital Records" in some countries) started on 1 July 1837 for England and Wales. For further information see Civil Registration in England and Wales.

• Indexes to these records are no longer available at the Family Records Centre. For an overview of where they can be seen, see the GRO page "Where can I access GRO indexes?" or the more detailed list "Holders of the GRO Indexes". See also TNA Domestic Records Information 11.

• Mike Wheatley has provided a mapping of the reference numbers in the registers to registration districts

• An alternative (and cheaper) method of obtaining information is via the local District Register Offices. A description of how to do this is available along with the location of the local offices.

• The Registration Districts appropriate to particular towns have been listed on a county basis.

• Barbara Dixon has produced a very comprehensive description of birth, marriage and death certificates and each field to be found on them.
  
  
• Mike Foster and helpers have transcribed part of the St Catherine's House (General Register Office) Marriage Index for 1849 and 1856.

• FreeBMD is an ambitious project to make the G.R.O. (formerly St Catherine's) birth, marriage and death indexes available online. Thanks to an enthusiastic band of 5000+ transcribers, the searchable database now (August 2003) has more than 62,000,000 entries and is adding an amazing 85,000 new entries per day!

• Guidance on the Copying of Birth, Death and Marriage Certificates from H.M.S.O.

Return to top of page