Channel 4's guide to genealogy
Civil registration of births, marriages and deaths
From 1837, all births, deaths and marriages had to be registered officially by law. Prior to this, baptisms, marriages and burials were usually recorded in parish records.
A birth certificate contains the names of the child's parents, the father's job and the address where the child was born. A marriage certificate contains the maiden name of the wife, the ages of the couple, the names and jobs of the fathers, and where the couple lived at the time of the marriage. A death certificate contains details of when and where the person died, their age, occupation and cause of death. All good stuff for tracing the previous generation.
If your family is from England or Wales, you can check information from your relatives and fill in the gaps by visiting the Family Records Centre in London. The Family Records Centre is now the home of the research facilities previously provided at St Catherine's House in Aldwych and the Census Reading Rooms in Chancery Lane.
The Family Records Centre holds the following indexes:
- Births, marriages and deaths in England and Wales since 1837
- Legal adoptions in England and Wales since 1927
- Births, marriages and deaths of some British citizens abroad since the late 18th century, including deaths in the two world wars
- Census returns from 1841 to 1901.
The indexes for the civil registration of births, marriages and deaths – which began in England and Wales on 1 July 1837 – are organised alphabetically for each year in quarterly volumes to 1983, thereafter annually. They can be inspected free of charge, but don't tell the whole story. Each entry has a GRO (General Register Office) reference number, and this is used to order a copy of the complete certificate.
Microfiche copies of the indexes are also available at some local libraries and record offices. Microfilm copies of the indexes can be searched at Family History Centres of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Copies of the entries in the registers – that is, a copy of the actual birth, marriage or death certificate – cost £8.50 each, or £11.50 if you do not have the GRO reference. (Check the GRO website for any changes in fees.) Copies of certificates can also be obtained online for £7 each.
The objective of the Free BMD (Births, Marriages and Deaths) Project is to provide free internet access to the civil registration index information for England and Wales.
You can swap unwanted certificates through the UK BDM Exchange.
Boyd's Marriage Index is an index to English marriages taken from copies of parish marriage registers, Bishop's Transcripts and marriage licences, for the period 1538 to 1840 (when statutory registration began). It was principally the work of Percival Boyd, MA, FSA, FSG (1866-1955) and his staff. It was made at his expense between 1925 and 1955, and has since been expanded. Currently covering all English counties, though none completely, these records can be accessed, for a fee, at British Origins.
Scotland
Scotland has some of the most advanced search tools for genealogy. The Scottish Family History Centre – 'the world's first family history campus' – is scheduled to open in 2007. Online, Scotland's People is a partnership between the General Register Office for Scotland, the National Archive for Scotland and the Court of the Lord Lyon. Records in Scotland began in 1855 and birth certificates are available to 1904, marriages to 1929 and deaths to 1954. Old parish registers start in 1553. For £6, you receive 30 'page credits' valid for seven consecutive days.
Northern Ireland
The General Register Office (GRO) is responsible for the administration of marriage law and the provision of a system for the civil registration of births, deaths, marriages and adoptions in Northern Ireland. In 1845 legislation came into force which provided for the registration of civil marriages in Ireland and for the regulation of all non-Roman Catholic marriages. Further legislation, in 1864, provided for the inclusion of Roman Catholic marriages, together with birth and deaths. Second World War death indexes 1939-45 are also held. Records cannot be accessed over the internet, but can be ordered online.
Presbyterian church records are kept by the Presbyterian Historical Society.