Berkshire Archives and Libraries
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- Archives collect and preserve original documents of organizations such as churches or governments. Libraries generally collect published sources such as books, maps, and microfilm.
- If you plan to visit a repository, contact them and ask for information about their collection, hours, services, and fees. Ask if they require you to have a reader’s ticket (a paper indicating you are a responsible researcher) to view the records, and ask how to obtain one.
- Although the records you need may be in an archive or library, the FamilySearch Library may have microfilmed and/or digitized copies of them.
Museums and Collections - University of Reading
- A website giving you access to a variety of collections held by museums, archives and libraries.]
Archives[edit | edit source]
Berkshire Record Office
9 Coley Avenue
Reading, Berkshire RG1 6AF UK
Telephone: +44 (0) 118 937 5132
Contact: Online Form
Website
Catalogue
Parish Registers and Other Records
- "There are around 200 ancient parishes in Berkshire: we hold the registers for all but one. Taken together with around 100 Victorian or later parishes, if you have Berkshire ancestors, you may be able to discover nearly 500 years of family history.
- The English parish church was a key secular institution until the Victorian period. It was responsible for poor relief, running local charities, and even local roads and law enforcement. As a result, the 'parish chest' contains a lot more than just the registers. A small number of other parish records are listed on our online catalogue, but the majority are not, so please do Contact Us if you are interested in other parish records.[1]
Libraries[edit | edit source]
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Bracknell Library Eton College Reading Central Library |
Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Wokingham Libraries |
Museums[edit | edit source]
- For a long list of Berkshire museums, go to List of museums in Berkshire in Wikipedia.
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Maidenhead Heritage Centre Museum of English Rural Life Reading Museum |
West Berkshire Heritage Service - Newbury Windsor and Royal Borough Museum |
Civil Records Offices[edit | edit source]
Sometimes research might be required to determine where a town or parish was in a former registration district, or even its current district. For a list of the historic and current registration districts in Berkshire and their parishes, see UKBMD: Registration Districts in Berkshire.
The General Register Office holds a central copy of all birth, marriage, and death registrations in England. These certificates can be ordered from their website: General Register Office (a login is required but it is free to register and search).
However, in some cases research can be more efficient working with the smaller, more specific records collections of county/district registry offices.
Registry Offices[edit | edit source]
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Bracknell Forest Registry Office Reading Registry Office |
Slough Registry Office West Berkshire Registry Office |
Windsor & Maidenhead Registry Office] Wokingham Registry Office |
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- ↑ "Parish Registers and Other Records", at Berkshire Record Office, https://www.berkshirerecordoffice.org.uk/family-history/parish-registers-and-other-records, accessed 14 February 2023.