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3. Birth, marriage and death records

Birth records 1761-2006

Birth records that were recorded between 1837 and 1983 were kept in quarterly paper-based registers. Findmypast.co.uk has recently completed an exciting project to digitise over a quarter of a billion of these records. The images are available online and are now fully name indexed. This means that instead of having to view a number of records to find your ancestor, you should now be able to view them directly from the search results.

You should view the original image to double check it’s the person you’ve searched for. The birth, marriage and death records from 1984 onwards were recorded in a computer database only so there is no original image for records post-1984.

Start your search here

Your search results will look like this:

Marriage records 1796-2005

Marriage records that were recorded between 1837 and 1983 were kept in quarterly paper-based registers. Findmypast.co.uk has recently completed an exciting project to digitise these records. The images are available online and are now fully name indexed. This means that instead of having to perform two separate searches to find your ancestors’ marriage, you now only have to search once and MarriageFinder^TM will match up your ancestors’ marriage records.

You can also search for marriage records across all years: 1837–2005.

Enter your ancestors’ details in the search boxes and click ’Search’:

A definite marriage record match will look like this:

You should view the original image to double check it’s the person you’ve searched for. The birth, marriage and death records from 1984 onwards were recorded in a computer database only so there is no original image for records post-1984.

Death records 1796-2006

Death records that were recorded between 1837 and 1983 were kept in quarterly paper-based registers. Findmypast.co.uk has recently completed an exciting project to digitise these records. The images are available online and are now fully name indexed. This means that instead of having to view a number of records to find your ancestor, you should now be able to view them directly from the search results.

You should view the original image to double check it’s the person you’ve searched for. The birth, marriage and death records from 1984 onwards were recorded in a computer database only so there is no original image for records post-1984.

Ordering certificates from the General Register Office (GRO)

You will need to order certificates from the General Register Office. For more information on how to order certificates, visit our Order BMD Certificates page.

The information held in the birth, marriage and death indexes is all you’ll need to obtain a certificate; although for more recent registrations you may need to supply further information as a security precaution.

Additional information, such as a father’s name or mother’s maiden name, if known, can be used when you order a certificate to ensure it is for the correct person.