Search Bedfordshire Baptisms

Each record includes a transcript of the original record. The amount of information included in a record will vary, you may be able to find a combination of the following:

• First name(s)
• Last name
• Birth year
• Birth date
• Baptism year
• Baptism date
• Baptism place
• Description
• Residence
• Father’s first name(s)
• Father’s occupation
• Mother’s first name(s)

Since censuses and official birth, marriage, and death records only go back to 1837 when civil registration was instated, parish records are vital to researching your family history. The requirement for parish priests to maintain a weekly register of baptisms, marriages, and deaths began in 1538 following King Henry VIII's split from the Roman Catholic Church. A fine was put in place for failure to comply, and from 1733 onwards, entries had to be written in English instead of Latin.