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''See [[Church of England Parish Registers]], [[England Nonconformist Church Records]].''
''See [[Church of England Parish Registers]], [[England Nonconformist Church Records]].''
==Types of Records==
===Baptisms===
Baptism records usually contain:
*Child's given name
*Father's given name, and from 1813 his occupation and residence/address
*Mother's name, and (rarely) her maiden surname
*Baptism date, and occasionally birth date, which can sometimes be several years before the baptism.
It is worth mentioning that it was common practice in families to use the same Christian name over and over again until a child survived with it. This means that individuals need to try and capture all of the family members listed watching for deaths and that same name being given to the next child of the same sex.
<gallery perrow="1" heights="120px" widths="160px" caption="Baptism Record Example">
File:England Church of England Parish Register Christening.jpg|Christening Register 
</gallery>
===Marriages===
Typically, the English married in their 20's. You may find records that show a couple’s “intent to marry” in addition to the records of the actual marriage. Sometimes, however, the couple registered their intent to marry but never married. Church of England parish register marriage records usually contain:
*Marriage date 
*Name of the bride and groom
After 1753, the records are more likely to show: 
*Residence of the bride and groom 
*Marital status of bride and groom 
*May list the dates that the marriage was announced (also called “banns published”). This normally took place on three separate occasions prior to the marriage and gave anyone with a valid reason a chance to object to the marriage.
*After 1753, a form was used for parish registers
*After 1753, whether marriage was by banns or license
*After 1753, the full names of usually two witnesses 
*After 1753, the minister's name
After 30 June 1837, marriage records also include:
*Age of the bride and groom 
*Name and occupation of fathers of bride and groom 
There were two ways to meet the requirements to marry, see [[Marriage Allegations, Bonds and Licences in England and Wales]]
#By Banns. A law required couples to have the minister announce or post notice of their intent to marry for three consecutive Sundays, unless they obtained a license. This gave others the opportunity to object to the marriage. Beginning in 1754, officials recorded banns in separate registers. Banns registers contain information almost identical to marriage registers, but banns usually do not list the witnesses or marriage date.
#By License. A couple applied to the proper church authority, usually the bishop, for a license when:
#*Circumstances made it desirable to marry without waiting the three weeks required for the proclamation of banns.
#*The bride and groom lived in different dioceses.
#*A couple preferred not to subject themselves to publication of banns (common among upper classes and nonconformists).
<gallery perrow="3" heights="120px" widths="160px" caption="Marriage Record Examples">
File:England Church of England Parish Register Marriage Before 1754.jpg|Marriage before 1754 and Banns after 1754
File:England Church of England Parish Register Marriage 1747 to 1837.jpg|1754-1837 Marriage Record
File:England Church of England Parish Register Marriage after 1837.jpg|Marriage after 1837
</gallery>
===Burials===
A burial usually took place in the deceased’s parish a few days after the death. Church of England parish register burial records usually contain:
*Burial date 
*Name of the deceased. 
*If the deceased is a child, the father’s name might be given. 
*If the deceased is a married woman, the husband’s name might be given
*If the deceased is a widow, that may be noted. 
*May give the sex of the deceased
The forms introduced in 1813 also called for:
*Age of the deceased
*Residence of the deceased 
*Occupation of the deceased
*Minister's signature
Burial registers may mention infant children who were not christened, including stillbirths. Christening records never record stillbirths.
<gallery perrow="1" heights="120px" widths="160px" caption="Burial Record Example">
File:England Church of England Parish Register Burial.jpg|Burial Register
</gallery>
===Bishop's Transcripts===
Beginning in 1598, ministers were required to send copies of their registers to an archdeacon or bishop annually. These copies are referred to as bishops’ transcripts, or sometimes archdeacon transcripts. As a result, two copies of many parish registers exist from 1598 to about the mid-1800s. After civil registration began in 1837, the value of keeping bishops’ transcripts diminished, so by 1870 most parishes had stopped making them.
Bishop's transcripts should be an exact copy of the parish register but they often are not.  This may be because:
*The minister was saving time and space by abbreviating entries when copying them.
*The minister may have added ''more'' detail to an entry when he copied it into the BTs.
*BT's were on separate pieces of parchment and some may have been lost over the years.
*BT's may survive where the parish registers do not.
*Entries may have been accidently skipped or mis-transcribed when the record was copied for the BT's.
Many bishop’s transcripts are on film at the Family History Library, listed in the Place Search of the FamilySearch Catalogue under:
England, [county name], [parish name] - Church records <br>
Most films contain all the years for one parish on one film. However, some are arranged by deanery and year. Those arranged by year and then by deanery are listed in the Place Search of the FamilySearch Catalogue under:
England, [county name] - Church records
===Parish Chest Records===
[[Image:The Parish Chest.jpg|thumb|right|250px|<center>The Parish Chest<center>]] Church records were kept in a chest (or strongbox) known as the parish chest. Because the Church of England was ordered by the Crown to keep records on all their congregants, any recorded business other than the christenings, marriages and burials of the parishioners was kept in this chest and are known as "parish chest records." Some of these records still exist from the 16th century, but many do not begin until the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century. Many parish chest records are available at county record offices.
These records may include:
*Vestry (parish presiding council) minutes which can mention appointments of parish officers, parish newcomers, etc.
*Poor law records containing information regarding the care of the poor including payments made to the poor, bastardy bonds, taxes assessed to meet welfare needs, and possibly include the names of the "Overseers of the Poor" along with minutes, accounts, rates, and workhouse accounts.
::{{details3|[[England and Wales Poor Law Records Pre-1834]] and [[England and Wales Poor Law Records 1834-1948]]|poor law records}}
*Churchwardens who were responsible to the bishop or magistrate to present any wrongdoings at quarter sessions, including failure to provide for the poor, failure to attend church, drunkenness, or other undesirable behaviour.
*Settlement and removal records which relate to a person's legal place of settlement as determined by a set of rules. These records include responsibility for the care of old-age family members; as well as, the orders directing the constable to remove (transport) the family back to the parish where their petition for welfare settlement originated.
::Read more in the [[Settlement_Examinations_in_England_and_Wales|Settlement and Removal Records]] article.
*Apprenticeship records often list the apprentice’s father, his master, the length of the apprenticeship, and the occupation. A child’s father often arranged the apprenticeship, but the parish "put out" many pauper children, since it was cheaper to pay for an apprenticeship than to raise a child. The child’s name may also be in vestry minutes when the vestry decided to put the child out as an apprentice. You may also find apprenticeships in other sources.
::Read more in the  [[England Occupations|Occupations]]  article.
*Militia certificates
*Detailed information on individuals and families
<br>
For further information on parish chest material, see:
*The Parish Chest lesson series [https://www.familysearch.org/help/helpcenter/lessons/the-parish-chest-part-1 Part 1], [https://www.familysearch.org/help/helpcenter/lessons/the-parish-chest-part-2 Part 2], [https://www.familysearch.org/help/helpcenter/lessons/the-parish-chest-part-3 Part 3]
*{{cite web |author=Tate, William Edward |date=1969 | title={{google books|vhQ9AAAAIAAJ|The parish chest: a study of the records of parochial administration in England}} |publisher=Cambridge University Press |accessdate=17 March 2012 }}
===Rectors and Vicars===
List of rectors, vicars, canons, deans, archdeacons, bishops, and others roles, with their years and locations where they served, extracted from alumni records of Oxford and Cambridge Universities and other sources: https://www.ourfamtree.org/records/religion.php


==Accessing England Church Records==
==Accessing England Church Records==
*'''1704-1848''' {{RecordSearch|4453925|Gibraltar, Church Records, 1704-1848}} at FamilySearch - [[Gibraltar,_Church_Records_-_FamilySearch_Historical_Records|How to Use this Collection]]; index & images
===Accessing Records===
===Accessing Records===
The first step is to find out which records survive for the parish you are researching. The following places are useful for this:   
The first step is to find out which records survive for the parish you are researching. The following places are useful for this:   
Line 614: Line 489:


Parish maps can help you determine which parish to search. Maps will reveal neighboring parishes to search if your ancestor is not listed in the parish where you expected him or her to be. See [[England Maps|England Maps]] for more information.
Parish maps can help you determine which parish to search. Maps will reveal neighboring parishes to search if your ancestor is not listed in the parish where you expected him or her to be. See [[England Maps|England Maps]] for more information.
==Types of Records==
===Baptisms===
Baptism records usually contain:
*Child's given name
*Father's given name, and from 1813 his occupation and residence/address
*Mother's name, and (rarely) her maiden surname
*Baptism date, and occasionally birth date, which can sometimes be several years before the baptism.
It is worth mentioning that it was common practice in families to use the same Christian name over and over again until a child survived with it. This means that individuals need to try and capture all of the family members listed watching for deaths and that same name being given to the next child of the same sex.
<gallery perrow="1" heights="120px" widths="160px" caption="Baptism Record Example">
File:England Church of England Parish Register Christening.jpg|Christening Register 
</gallery>
===Marriages===
Typically, the English married in their 20's. You may find records that show a couple’s “intent to marry” in addition to the records of the actual marriage. Sometimes, however, the couple registered their intent to marry but never married. Church of England parish register marriage records usually contain:
*Marriage date 
*Name of the bride and groom
After 1753, the records are more likely to show: 
*Residence of the bride and groom 
*Marital status of bride and groom 
*May list the dates that the marriage was announced (also called “banns published”). This normally took place on three separate occasions prior to the marriage and gave anyone with a valid reason a chance to object to the marriage.
*After 1753, a form was used for parish registers
*After 1753, whether marriage was by banns or license
*After 1753, the full names of usually two witnesses 
*After 1753, the minister's name
After 30 June 1837, marriage records also include:
*Age of the bride and groom 
*Name and occupation of fathers of bride and groom 
There were two ways to meet the requirements to marry, see [[Marriage Allegations, Bonds and Licences in England and Wales]]
#By Banns. A law required couples to have the minister announce or post notice of their intent to marry for three consecutive Sundays, unless they obtained a license. This gave others the opportunity to object to the marriage. Beginning in 1754, officials recorded banns in separate registers. Banns registers contain information almost identical to marriage registers, but banns usually do not list the witnesses or marriage date.
#By License. A couple applied to the proper church authority, usually the bishop, for a license when:
#*Circumstances made it desirable to marry without waiting the three weeks required for the proclamation of banns.
#*The bride and groom lived in different dioceses.
#*A couple preferred not to subject themselves to publication of banns (common among upper classes and nonconformists).
<gallery perrow="3" heights="120px" widths="160px" caption="Marriage Record Examples">
File:England Church of England Parish Register Marriage Before 1754.jpg|Marriage before 1754 and Banns after 1754
File:England Church of England Parish Register Marriage 1747 to 1837.jpg|1754-1837 Marriage Record
File:England Church of England Parish Register Marriage after 1837.jpg|Marriage after 1837
</gallery>
===Burials===
A burial usually took place in the deceased’s parish a few days after the death. Church of England parish register burial records usually contain:
*Burial date 
*Name of the deceased. 
*If the deceased is a child, the father’s name might be given. 
*If the deceased is a married woman, the husband’s name might be given
*If the deceased is a widow, that may be noted. 
*May give the sex of the deceased
The forms introduced in 1813 also called for:
*Age of the deceased
*Residence of the deceased 
*Occupation of the deceased
*Minister's signature
Burial registers may mention infant children who were not christened, including stillbirths. Christening records never record stillbirths.
<gallery perrow="1" heights="120px" widths="160px" caption="Burial Record Example">
File:England Church of England Parish Register Burial.jpg|Burial Register
</gallery>
===Bishop's Transcripts===
Beginning in 1598, ministers were required to send copies of their registers to an archdeacon or bishop annually. These copies are referred to as bishops’ transcripts, or sometimes archdeacon transcripts. As a result, two copies of many parish registers exist from 1598 to about the mid-1800s. After civil registration began in 1837, the value of keeping bishops’ transcripts diminished, so by 1870 most parishes had stopped making them.
Bishop's transcripts should be an exact copy of the parish register but they often are not.  This may be because:
*The minister was saving time and space by abbreviating entries when copying them.
*The minister may have added ''more'' detail to an entry when he copied it into the BTs.
*BT's were on separate pieces of parchment and some may have been lost over the years.
*BT's may survive where the parish registers do not.
*Entries may have been accidently skipped or mis-transcribed when the record was copied for the BT's.
Many bishop’s transcripts are on film at the Family History Library, listed in the Place Search of the FamilySearch Catalogue under:
England, [county name], [parish name] - Church records <br>
Most films contain all the years for one parish on one film. However, some are arranged by deanery and year. Those arranged by year and then by deanery are listed in the Place Search of the FamilySearch Catalogue under:
England, [county name] - Church records
===Parish Chest Records===
[[Image:The Parish Chest.jpg|thumb|right|250px|<center>The Parish Chest<center>]] Church records were kept in a chest (or strongbox) known as the parish chest. Because the Church of England was ordered by the Crown to keep records on all their congregants, any recorded business other than the christenings, marriages and burials of the parishioners was kept in this chest and are known as "parish chest records." Some of these records still exist from the 16th century, but many do not begin until the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century. Many parish chest records are available at county record offices.
These records may include:
*Vestry (parish presiding council) minutes which can mention appointments of parish officers, parish newcomers, etc.
*Poor law records containing information regarding the care of the poor including payments made to the poor, bastardy bonds, taxes assessed to meet welfare needs, and possibly include the names of the "Overseers of the Poor" along with minutes, accounts, rates, and workhouse accounts.
::{{details3|[[England and Wales Poor Law Records Pre-1834]] and [[England and Wales Poor Law Records 1834-1948]]|poor law records}}
*Churchwardens who were responsible to the bishop or magistrate to present any wrongdoings at quarter sessions, including failure to provide for the poor, failure to attend church, drunkenness, or other undesirable behaviour.
*Settlement and removal records which relate to a person's legal place of settlement as determined by a set of rules. These records include responsibility for the care of old-age family members; as well as, the orders directing the constable to remove (transport) the family back to the parish where their petition for welfare settlement originated.
::Read more in the [[Settlement_Examinations_in_England_and_Wales|Settlement and Removal Records]] article.
*Apprenticeship records often list the apprentice’s father, his master, the length of the apprenticeship, and the occupation. A child’s father often arranged the apprenticeship, but the parish "put out" many pauper children, since it was cheaper to pay for an apprenticeship than to raise a child. The child’s name may also be in vestry minutes when the vestry decided to put the child out as an apprentice. You may also find apprenticeships in other sources.
::Read more in the  [[England Occupations|Occupations]]  article.
*Militia certificates
*Detailed information on individuals and families
<br>
For further information on parish chest material, see:
*The Parish Chest lesson series [https://www.familysearch.org/help/helpcenter/lessons/the-parish-chest-part-1 Part 1], [https://www.familysearch.org/help/helpcenter/lessons/the-parish-chest-part-2 Part 2], [https://www.familysearch.org/help/helpcenter/lessons/the-parish-chest-part-3 Part 3]
*{{cite web |author=Tate, William Edward |date=1969 | title={{google books|vhQ9AAAAIAAJ|The parish chest: a study of the records of parochial administration in England}} |publisher=Cambridge University Press |accessdate=17 March 2012 }}
===Rectors and Vicars===
List of rectors, vicars, canons, deans, archdeacons, bishops, and others roles, with their years and locations where they served, extracted from alumni records of Oxford and Cambridge Universities and other sources: https://www.ourfamtree.org/records/religion.php


==Search Strategies and Tips==  
==Search Strategies and Tips==  
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[[Category:England Church Records]]
[[Category:England Church Records]]
[[Category:Sandbox]]
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