Other Sources

Before 1837 there were no nation-wide schemes of registration so it is important to know the place in which a person lived. If you do not know this the International Genealogical Index ("IGI" or "Mormon Index") prepared by the Genealogical Society of Utah can be useful: it is an alphabetical index of names extracted from records which the Society has filmed, which indicates the parish and county in which each one occurs.

Parish registers of baptisms, marriages and burials in the Established Church generally begin between 1538 and 1598 and should continue to the present unbroken except for the period 1640-1660. The amount of information varies, ranging from full details of parents, place of residence and occupations to merely a name and date.

Bishop's transcripts are copies of all entries made in parish registers, and sent in annually to the bishop. They survive from the 17th century onwards and are particularly useful in cases where the original registers are lost or difficult to read.

Registers of non-conformist churches were sent to London in 1837 and copies on microfilm are available.

Marriage licence bonds and allegations: some marriages were by licence rather than by banns. The bonds and allegations (which are part of the licence process) can provide extra information on the parties to a marriage.

Monumental Inscriptions: gravestones are also useful in giving some detail on a person's family relationships. Many churchyards have been surveyed in this way.

Wills and probate records give valuable detail about a person's social status and family relationships. Letters of administration or "admons" were granted usually to a person's next of kin when he or she died without leaving a will and are rather less informative. Up to c.1760 inventories listing the testator's movable goods were often attached to the will.