Durham Archives and Libraries

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

Durham Background

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Local Research Resources

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England

Durham

Archives and Libraries

Record Offices

Durham County Record Office
County Hall
Durham, County Durham DH1 5UL, UK

Telephone: 03000 267 619
Email: record.office@durham.gov.uk
Website
Family history
Information guides
The Parishes Register Index

Durham County Record Office: the official archive service for County Durham and Darlington.

Libraries

• Find a Library

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Durham University Library: Special Collections
Palace Green Library
Palace Green
Durham, County Durham DH1 3RN UK
Telephone: 0191 334 2972
Email: pg.library@durham.ac.uk
Special Collections
Databases

Museums

• For a long list of County Durham museums, go to List of museums in County Durham in Wikipedia.

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Durham Museum and Heritage Centre
St. Mary-le-Bow
North Bailey
Durham, County Durham DH1 3ET UK
Telephone: 0191 3782372
Email: admin@durhamheritagecentre.org.uk
Website

Civil Records Offices

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 (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.

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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 and their parishes, see UKBMD: Registration Districts in Durham.

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• Birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates includes information on ordering certificates.
• Online indexes

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Register offices
We operate from a number of register offices throughout the county. Some offices are open on a full-time basis and others on a part-time basis. All register offices follow an appointment system, but times and availability may vary during the year.

Aykley Heads House Register Office
Barnard Castle Register Office
Bishop Auckland Register Office
Chester-le-Street Register Office
Consett Register Office
Crook Register Office
Seaham Register Office
Stanhope Register Office
Stanley Register Office