Bermuda Colonial Records

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Bermuda

Colonial Records

British Colonization (1609-currently)

The Islands of Bermuda were discovered in 1609 when a British ship was driven onto the island during a severe storm. The ship's crew stayed for ten months, establishing a settlement. The group of islands were claimed for the English Crown, and the charter of the Virginia Company was later extended to include them. Although Bermuda is self-governed, the country is considered a British Overseas Territory and are under the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom for defense and foreign relations.

Record collection	Years covered	Record type	Language	Who is in the records
The Prerogative Court of Canterbury (PCC), 1384-1858	1621-1858	Wills	English	Until 1858, all wills had to be proved by the church and other courts. Most of the individuals in these records were relatively wealthy.
British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms, COUNTRY at FindMyPast - index and images ($)	1898-1915	Births and baptisms	English	Children born to those working within the armed forces, merchant navy, and consular forces, as well as, civilian ship passengers.
British Civil Service Evidence Of Age at FindMyPast - index ($)	1833-1923	Civil Service applications and paperwork	English	Individuals who worked for, or applied to join, the British Civil Service.
UK, Foreign and Overseas Registers of British Subjects, 1628-1969, COUNTRY at Ancestry - index ($)	1870	Birth, baptism, marriage, death, and burial records	English	Records in this collection come from a variety of sources. Events include both British and non-British nationals
Bermuda customs records : 1780-1864	1780-1864	Shipping records	English	This collection lists ships that arrived in Bermuda, including what they transported.
Census of Bermuda, 1788-1789	1788-1789	Census	English	Freeholders, or people who owned property
Ireland Island, Bermuda, church records, 1826-1946 (ADM 6/434-436) and Boaz Island garrison baptisms, 1903-1911, 1918 (ADM 6/439)	1826-1946	Church records	English	Anglican Bermudians
Bermuda police records : 1839-1908	1839-908	Police records	English	While this collection will be very useful if your ancestor was a criminal, it will also contain anyone that needed to petition the police
Court records, 1694-1897	1694-1897	Court records	English	This collection contains records from the Court of Assizes. The people that had to go to this court were involved in the most serious criminal and civil cases
Court records, 1728-1841	1728-1841	Court records	English	This collection contains records from the Chancery Court. The Chancery Court hears cases that cannot be resolved under English common law. These cases usually involved business and property disputes, and therefore, contain more of the general public than those that were involved in criminal cases
Court records, 1790-1915	1790-1915	Court records	English	This collection contains records from the Court of quarter sessions. These quarter sessions were typically held four times a year at the local level
General register of freeholders, 1868-1941	1868-1941	Land records	English	Property owners in Bermuda
Public records, 1612-1937	1612-1937	Many different types	English	This collection has a variety of records from land deeds to manumissions to court records; if you had any ancestors in Bermuda it is worth a look
Wills, inventories and administrations, 1640-1954	1650-1954	Probate records	English	People who left a will or had any kind of estate
Slave registry, 1821-1834	1821-1834	Slave registry	English	Lists enslaved peoples by slave owner for the years 1821 and 1827-1834
Bermuda, Passenger and Crew Manifests, 1957-1969 at Ancestry - index and images ($)	1957-1969	Ship manifests	English	People who arrived in Bermuda on a ship between 1957 and 1969
Bermuda National Library - Digital Collection	1906-1995	Newspapers	Englsih	Bermudians

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