                           PUBLIC RECORDS OFFICE

                        RECORDS INFORMATION SHEET 14

                     FAMILY HISTORY IN ENGLAND AND WALES

                           GUIDANCE FOR BEGINNERS

The pursuit of family history demands a step by step approach, beginning 
with family tradition and papers and passing on to main and then to 
supplementary record sources. This leaflet describes in outline some of the 
available record sources which are kept in the Public Record Office and 
elsewhere. It is not exhaustive. The experienced family historian can find 
useful information in a wide range of sources, some well-known, others 
obscure.


GENERAL GUIDES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A number of general guides to the study of genealogy are available in print, 
for example:

     G Pelling, Beginning Your Family History (Federation of
     Family History Societies, 1980); or

     D Steel. Discovering Your Family History (BBC, 1980).

Beginners will save themselves time lost in fruitless searches by reading 
one of the available guides.


WORK IN PROGRESS OR COMPLETED
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Histories of many surnames in various parts of the country and for many 
periods have already been compiled or are in process of compilation. There 
are many local family history societies whose members are well informed 
about such histories. Alternatively, guides to some or most of these 
histories are available, including:

     M J Burchall, ed., National Genealogical Directory (Sussex
     Genealogical Centre, 33 Sussex Square, Brighton BN2 5AB,
     annually) .


APPROACH TO RECORD SOURCES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The most fruitful way to use records is to consult the main sources first,
working backwards in time from the most recent, to establish a framework 
which can be filled in from supplementary sources.  While the Public Record 
Office has a wealth of material useful for family history, it is not the 
best place to begin a new study.


MAIN SOURCES
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Records of births, deaths and marriages from 1837
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
Civil registration of births deaths and marriages began in 1837. A birth 
certificate contains:

     date and place of birth;
     fore name(s) of the child;
     normally the full name and occupation of the father;
     the name(s) and maiden surname of the mother;
     the usual residence, if the birth took place elsewhere; and
     the name and address of the informant for registration.

A marriage certificate contains:

     names and, usually, the ages of the contracting parties;
     their addresses;
     names and occupations of their fathers;
     date of place of marriage; and
     names of witnesses.

A death certificate contains:

     name of deceased;
     date and place of death;
     age;
     cause of death;
     occupation;
     residences if different from the place of death; and
     name and address of the informant for registration.

Copies of all registers of births, deaths and marriages are in the custody 
of the Registrar General and all have been indexed. The indexes are arranged 
alphabetically in quarterly volumes and are available for public inspection 
free of charge at:

                       St Catherine's House
                       10 Kingsway
                       LONDON WC2B 6JP
                       Telephone: 071-242-0262

The Search Rooms are open from 8.30 am to 4.30 pm on weekdays. Certified 
copies of entries in the registers themselves can be purchased by personal 
callers or by post. All postal applications for certificates should be made 
to:

                       The General Register Office
                       Smedley Hydro
                       Trafalgar Road
                       Southport
                       Merseyside PR8 2HH


Records of births, deaths and marriages earlier than 1837
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These are to be found in the registers kept by clergymen of baptisms, 
marriages and burials conducted in their churches and chapels. The local 
county or district record office will normally be able to advise on the 
whereabouts of surviving registers of all denominations. The addresses of 
these offices are given in:

     Record Repositories of Great Britain: A Topographical
     Directory (HMSO for the Royal Commission on Historical
     Manuscripts, 1982); and

     J S W Gibson and P Peskett, Record Offices: How to Find
     Them (Federation of Family History Societies, 198Z).

A few parish registers compiled for the Church of England may still be 
retained in the parish. More usually, they have been deposited in the 
diocesan record office, normally the county record office, which may also 
hold transcripts of registers not in its custody. Similar registers compiled 
for the Church in Wales may be retained in the parish or deposited either at 
the local record office or

                       National Library of Wales
                       ABERYSTWYTH
                       Dyfed
                       SY23 3BU
                       Telephone: 0970-3816/9

Many Non-Conformist registers for the period 1567-1970 are in the Public 
Record Office in the classes RC 4 - RG 8*, however, very few registers date 
later than 1837. They are predominantly the records of Protestant 
congregations, but a few Roman Catholic registers from the north of England 
are included. Other registers remain with the congregations and clergy or 
are deposited at local or denominational record offices.

Registers of births deaths and marriages of British Nationals abroad are 
held by the Public Record Office in the classes RG 32 - 36*, with indexes in 
RG 43*. Few entries are earlier in date than the 1830s. Registers of births, 
deaths and marriages at sea of British and other nationals for the years 
1854-1891 are in the classes BT 158 - BT 160**.

The Genealogical Society of Utah has compiled an index of many of the 
surviving register of baptisms and marriages including the Nonconformist 
registers in the Public Record Office. The index, on microfiche, can be 
consulted free of charge at:

                       The Genealogical Society of Utah
                       50 East North Temple
                       SALT LAKE CITY
                       Utah 84150.

And in the United Kingdom at the Public Record Office and at various Latter-
day Saints Chapels, including:

                       Latter-day Saints Chapel
                       64/68 Exhibition Road
                       LONDON SW7
                       Telephone: 071-589-8561

                       Opening Hours:
                       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                       9am-9pm Mon-Fri
                       9am-1pm Sat

Details of the registers included in the index are given in:

     Parish and Vital Records Listings (Salt Lake City, 1984).

Copies of this publication are available in the various chapels and in the 
Public Record Office, Chancery Lane.

The registers of the Society of Friends held in the Public Record Office in 
the class RG 6, which include some from the Isle of Man and the Channel 
Islands, have been indexed. The Indexes are in the custody of:

                       Society of Friends
                       Friends' House
                       Euston Road
                       LONDON NW1 2BJ
                       Telephone: 071-388-1977.


Censuses of Population 1841-1891
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These cover the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man as well as England and 
Wales. The records of the census contain:

     name;
     age (rounded down to the nearest 5 years in 1841);
     occupation;
     relationship to the head of the household; and
     place of birth (in the 1841 returns only in general terms).

The surviving returns are available for public inspection, on microfilm 
only, at the Public Record Office, Chancery Lane.

As the returns are arranged topographically, it is desirable, and in the 
case of larger towns almost essential, to have an address or addresses upon 
which to base a search.

Many local libraries and record offices hold copies of the census microfilms 
relating to their locality. The whereabouts of such copies is given in:

     J W S Gibson, Census Returns on Microfilm: A Directory to
     Holdings (Federation of Family History Societies, 1983).


Census of Population 1901
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The records of this census are in the custody of the Registrar General. 
Direct descendants can obtain information from them in return for a fee. 
Applications should be addressed to:

                       General Register Office
                       St Catherine's House
                       10 Kingsway
                       LONDON WC2B 6JP


Wills frown 1858
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Registered copies of all wills proved after 1 January 1858 are available for 
public inspection at:

                       Principal Registry of the Family Division
                       Somerset House
                       Strand
                       LONDON WC2R 1LA
                       Telephone: 071-405-7641 ext 3659.

The Search room is open from 10.00 am to 4.30 pm on weekdays.  Provided that 
the date of death is known, photocopies of registered wills can be ordered 
by post from the Record Keeper, Correspondence Department, at the address 
given above.


Wills before 1858
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Before the introduction of central registration, wills were proved in a wide 
variety of church and other courts. Where they were proved was dependent on 
a variety of factors, including the place of residence of the deceased, the 
value and the location of the estate. The two major sources are the records 
of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury in the Public Record Office*, mainly 
concerned, until the nineteenth century, with men, unmarried women and 
widows of wealth dying in the south of England or abroad, and the records of 
the Prerogative Court of York held in:

                       Borthwick Institute of Historical Research
                       St Anthony's Hall
                       Peasholme Green
                       YORK YO1 2PW
                       Telephone: 0904-642315.

The surviving records of other probate jurisdictions where the wills of 
those generally of lesser means were proved, are now to be found in local 
record offices. The locations of various collections are given in:

     A J Camp, Wills and Their Whereabouts (published by the
     author, 4th ed, 1974); and

     J W S Gibson, Wills and Where to Find Them (Phillimore for
     the British Record Society, 1974).


SUPPLEMENTARY SOURCES KEPT LOCALLY
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Local record offices and some libraries have in their custody many types of 
record useful for the study of family history, for example the records of 
local courts, estates, solicitors, industries and commerce. Once a framework 
has been established, many details can be filled in from such sources.


SUPPLEMENTARY SOURCES IN THE PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A majority of the classes of records held in the Public Record Office 
contains information useful to the pursuit of family history. These are 
described in:

     J M Cox and T R Padfield, Tracing, Your Ancestors in the Public
     Record Office, revised edition by Amanda Bevan and Andrea Duncan
     (HMSO, 1990).

The more commonly used are:

     Chancery Proceedings (C: 1 - C 16)*     While the records of other 
courts contain sparse information of use to family historians, and are 
written in Latin, the records of the court of Chancery, which begin in the 
latter part of the fourteenth century, are written in English and are 
concerned with disputes over wills, marriage settlements, and landed estates 
and other matters. The Bernau Index to eighteenth century proceedings is 
held by the Society of Genealogists.

     Close rolls (C 54)*     Private deeds enrolled, for better security, on 
the Close Roll from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century are relatively 
easy to search as they have been indexed by both grantor and grantee.

     Hearth Tax Returns (E 179)*     These, covering the years 1662-1674, 
record the taxation of every hearth and provide:

     name of the householder; and
     number of hearths for which he was responsible.

The records are arranged topographically. The tax was unpopular and 
widespread evasion resulted in the omission of many names. Some returns have 
been published by local record societies.

     Death Duty Registers and Indexes (IR 26, IR 27)*     From 1796 onwards 
many estates were liable to duty. The registers contain details of legacies 
and legatees and give the name of the court in which probate was granted, 
among other matters: together they constitute a central index to all 
dutiable wills and letters of administration of the period .

     Unauthenticated Registers: Fleet Prison etc (RG 7)*     During the 
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries clandestine ceremonies were conducted 
in and around London. The registers, of which some are forgeries, may 
provide information about a marriage which is known to have taken place in 
London but which is not recorded in more orthodox sources.

     Board of Stamps - Apprenticeship Books and Indexes (IR 1, IR 17)**     
Between 1710 and 1811, stamp duty was payable on indentures of 
apprenticeship.  The entries in the registers provide:

     name of master;
     address;
     trade;
     name of apprentice; and
     name of the apprentice's father (until 1752).

The indexes in IR 17 end in 1774

     Land Tax Redemption Office Quotas and Assessments (IR 23)**     These 
registers list all owners of property liable to the Tax in 1798, and Roman 
Catholics appealing against double charge after 1828. They are arranged 
topographically.


OTHER LEAFLETS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Other leaflets, which are useful to family historians interested in 
particular groups of people, are available from the Public Record Office at 
Chancery Lane and at Kew.


PRO SERVICES
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The staff of the Public Record Office will give guidance to those who visit 
any of its Reading Rooms. In return for a fee of 10 plus VAT an official 
search can be made for an entry in the censuses of population among no more 
than 5000 entries. The staff cannot undertake any other prolonged searches 
on behalf of members of the public.


ADDITIONAL ADDRESSES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                       Society of Genealogists
                       14 Charterhouse Building
                       Goswell Road
                       LONDON EC1M 7BA
                       Telephone: 071-251-8799

Membership of the Society is by annual subscription.  It maintains a library 
which is open to non-members on payment of a fee. Amongst other material, 
the Society publishes a quarterly journal The Genealogist's Magazine.

                       Federation of Family History Societies
                       Administrator: Mrs P Saul
                       c/o Benson Room
                       Birmingham & Midland Institute
                       Margaret Street
                       BIRMINGHAM B3 3BS

The Federation is able to provide information about local family history 
societies, but does not keep files of names being researched or copies of 
specific pedigrees. Most regional Family History Societies have on sale a 
directory of members' interests or will consult their index of members' 
interests in return for a donation to society funds. It also publishes 
pamphlets, among them Beginning Your Family Tree.

                       Scottish Record Office
                       HM General Register House
                       EDINBURGH EH1 3YY
                       Telephone: 031-556-6585

The Office has a wide range of official and private collections, including 
wills.

                       Registrar General of Scotland
                       New Register House
                       EDINBURGH EH1 3YT
                       Telephone: 031-556-3952

The Registrar General holds the records of civil registration of births, 
deaths and marriages from 1855 onwards, together with many parish registers 
and the records of Scottish censuses of population 1841-1891.

                       National Library of Wales
                       ABERYSTWYTH
                       Dyfed SYZ3 3BU
                       Telephone: 0970-3816

The Library contains, in addition to private collections, the originals, or 
copies of many parish registers.

                       Public Record Office of Northern Ireland
                       66 Balmoral Avenue
                       BELFAST BT9 6NY
                       Telephone: 0232 66121

The Office has copies of many Ulster wills amongst its collections. The 
Ulster Historical foundation at the same address will undertake genealogical 
research in return for a fee.

                       Registrar General of Northern Ireland
                       Fermanagh House
                       Ormeau Avenue
                       BELFAST BT1 6DU
                       Telephone: 0232 235211

The Registrar General holds the registers of births, deaths and marriages in 
Ulster from 1921 onwards.

                       Public Record Office of Ireland
                       Four Courts
                       DUBLIN 7
                       Eire

The Office has among its collections the Irish Censuses of 1901 and 1911, 
which are open to public inspection, and some transcripts of Irish Wills: 
the majority of wills have been destroyed.

                       Register General of Ireland
                       Joyce House
                       8-11 Lombard Street
                       DUBLIN 7
                       Eire

The Registrar General holds the surviving records of births, deaths and 
marriages for the whole of lreland from 1804 to 1921 and for Eire only from 
1921 onwards, together with those of Church of Ireland marriages from 1845.

                       General Registry
                       Finch Road
                       DOUGLAS
                       Isle of Man

The registry has the civil registers of marriages from 1849 onwards and
those of births and deaths from 1878.

                       Manx Museum Library
                       Kingswood Road
                       DOUGLAS
                       Isle of Man

The Library is able to advise on aspects of Manx genealogy.

                       The Superintendent Registrar
                       States Offices
                       Royal Square
                       ST HELIER
                       Jersey C.I.

Holds registers of births, deaths and marriages from 1 August 1842

                       The Judicial Greffe
                       10 Hill Street
                       ST HELIER
                       Jersey C.I.

Holds copies of wills.

                       The Registrar General
                       The Greffe
                       Royal Court House
                       ST PETER PORT
                       Guernsey C.I.

The Greffe holds registers of births and deaths from 1840 and of marriages 
from 1919, together with copies of wills. Although the Islands of Sark and 
Alderney keep their own records, enquiries should in the first instance be 
made to the Registrar General at Guernsey.


(c) Crown Copyright, Public Records Office, March 1992.
_____________________________________________________________________________

*  These records can be seen only at PRO Chancery Lane. 
** These records can be seen only at PRO Kew. 
_____________________________________________________________________________

Public Record Office, Chancery Lane, London WC2A 1LR. Tel: (081) 876-3444 
Public Record Office, Ruskin Avenue, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 4DU
Tel: (081) 876-3444

Opening hours 9.30am - 5.00pm, Monday to Friday. Closed on public holidays 
and for annual stocktaking (normally the first two full weeks in October).

Admission is by reader's ticket which will be issued on production at proof 
of identity such as a driving licence or passport.
_____________________________________________________________________________

Notes
~~~~~
1)   This transcript has been produced with the kind permission of the Public
     Records Office.

2)   This file can be distributed freely on any genealogy related
     e-mail system provided that it is not altered in any way
     whatsoever other than to change the archiving method.

3)   Transcription of the document was performed by:

              Simon Quill,      2:254/231.0@Fidonet
                                simon@yacc.demon.co.uk
                                CIS: 100014,3032

              Rosemary Lockie,  2:253/188.0@Fidonet
                                rosemary@yacc.demon.co.uk
_____________________________________________________________________________
