London Church Records

London Wiki Topics

Beginning Research

Guided Research Research Strategies Record Finder

Record Types

Cemeteries Census Church Directories Church Records Civil Registration Court Records Crime & Punishment Directories Education Emigration & Immigration Genealogies Heraldry Jewish Records Land & Property Medical Records Newspapers Nobility Occupations Online Genealogy Records Parishes Poor Law Poor Law Unions Probate Records Schools and Education Records Social Organizations Taxation Voting Records

London Background

Biography Church History Further Reading Gazetteers History Maps Periodicals

Local Research Resources

Archives & Libraries Societies Local FamilySearch Centre

England

London

Church Records

St Paul's Cathedral

Introduction

FamilySearch Historical Record Collections has indexed 90% of London christenings and marriages. Findmypast has central and inner London church records. Ancestry.com has many outer London church record collections.

Parishes

Historically, there were 109 parishes in London. Over the centuries, many of the parishes consolidated.

All Hallows Barking · All Hallows Bread Street · All Hallows Honey Lane · All Hallows Lombard Street · All Hallows London Wall · All Hallows Staining · All Hallows the Great · All Hallows the Less · Barnard's Inn · Christ Church Newgate Street · Furnival's Inn · Holy Trinity the Less · Holy Trinity Minories · Lambe's Chapel · St Alban Wood Street · St Alphage London Wall · St Andrew by the Wardrobe · St Andrew Holborn · St Andrew Hubbard · St Andrew Undershaft · St Ann Blackfriars · St Ann and St Agnes · St Antholin · St Augustine · St Bartholomew by the Exchange · St Bartholomew the Great · St Bartholomew the Less · St Benet Fink · St Benet Gracechurch · St Benet Paul's Wharf · St Benet Sherehog · St Botolph Billingsgate · St Botolph Aldersgate · St Botolph without Aldgate · St Botolph without Bishopsgate · St Bride Fleet Street · St Christopher le Stocks · St Clement Eastcheap · St Dionis Backchurch · St Dunstan in the East · St Dunstan in the West · St Edmund the King · St Ethelburga · St Faith · St Gabriel Fenchurch · St George · St Giles without Cripplegate · St Gregory by St Paul · St Helen Bishopsgate · St James Duke's Place · St James Garlickhithe · St John the Baptist upon Wallbrook · St John the Evangelist · St John Zachary · St Katherine by Tower Precinct · St Katherine Coleman · St Katherine Cree · St Lawrence Jewry · St Lawrence Pountney · St Leonard Eastcheap · St Leonard Foster Lane · St Magnus the Martyr · St Margaret New Fish Street · St Margaret Lothbury · St Margaret Moses · St Margaret Pattens · St Martin Ludgate · St Martin Orgar · St Martin Outwich · St Martin Pomeroy · St Martin Vintry · St Mary Abchurch · St Mary Aldermanbury · St Mary Aldermary · St Mary at Hill · St Mary Axe · St Mary Bothaw · St Mary Colechurch · St Mary le Bow · St Mary Magdalene Milk Street · St Mary Magdalene Old Fish Street · St Mary Mounthaw · St Mary Somerset · St Mary Staining · St Mary Woolchurch Haw · St Mary Woolnoth · St Matthew Friday Street · St Michael Bassishaw · St Michael Cornhill · St Michael Crooked Lane · St Michael le Querne · St Michael Paternoster Royal · St Michael Queenhithe · St Michael Wood Street · St Mildred Bread Street · St Mildred Poultry · St Nicholas Acons · St Nicholas Cole Abbey · St Nicholas Olave · St Olave Hart Street · St Olave Old Jewry · St Olave Silver Street · St Pancras Soper Lane · St Paul's Cathedral · St Peter Cheap · St Peter Cornhill · St Peter le Poer · St Peter Paul's Wharf · St Sepulchre · St Stephen Coleman Street · St Stephen Walbrook · St Swithun London Stone · St Thomas the Apostle · St Vedast Foster Lane · Staple Inn · Thavie's Inn · The Temple · Westminster Abbey

Online Resources

• 1889-1970 Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, Electoral Registers, 1889-1970 at Ancestry — index & images ($)

Records

Most of the City of London's parishes, Inns of court, and liberty precincts are held at the Guildhall Library. *1538-1975 England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images has indexed more than 90% of the christenings and marriages. Ancestry.com has digitized London's parish registers with the exception of All Hallows Barking. Transcripts of many of the City of London parishes have been published and are now out of copyright (published before 1923). Consequently, many parish register transcripts have been digitised and are available for free at Google Books and Internet Archive. To determine if your ancestor's parish has been digitised or indexed, refer to individual parish pages.

Great Fire of London (1666)

The Great Fire of London (1666) destroyed many London churches and their records. Registers from only 30 parishes pre-date 1620.

Clandestine places to marry in London (1674-1753):

• Fleet Prison
• St James's Duke's Place
• St Botolph Aldgate
• Holy Trinity Minories
• Mayfair Chapel, Curzon St
• Grosvennor Chapel, South Audley St
• Trinity Chapel, Conduit St

Large indexes to London church records include:

• International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Baptisms, marriages. Coverage A-M, N-Z.
• London Parish Records from 1538 at Ancestry (£). Images of baptisms, confirmations, marriages, burials.
• Boyd's Marriage Index (£) - excellent coverage of pre-1754 London marriages; includes 135,000+ names from London Diocese marriage licences, chapel marriages, Huguenot marriages, Jewish marriages
  
• Pallot's Marriage Index (£) - includes most London parishes from 1780 to 1837
• Crisp's London Marriage Licences
  
• Webb's London Marriages (£) - includes 50,000 City of London marriages from 1538 to 1837
  
• Catholic Baptism Index (£) - indexes primarily adult baptisms from London and Essex
  
• Catholic Marriage Index (£) - indexes marriages from 60 London/Essex parishes 1664 to 1940
• Boyd's London Burial Index (£) - index to adult male burials 1600s to 1800s
  
• City of London Burials (£) - principally nineteenth-century burials
• Pallot's Baptism Index (£)
• National Burial Index (3rd ed.) (CD) -- the 2nd ed. is available on Findmypast (£)
  

Few bishop's transcripts survive for City of London parishes before 1800. The exceptions being large numbers of returns that survive for the years 1629-1630 and 1639-1640.

London & Middlesex Registers & Records at Findmypast is a collection of six historical publications that contain more than 3,000 pages of aldermen, freeman, and criminal records (also parish registers from Chapel of Holy Trinity and St Nicholas Acons).

Michael Gandy has concluded that even though most Londoners baptized their children Anglican in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, many were actually irreligious and simply performed this rite to qualify their children for poor relief. Historians have also concluded that a great deal of underregistration of baptisms, marriages, and burials occurred in early modern London parishes. Church of England burial registers help alleviate lack of registration of deaths by the civil government in London prior to 1866.

• Marrying London by Mrs. Belloc-Lowndes: 'Penny Weddings'

Guildhall Library

Original City of London parish registers are held at the Guildhall Library. The registers have been digitized by Ancestry.com and microfilmed by FamilySearch.

FamilySearch Library

The FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City has just over 90 percent of the City of London's original parish registers on microfilm. These can circulated to any one of its 4500 FamilySearch centers worldwide.

Christening and marriage data has just about been completely transcribed and indexed and made available for most of the above 90 percent of the City of London's parish register holdings at the FS Library and is available online in

• 1538-1975 England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images and *1538-1973 England Marriages, 1538-1973 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images The following parishes are not currently included:

St Mary Woolnoth in London

1. All Hallows Barking
2. All Hallows Lombard Street
3. St Alphage
4. St Bartholomew the Less
5. St Benet Gracechurch
6. St Dunstan in the West
7. St Katherine Coleman
8. St Leonard Foster Lane
9. St Michael le Querne
10. St Michael Crooked Lane
11. St Nicholas Olave
12. St Olave Silver Street
13. St Paul's Cathedral
14. The Temple
15. Most of the Inns, liberties

Society of Genealogists

The Society of Genealogists Library in London has collected microfilm copies or transcripts of most of London's parish registers. Their unique collections are described by Cliff Webb, see Online Research Guides.

Nonconformists

• 1863-1903 Den danske menighed i London: Kontraministerialbog (1863-) (The Danish congregation in London: Counterministerial book) at Rigsarkivet - images; contains birth/baptisms, confirmations, marriages, death/burials
  

To learn more about Nonconformist churches in England, visit: England Nonconformist Church Records.

Marriage Licences

Online

• 1115-1906 Britain, Marriage Licences at Findmypast - index & images ($)
• Britain, Russian Orthodox Church In London Browse at Findmypast ($), images
• 1520-1610 - Allegations for Marriage Licences Issued by the Bishop of London, 1520 to 1610 at Internet Archive - free.
• 1521-1869 - London Marriage Licences at Internet Archive - free.
• 1597-1921 London and Surrey, England, Marriage Bonds and Allegations, 1597-1921 at Ancestry (£).
• 1611-1828 - Allegations for Marriage Licences Issued by the Bishop of London, 1611 to 1828 at Internet Archive - free.

In Print

• 1597-1648 - A Calendar of the Marriage Licence Allegations in the Registry of the Bishop of London. London, 1937. FS Library Book 942 B4b v. 62 1979.
• 1660-1700 - A Calendar of the Marriage Licence Allegations in the Registry of the Bishop of London. London, 1940. FS Library Book 942 B4b v. 66.

Microfilms

• Marriage license allegations in the Register of the Bishop of London, Diocese of London, 1597-1900. FS Library Film 563011 (1st of 279 films).

Parish Chest Records

Many parish chest records, such as churchwardens' accounts, vestry minutes, and rate assessments survive for the City of London. Most are held at the Guildhall Library, as identified in their online Anglican Churches, Chapels and Parishes guide. FamilySearch has microfilmed many of these records.

The Guildhall Library has also produced detailed guides to City of London parish chest records:

1. Churchwardens' Accounts of Parishes within the City of London, 2nd ed., 1969
2. Vestry Minutes of Parishes within the City of London, 2nd ed., 1964
3. London Rate Assessments and Inhabitants' Lists, 2nd ed., 1968

Maps and Gazetteers

England Jurisdictions 1851 maps are based on multiple sources produced about 1851. Parish boundaries, contiguous parishes, civil registration districts and more are in this Web site. Go here to access.

Historical Background

Click here to read a contemporary description of the parishes within the environs of the City of London from James Elmes, Topographical Dictionary of London (published in 1831). Each parish is listed under the name of the patron saint to which it was dedicated, i.e. St Mary Abchurch, will be listed under the "M" section under "Mary", or, St Lawrence Jewry will be listed under the "L" section under "Lawrence", and St Andrew Holborn, under the "A" section under "Andrew".

Click here to read a description of the City of London from John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (published in 1870-72).

Photographs of many of London's churches may be viewed online at the Friends of the City Churches website. (See Indexes of Churches.)

'Burial and Commemoration in Medieval London, c. 1140-1540' by Christian Oliver Steel (Ph.D. Thesis, Univ. of London, 2013).

Online Research Guides

• London & Middlesex Baptism Registers & their Online Availability by Cliff Webb
• London & Middlesex Marriage Registers - Pre-1837 & their Online Availability by Cliff Webb
• London & Middlesex Burial Register Indexes & their Online Availability by Cliff Webb
• London & Middlesex Nonconformist Registers digitised by Ancestry.com by Cliff Webb
• Anglican Churches, Chapels and Parishes. Records of Anglican Parishes, Guildhall Library Manuscripts Section
• Non-Anglican Register Transcripts, Research Guide 60 at the London Metropolitan Archives

Archives

London Metropolitan Archives
40 Northampton Road
City of London EC1R 0HB UK

Telephone: 020 7332 3820
Email: ask.lma@cityoflondon.gov.uk
Website
Family History at London Metropolitan Archives
Parish Registers at London Metropolitan Archives (Information on history, content, etc.)
Index to church parishes in London

• The London Metropolitan Archives (LMA) is the principal local government archive repository for the Greater London area, including the City of London: it is the largest county record office in the United Kingdom.
• The size and shape of what we call London has changed greatly over the years. London has grown from the original ancient City of London to the current area of Greater London which is made up of the 32 London boroughs. Understanding this expansion and the various boundary changes that took place will give you an idea where you will find the archives that you want to see.
• Of course, the part of London and home counties that our documents cover varies depending on the type of collection. For example, our Anglican parish records cover the ancient City of London and the old Counties of London and Middlesex. These are areas that were considered a part of London prior to 1965 and in terms of modern local London Boroughs include the following, Barnet, Brent, Camden, Ealing, Enfield, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith & Fulham, Haringey, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Islington, Kensington & Chelsea, Lambeth, Lewisham, parts of Richmond Upon Thames (north of the River Thames), Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Wandsworth and Westminster.
• We do not hold parish records for the boroughs that were considered parts of Essex, Kent and Surrey until 1965 when they became a part of the Greater London Council. This includes Bexley and Bromley (both previously Kent) Barking & Dagenham, Havering, Newham, Redbridge and Waltham Forest (all previously Essex) and Croydon, Kingston upon Thames, Merton, parts of Richmond upon Thames (South of the River Thames) and Sutton (all previously Surrey). For these areas it's likely that the parish records will be held at the relevant county record office, with copies potentially held by the local borough archive.
• Furthermore, it is important to remember that not every parish may have chosen to deposit their records. Some may still retain them; others may have deposited material at the local borough archive. This is the case for the ancient parishes of the City of Westminster, whose records are held at Westminster City Archives.
• To find out which part of London and the home counties other collections such as wills and electoral registers cover, we suggest that you consult our Research Guides.

---

City of Westminster Archives Centre
10 St Ann's Street
London SW1P 2DE UK

Telephone: 020 76415180
Email: archives@westminster.gov.uk
Website
Researching family history at the Archives Centre
Parish Registers
Non-conformist and Catholic records

---

• Archives for London
  

c/o London Metropolitan Archives
40 Northampton Road
London EC1R 0HB, UK

Email:enquiries@archivesforlondon.org
Website
London for Researchers Guide 2017 List of archives throughout London with links.

• London’s archive repositories range from the magnificent National Archives facility at Kew, to one room of local and family archives in North Kensington. Manuscripts of war and peace, of sport and travel, of education and entertainment, of religious worship and political activity are located throughout the Capital.

Archives for Areas formerly in Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, and Surrey

Kent

For Greenwich, Woolwich, Eltham, Charlton, Kidbrooke once in Kent until 1885, now in London:

Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust
Charlton House
Charlton Road, London
SE7 8RE, UK

Telephone:+44 (0) 20 8856 3951
Email:office@rght.org.uk
Website

Our archive resources include photographs, manuscripts, records, prints, newspapers, and books. These documents cover Royal Greenwich, the former Metropolitan Boroughs of Greenwich and Woolwich, and their predecessors (Greenwich, Woolwich, Eltham, Charlton, Kidbrooke).

---

In 1965, the London boroughs of Bromley and Bexley were created from nine towns formerly in Kent.

Bromley Historic Collections
2nd floor Central Library
High Street
Bromley, London BR1 1EX UK

Telephone: 020 8461 7170
Email: historic.collections@bromley.gov.uk
Website

Bexley Local Studies and Archive Centre
Central Library
Townley Road
Bexleyheath, London DA6 7HJ UK

Telephone: 020 3045 3369
Email: archives@bexley.gov.uk
Website
Local history research enquiries including baptism and marriage certificates

The Bexley Local Studies and Archive Centre holds a variety of sources for local and family historians and people researching the history of a building or house. Our archives date from the 14th century and relate to every town, village and parish in Bexley.

Essex

Barking and Dagenham Archives and Local Studies Centre
Valence House
Becontree Avenue
Dagenham, London RM8 3HT UK
Telephone: 020 8227 2033
Email: localstudies@lbbd.gov.uk
Website

---

Havering Local Studies Library
Central Library
St. Edwards' Way
Romford, London RM1 3AR UK
Telephone: 01708 432392
Email: localstudies@havering.gov.uk
Website

---

Newham Archives and Local Studies Library
Stratford Library (First floor)
3 The Grove
Stratford, London E15 1EL UK
Telephone: 020 3373 6881
Email: archiveslocalstudies@newham.gov.uk
Website

---

Redbridge Archives and History
Redbridge Central Library
Clements Road
Ilford, London IG1 1EA UK
Telephone: 020 8708 2414
Email: info.heritage@visionrcl.org.uk
Website

---

Waltham Forest Archives and Local Studies Library
Vestry House Museum
Vestry Road
Walthamstow, London E17 9NH UK<brTelephone: 020 8496 4381
Email: vhm.enquiries@walthamforest.gov.uk
Website ====Hertfordshire Barnet Local Studies Centre
The Burroughs
Hendon
London NW4 4BQ UK

Telephone: 020 8359 3960
Email: library.archives@barnet.gov.uk
Website

Barnet was part of Hertfordshire until 1963.

References

This website requires a paid subscription for full access. Some subscription websites are available for free at your local FamilySearch Center or Affiliate Library.

To access available information, first log into FamilySearch.