Baptism Marriage and Burials Records pre 1837

[Richard Miller]

Hi Folks

Can anyone tell where I might obtain exact copies (photocopies, microfiche, CD, DVD etc) of the Parish Records for Alverstoke, Gosport, Portsea and Portsmouth areas for Baptisms, Marriages and Burials.

I am also interested in the original records for Winchester and surrounding areas particulalry Abbots Worthy and Kings Worthy and Farley Chamberlayne Slaxtead areas.

I am especially interested in transcriptions which may include father/husband's occupation and name of parish of those being married and witnesses. I am also particulalry interested in records throughout 1700's to 1837.

Many thanks

Richard

[maidofkent]

For marriage transcriptions, have you seen the Hampshire On-Line Parish Clerk site? The transcriptions seem to go back to mid 1700's, and may be what you're looking for.

I don't know about copies of original records, but you may be able to find out where to get them from here.

Christine

[Coromandel]

I know very little about Hampshire parish registers, but can give some general advice based on my experience with other counties.

Most of the original registers for Church of England churches are likely to be in the safe-keeping of the county record office. Here's a list of parish registers deposited at Hampshire Record Office: http://www3.
hants.gov.uk/archives/hals-collections/hals-parish-registers.htm

The record office staff would I expect be able to supply copies (e.g. print-outs from microfilm) of specific entries from the registers. You could also commission them, or freelance researchers, to transcribe entries relating to particular names.

Sometimes parish registers have been reproduced photographically on microfilm: try checking the Family History Library catalogue (see the FamilySearch website) and the online catalogue of the Society of Genealogists to see if they have copies. If they're in the FHL catalogue, you should be able to consult them at your nearest LDS Family History Center. If microfilm copies already exist, you might be able to buy your own copy, but it would be an expensive option.

Parish register transcripts are more likely to be available commercially (try the relevant family history societies etc; the Hampshire pages of GENUKI may point you in the right direction.) but are bound to be a compromise: you can't see signatures etc. and you are relying on someone else's interpretation of the handwriting. However good a transcript is, it is really important to check the original if you can.

Sometimes the information contained in the original registers is pretty minimal: the standard printed baptism register introduced in 1813 had a column for father's occupation, but before 1813 what you get depends on what the particular clergyman or parish clerk chose to record. I have seen some entries for marriages where the bride's name isn't recorded, just "John Smith married his wife" or something unhelpful like that!