Baptism and Birth Records in the UK

Page from a 1728 Baptism Register A baptism record is a any type of record or certificate that states the date and place an individual was baptised into a church. These records are available from 1538 onwards, and are recorded in Parish Registers. For information about these records, go to the UK Baptism Records page or click the link above.

A birth record is a certificate that states the date and place an individual was born. These records are available from 1837 onwards as published by the GRO. For information about these records, go to the UK Birth Records page or click the link above. You can also order a copy of a birth certificate if you need to, which can show you full information about the birth.

Using Baptism & Birth Records in your Genealogical Research

UK Birth Certificate Information on baptism/birth records can be useful as you can use the names as a starting point to begin tracing the ancestors on the record back another generation. You may want to know:

An ancestor's birth/baptism date and place
Parents' names
The name of a preceding generation

We have provided a case study on this website so you can see just how easy it is to find a birth/baptism record, and some links to related information that may be helpful to you.

Try a FREE search for your ancestors using our search facility (powered by TheGenealogist.co.uk).

Daily News & Information - BMDs and the Census

COMPLETE Census Coverage for England, Wales and the Channel Islands Transcripts and Indexes for all counties in England, Wales, and the Channel Islands (including original images) for census years 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, and 1891 now available on TheGenealogist.co.uk.		Shipping at Sea and in Ports Abroad Details and information on ships at sea, in ports abroad and at home, including Hospital Ships from the 1861 census.

London Ancestors As anyone with ancestors in the London area knows, research there can be a nightmare. There are different records offices for the City of London, Westminster, and Greater London. So what's the best way to do your research?		Possible Pitfalls in Using the Census Many people don't realise that the census page images we see are actually transcripts of the household census forms, the details were copied into the books by the enumerators.