Once you have collected all of the information you can from old family papers and living elderly relatives, your next task will be to supplement it with searches in the birth, marriage and death indexes at the Family Record Centre in Islington. The indexes are divided into quarters of the year and are arranged alphabetically by surname; they begin in July 1837 and continue right down to the present day. If you do not live in London, you can consult the indexes at your local County Record Office but you will still have to obtain the necessary application forms for copy certificates from the Family Record Centre.

The original birth, marriage and death registers are held at Southport in Lancashire. However, it must be borne in mind that registration of these events was not compulsory until the Births and Deaths Registration Act of 1874. Prior to that date the onus for registration was with the Registrar General but after that date it was transferred to the parents, or occupier of the house, or persons having charge of the child. As a result there were many births etc that were not recorded, or the local registers were not sent to the central office in London. In such cases it is always wise to check the registers of your local Registrar, provided that you know the place of birth, marriage or death.

In addition to being arranged alphabetically, the index entry will give you the registration district and reference number. Post 1912 you will also get the surname of the bride or groom against a marriage entry and in the case of deaths after 1864 you will get the age at death.

A birth certificate will give the following information:

• Date and place of birth.
• Full name.
• Father’s name.
• Mother’s name & maiden name.
• Occupation of father.
• Informants name and address.
• Date registered.
• Name of Registrar.

• Date and place of marriage.
• Full names of bride & groom.
• Ages.
• Condition, bachelor etc.
• Rank or profession.
• Residence.
• Father’s name & surname.
• Rank or profession of father.
• Names of witnesses.
• Name of the Minister.

• Date and place of death.
• Full name.
• Sex.
• Age.
• Occupation.
• Cause of death.
• Signature.
• When registered.
• Signature of registrar.
• Residence of informant.

In the 1960’s however the format for a death certificate changes considerably and includes a persons full date of birth. Copies of the above certificates can be obtained on payment of a fee of seven pounds per item.

Helpful Hints If you have an exact date and place of birth, marriage and or death for your ancestor, go straight to the quarter of the year in which the date falls. For example if they were born 18 February, you will need to search the March volume which covers the months January, February and March etc. The same reasoning applies to the other quarters of the year. If you only have a rough idea of when the birth, marriage and or death took place, but you do know where, then search a few years either side of the approximate date. For example if the event took place around 1873/4, then search the period 1870 to 1875 inclusive. You may find more than one entry for a person with your ancestor’s name, always make a note.

During the course of your research you will need to consult Census Returns which cover the whole of England and Wales. The first census was taken in 1841 and then every ten years right down to the present day; no census was taken in 1941 because of the Second World War. All census returns save that of 1841 should, in theory, give the exact place of a persons birth; in 1841 it was only necessary to state if you were born in the county in which you then lived. The original returns are housed at the Public Record Office, Kew, but microfilm copies are available at the Family Record Centre from 1841 to 1901; the 1911 census may be consulted on a written application but thereafter a privacy rule of 75 years applies. There are also copies of the returns at your local Record Office. Searches in these records are free of charge. There are also surname indexes available to many individual towns and parishes in England and Wales for every census from 1841 down to 1881. Indeed the latter census has been indexed by the Mormons for the whole of the country. It is arranged in two sections, the first by county and then surname and the second purely by surname for the whole country. Many local Family History Societies have compiled Surname indexes for almost all of the 1851 for the whole country and these are also available. To prevent lengthy searches these indexes should always be consulted first. However, if you still wish to consult the original on microfilm Street indexes for most of the major cities in England and Wales are also available.

Helpful Hints When searching a country parish always note every reference to the surname you are researching as many will relate to relatives of your ancestor. When searching for a city address make sure you examine the whole of the enumeration district in which the street lies and note all references to the surname you are interested in. Many of the entries could relate to relatives of your ancestor and the information could help you with your subsequent research.

If you have an unusual surname then it would be wise to check with the Guild of One Name Studies, website www.onename.org to see if someone has already carried out a great deal of research already. The minimum requirement for joining this organization is as follows:

• You must have extracted all references to your surname from the indexes to births, marriage and deaths in England and Wales, Scotland Ireland any other country in the world.
• Listed all references to the surname from published will and administration indexes in the UK and if possible the rest of the world.
• Ditto from Census Returns.
• Ditto from all Telephone Directories in the UK and other countries.

As you can see the criteria for joining is very demanding but the rewards can be worth it. If your surname appears in their index of surnames they will put you in touch with the person who has compiled all of the information. However, please bear in mind that the person concerned may not be able to supply you with all of the information you require. There is, of course, no reason why you should not compile your own One Name Study.

If you have discovered that your ancestor either owned or occupied the land on which he or she lived then you should also examine the Tithe records held at the Public Record Office at Kew. The tithe was a tax of a tenth on all produce payable to the local clergy by their parishioners. The maps and apportionments created by the Tithe Commutation Act of 1836 supply the names of land owners and occupiers for a large number of parishes throughout the country. However, they are incomplete but still a very useful source of information to supplement what you already have. Copies of these records are also held at all local Record Offices.

Hopefully your searches in the abovementioned civil registration records and census records will now have given you all the basic information you need in order to extend your ancestry pre 1837. However, before doing so it is as well at this stage to take stock of your findings. If it transpires that your ancestors followed a trade or were professional people then there is a good chance that they may have left a will. All Wills and Administrations proven in England and Wales post 1858 are held by the Principal Registry of the Family Division in Holborn and there are indexes that run down to the present day. These are arranged alphabetically by surname and year and are very easy to use. Each entry supplies the date and place the probate was granted, full name of the deceased, place of residence at the time of death, occupation/trade, names and addresses of executors and value of the estate. Copies of the wills and administrations granted in the Principal Probate Registry can be obtained on payment of a fee of seven pounds per item.

Helpful Hints If you have an unusual or uncommon surname it would be wise to note all entries of that surname for the period you are searching. The chances are that they will almost certainly refer to members of the same family. It is not always necessary to get a photocopy of any will you are interested in. You can take notes for a small fee.

If your ancestor served in the Army, Royal Navy, The Royal Marines, Royal Air Force, Coastguard, Police or was a Merchant Seaman, Railway Worker, Lawyer, Doctor or Teacher, then it would be wise to search the records relating to the aforementioned in the Public Record Office at Kew. A list of what is available is set out in the PRO’s excellent Guide to Tracing Your Ancestors.

If one of your ancestors was known to have been divorced from their husband/wife, you may wish to consult the indexes to divorce files 1858 to 1958 that are held in the Family Probate Division at Holborn. The divorce files themselves are also available for inspection but there is a 75 year ruling still in force.

	See also: The Origins Network Collections: Censuses of England & Wales for 1841, 1861 and 1871 (the most accurate available online) Griffith's Valuation (1847-1864) - the "census substitute" for mid-19th century Ireland Dublin City census 1851, Dublin City census 1901: Rotunda Ward Census of Elphin 1749