Civil Registration Records

Civil registration began in England (and Wales) on 1 July 1837. From this date onward every birth, marriage and death should have been recorded. However, compliance in the early years of civil registration was not 100%, particularly in the period up to 1875. Even after 1875, there are events that went unrecorded. Despite this, civil registration records are among the most informative genealogical resources that a researcher has available to them in England and Wales and are often critical in determining who our ancestors were.

Birth Records

Birth entries recorded the date and place of birth. In addition, the parents' names are recorded including, importantly, the maiden name of the mother. It is also important to note the name of the informant, especially if it was not one of the parents. This is sometimes a family member. Of the three types of civil registration records (birth, marriages and deaths), births went unrecorded the most, particularly in the first couple of decades up to about 1860.

Example of an English Birth Certificate

Marriage Records

Marriage entries recorded the date and place of marriage. Information included the ages of the two parties, their residences, marital status, occupations, fathers, and even their fathers' occupations. Civil copies of marriage entries are duplicates of original church entries. Thus, since it was the duty of the minister to forward copies of all of the marriages he performed, the vast majority have been recorded at the civil level, even in the early years of civil registration. However, always be sure to check the original church record since there are often discrepancies between the civil and ecclesiastical copies of the same record. Clerical errors happen! We blogged about this recently.

Example of an English Marriage Certificate

Death Records

Death entries recorded the date and place of death. Information included the cause of death and age at death. As with birth records, it is important to note who the informant was, since it was often a family member. Death records for women often indicated their marital status if widowed and sometimes the name of their current or deceased husband. The large majority of deaths were recorded with the authorities. This is because burials from 1837 onward were not permitted until evidence had been provided that the death had been registered.

Example of an English Death Certificate

Civil Registration Resources

There are resources available online for those who wish to study their ancestors in civil registration records. The FreeBMD project now contains transcriptions of civil registration indexes covering the years from 1837 to 1929, and some beyond this date. The vast majority of civil registration entries up until 1929 have now been indexed. A full transcription of civil registration indexes for the period 1916-2005 is now available through an online subscription website. This relatively new resource will prove invaluable to those who are trying to trace families forward in time.

When searching for your ancestors in these records it is also important to fully understand the jurisdictions within the framework of civil registration. Fortunately, there is an index online at the GENUKI website, here, that enables the researcher to determine in which district their ancestor should have been born and registered in. If your ancestor was John Smith, and he was born in London in 1850, you’re going to want to know how to determine which of the many men with that name was your ancestor!

One further set of civil registration records covers births, marriages and death that occurred outside of England and Wales. Perhaps the most important is the set of events recorded that related to British subjects overseas and registered with British consulates from 1849. Births and deaths at sea have also been recorded since 1837. Furthermore, it is important to consider that some events may have been recorded in the registers of armed forces. Some of these records date to as early as 1761. These resources have been largely indexed and are available in electronic form online at subscription websites.

Civil Registration Databases

The list below represents many of the important online resources available for those using civil registration records. Please do check back on a regular basis as we update this list. Also, check out our ProGenealogists British Sleuth page, which covers many aspects of British genealogy.

• FreeBMD Project – Births
• FreeBMD Project – Marriages
• FreeBMD Project – Deaths
• England and Wales, Birth Index: 1916-2005 $
• England and Wales, Marriage Index: 1916-2005 $
• England and Wales, Death Index: 1916-2005 $
• Births Overseas, 1761-1994 $
• Births At Sea, 1854-1887 $
• Marriages Overseas, 1761-1994 $
• Deaths Overseas, 1761-1994 $
• Deaths at Sea, 1854-1890 $
• Bath BMD
• Berkshire BMD
• Cheshire BMD
• Lancashire BMD
• Staffordshire BMD
• West Midlands BMD
• Wiltshire BMD
• Yorkshire BMD

ProGenealogists Can Help!

If you have reached a crossroads in your research, and you feel you need professional assistance, ProGenealogists is here to help. We have immediate access to all of the important English genealogy resources discussed above. Please feel free to ask us for a free estimate. We research English families on a regular basis and we’d be excited to help you identify new ancestors!