How do you go about viewing church records

[renwick]

I would like to view some church records and although I believe that you have to be able to go in person, I am unsure about the procedure of how to arrange a visit.
1. Should one write to the vicar of the parish or someone else, if so who?
2. Are parish records available to the public or does it depend on each churches ruling?
3. Is there a charge and if so how much?
4. How long does a church keep its records, and what happens if that church has closed?
5. Is there anywhere else that keeps a copy of church records?
6. Am I right in thinking that you have to go in person or do some churches do look ups and perhaps charge a fee?
I would be grateful for an answer to anyone of these questions, as really need the church records I think to preoceed further and establish that I have the correct people. Many thanks

[Neil Wilson]

You will find most parish registers are held by the local Records Office. They will have been microfiche/film and are available to the public at no fee. I would suggest booking a reader prior to visiting the records office.
Most offices have an online list of their holdings so you should be able to determine whether you would need a fiche or film reader.
The actual registers are available to view depending on the local arrangements of that particular records office.
Good luck

[Alan Welsford]

Hi Renwick,

Generally the only case I can see for approaching a church direct to view a register is in those cases where it's still the active register in use, so has not been deposited with a county records office. (Although someone did also mention churches that had refused to deposit filled registers).

It may be that a register you want has been deposited with a record office, but not yet microfilmed. You can then generally inspect the original register.

If you do need to approach a church, which I was considering, (to see a "active register" still in use from 1813!), then if they apply the standard scale of charges, it looks quite an expensive option.

I was put off because of this, and haven't pursued it.

Here are the charges that Geoffers pulled out for another thread on this topic.

Regards,

Alan

Parochial Fees Order 2007

Searching registers of marriages for period before 1 July 1837 (See Note 5) (for up to one hour) - £19
(for each subsequent hour or part of an hour) - £16

Searching registers of baptism or burials (See Note 5) (including the provision of one copy - £19
of any entry therein) (for up to one hour)

Each additional copy of an entry in a register of baptism or burials - £19

Inspection of instrument of apportionment or agreement for exchange of land for tithes
deposited under the Tithe Act 1836 - £9

The search fee relates to a particular search where the approximate date of the baptism, marriage or burial is known. The fee for a more general search of a church register would be negotiable

Furnishing copies of above (for every 72 words) - £9

Published by
Ministry Division
The Archbishops’ Council
Church House, Great Smith Street, London. SW1P 3AZ

[Jan1954]

Renwick,

Where is the church in which you are interested? It may be that someone on the forum either has access to the parish records or is willing to check the Records Office next time they are out there.

[renwick]

Many thanks for all your replies, the costs certainly seem quite expensive to llook at the church records. I am interested in Gloucestershire, which is where I live particularly Down Hatherley, but also Boddington and possibley Red MArley in Worcestershire for George Piff or Piffe. 1802 and prior. I have his Christening as 1802 and want to try and link his parents and grandparents with the 2 other George Piff"s I have found. Have been to the local record office a couple of times but was a bit confused and could not really find anything much and just kept being pointed in a direction that seemed to yield nothing on the things I was actually asking about, will perhaps have to go again
Mere Wiltshire for Welch c1740. I am looking for a William Welch c 1740 he married Elizabeth Alford 28 APR 1765 Mere, Wiltshire, England I have the children but cannot find his parents.
Any help would be appreciated and will have to try and make a day when i have a holiday to visit the Gloucestershire records office again.

[Andrew Mead]

Most dioceses require the registers to be deposited with the local records office when complete, but some small churches can still have registers in use going back to mid 1800s. In the case of Welsh churches, these are usually held at the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth, but for my own local church, the records have been filmed and a full size copy made as a book from the film and held by the church, with another copy held in the county records office in addition to the film.
Copyright of parish registers remains with the incumbent, and it is s/he who would give permission for filming (although this is often done anyway for safety). When I tried to view the Malmesbury (Wilts) registers, I had to use the originals in the CRO as I believe the incumbent had refused to allow a film to be made public - however there is nothing to stop someone visiting the record office and producing a transcription, when they would then hold the copyright to that and could publish it.
Gloucestershire parishes are slightly complicated, as those in the Bristol Diocese are held in the Bristol Record Office, not Gloucestershire. I think this applies to places like Yate and Chipping Sodbury.

Andrew

[Devonmade]

Hi All

Can someone tell me what other information is likely to be found in the Parish Registers for say a baptism, other than information about parents? For example are the names of godparents recorded?

Many thanks

Sue

[suedent]

Hi All

Can someone tell me what other information is likely to be found in the Parish Registers for say a baptism, other than information about parents? For example are the names of godparents recorded?

Many thanks

Sue

In my experience if you are talking 1800s and before, then only Catholic records give the godparents. I have seen more modern CofE records (1900s) give the godparents but it varies from church to church and as there is not an allocated space in the register it seems that it was at the discretion of the celebrant.

Generally from 1837 onwards, you get the name of the parents and their abode and usually (but not always) the occupation of the father.

[Devonmade]

Thank you for that information. What a pity, godparents might have broken down a few brick walls.

Can I ask if were witnesses at weddings were recorded? and what information was recorded when someone died.

Sue

[suedent]

Thank you for that information. What a pity, godparents might have broken down a few brick walls.

Can I ask if were witnesses at weddings were recorded? and what information was recorded when someone died.

Sue

From marriages I have transcribed witnesses were recorded from about 1754 onwards, prior to 1837 other information tended to be at the discretion of the celebrant. The abode & marital status & groom's occupation were supposed to be included from 1813 but as I say it tended to depend upon the celebrant.

When someone died their abode and age are listed post 1813. Some vicars also gave the cause of death. Prior to 1813 information other than the name was rarely included unless the deceased had reached a notable age or had had an unusual death or was related to the Vicar in some way.

[Devonmade]

Thank you for that extra info Sue. Marriages are definitely worth looking up and perhaps baptisms. Not so sure about burials though.

Still banging my head against the brick wall regarding some family members, guess I will never know where some of them came from.

Sue

[arthurk]

I am interested in Gloucestershire, which is where I live particularly Down Hatherley, but also Boddington and possibley Red MArley in Worcestershire for George Piff or Piffe. 1802 and prior....
Any help would be appreciated and will have to try and make a day when i have a holiday to visit the Gloucestershire records office again.

According to this page (http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/GLS/Parishes.html) at GENUKI, or at least the links from it, the registers for all those parishes appear to be at Gloucestershire Archives. It's some years since I was there, but I think most of the registers were on microfiche; however, the staff were quite helpful. From the link I gave you, try navigating to Wiltshire, where you should be able to find similar information on Mere - I'm pretty sure the registers are at the Wiltshire Record Office (now in Chippenham), but GENUKI should tell you.

If you can't get to the archives easily, both counties have family history societies which have published a good deal of material including transcripts of parish registers - always worth a look.

Arthur

[renwick]

Hi Arthus
many thanks for the information will try and get to Gloucester to look at their records but think Wiltshire will have to wait as I work and also look after my grandchildren some days and visit my mother three times a week so long journeys are out for the foreseeable future. Looks as if Gloucester has the Parishes I am interested in which unforteuately none of them where on the cd's on parish records, or on the IGIs I have bought.