Church records

How to access church records, religious records, and discover religious ancestors

Part of an 1810 marriage bond

What is a marriage bond?

Highgate Cemetery stone angel death records

Getting started

Where to find death records

Parish chest

Parish chest records: What are they, and how can you use them in family history?

A wedding party in Hellidon, Northamptonshire, c1896-c1920 marriage registers

Getting started

Where to find marriage registers in the UK

FreeREG

FreeREG: What it is, and how to search it

Kilbirnie Kirk, Ayr, c.1700. Kirk session

Kirk session records: What are they and what can they tell family historians?

An early photograph of a baptism ceremony, c. 1860 baptism records

How to find baptism records

The baptism of Wilbert Vere Awdry (bottom)

Ancestry adds over one million Hampshire baptism records

The 1831 burial record of Celia Holloway

Records featured in Richard Osman’s episode of Who Do You Think You Are? included in new collection of Sussex parish records

circa 1900: Roman Catholic church, Rosstrevor, Co. Down, at the foot of the Mourne Mountains

Overseas ancestry

How to find Irish Catholic records

Tim Viney, owner of Atlantic Geomatics, in the churchyard of St Bega, Bassenthwaite, Cumbria

Church of England launches churchyard digital mapping project

1707 Drainie Kirk session records

“Eagerly anticipated” Scottish kirk sessions records added to ScotlandsPeople

Choir of St Martin's Church, Dorking, Surrey, 19th century.Artist: MJ Starling

The 15 best websites for finding clergy in your family tree

james joyce irish civil registers

Historic Irish birth, marriage and death records now free online

church

Church of England announces plans to map all burial grounds