Find your ancestors in Nottinghamshire baptisms index 1538-1917

What can these records tell me?

Each record contains a transcript of the original parish registers. The amount of information can vary, but you will find a combination of the following facts about your ancestor:

  • Name
  • Baptism date
  • Denomination
  • Church
  • Baptism place
  • Relationship
  • Father’s name
  • Father’s occupation
  • Mother’s name
  • Residence
  • County
  • Country

Discover more about these records

Findmypast, in conjunction with the work done by the Nottinghamshire Family History Society and Julie Gerring, transcribed the original parish records, held by the Nottinghamshire Archives. The baptisms cover the years 1538 to 1917. Later records have not been published for reasons of data protection and personal privacy.

Before civil registration was introduced in 1837, birth, marriage, and death records were recorded with the local parish. The Church of England mandated the keeping of registers from 1538, and until the Religious Toleration Act of 1689, other denominations, such as Methodists and Roman Catholics, registered life events with the Church of England. Many chose to continue this practice after 1689.

Nottinghamshire is in the east midlands of England. It is a landlocked county, surrounded by South Yorkshire to the northwest, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditional county town is Nottingham.

The county lies on the Roman Fosse Way and was settled by the Romans.The Angles settled there around the 5th century, and Nottingham became part of the Kingdom of Mercia. Until 1568, the county was united with Derbyshire, under a single sheriff, for administrative purposes.

During the Industrial Revolution, coal and iron ore were mined, and the cotton and lace industries grew in addition to the traditional industries of malting and wool.

The county is home to the famous Sherwood Forest, known as the hideout for the legendary Robin Hood and his Merry Men, whose sworn enemy was, of course, the Sheriff of Nottingham.