1837.co.uk - A Guide to Tracing your Family History
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Public Records

Despite the scale of genealogical material now available on the Internet, this still represents only a fraction of the totality. Ultimately, if you want to pursue genealogy and family history to the next level of detail and precision, you are going to have to look at original records.

History in your hands

Britain has an extraordinary depth and breadth of public records. Depending on their nature, these may be available on microfilm or microfiches, or on the Internet (see Using the Internet). Alternatively, you may have to seek out the original archives, such as parish registers - wonderful historic documents, hand-written in copperplate script, and redolent of the past.

Births, marriages and deaths

For family history, the most important documents are the records of births, marriages and deaths. Thst is where 1837 comes in. This is the date that the formal 'civil registration' of births, deaths and marriages began in England and Wales. Before 1837, baptisms, marriages and deaths were recorded in parish registers; some of these go back to the 16th century. (It is hard to trace back family history beyond this - unless you belong to a well-documented line of nobility or royalty.)

A similar system of civil registration was inaugurated in Scotland in 1855. In Ireland the records are more patchy, because much of the national archive was destroyed during the Civil War in 1922.

Such civil records will help you to fix the precise details (if not always 100% accurate) about your ancestors: dates, occupations, where they lived - the bare bones of their histories, if not much else. You can consult the indexes to births, deaths and marriages and order photocopies of the certificates; for English and Welsh records, you can do this through the Family Records Centre in London, by going in person or via the Internet (www.familyrecords.gov.uk). A large proportion of the indexes for England and Wales has been transcribed, and are accessible through www.freebmd.org.uk.

National censuses

You can get further details of your ancestors from the census returns. A national census has taken place in Britain every decade since 1801 (except 1941). Census returns provide a fascinating snapshot of households, the names and ages of the residents, the relationships between them, their occupations and where they were born.

The census returns are released to the public after a century has elapsed. The 1901 census can now be consulted (for a fee) on www.1901census.nationalarchives.gov.uk. You can see census returns for 1851 through to 1901 on microfilm at Country Records Offices, or, for a modest fee, you can download them from licensed websites; some of these records have also been transcribed into print.

Other archives and records

There are many other forms of records beyond this, any of which could help you to fill in vital gaps in your knowledge (military records, wills, tax records, company records, electoral rolls, overseas civil records, and so on). Most of these cannot be seen on the Internet, but you can find out where they are located by using websites such as:

Another useful source for all those many families who lost relatives in the two world wars is the Commonwealth War Graves Commission: www.cwgc.org