England Medieval Records

England

Searching for ancestors in medieval England can be fascinating. Extensive collections survive in English archives dating back to the Domesday Book (1086 A.D.). Medieval records most often apply to nobility and the landed class. Records are typically written in Latin or Old French, but published English translations are available for many record groups.

The following graphic will help you identify types of medieval records and the years they exist. Click on the text to learn more.

With special thanks to Paul C. Reed, FASG for compiling this chart.

Prosopography

• 597-1042 - Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England. Online.
• 1066-1166 - Keats-Rohan. Domesday People: A Prosopography of Persons Occurring in English Documents, 1066-1166, Volume I: Domesday Book. 1999.
• 1066-1166 - Keats-Rohan. Domesday Descendants: A Prosopography of Persons Occurring in English Documents, 1066-1166, Volume II: Pipe Rolls to Cartae Baronum. 2002.
• Medieval-present - Dictionary of National Biography. Online.
• Medieval-1800s - Shaw. The Knights of England. 1906. Online: Vol. I | Vol. II.
• 1386-1832 - Member Biographies. The History of Parliament. Online.
• 1400s - Rogers. Fifteenth-Century Biographical Index. Online.
• Medieval - The Complete Peerage Online.
• Medieval - Emden's Biographical Registers to 1500 (Univ. of Cambridge students). Online.
• Medieval - Emden's Biographical Registers to 1540 (Univ. of Oxford students). Online.
• 1261-1900 - Alumni Cantabrigienses. Online.

Websites

• Some Notes on Medieval English Genealogy. Extensive guides to medieval English records available online.
• The National Archives. Discovery Catalogue, Manorial Documents Register, E 179 Database, and research guides.
• British History Online. Victoria County Histories and many published medieval record groups.
• Anglo-American Legal Tradition. Digitised original records from The National Archives.
• GEN-MEDIEVAL mailing list.
• Foundation for Medieval Genealogy.