Search Yorkshire Parish Registers and Bishop’s Transcripts Browse

Each record comprises a black and white image of the original register. The amount of information listed varies, but the records usually include a combination of the following information about your ancestor depending on the register:

Baptisms

• First name(s)
• Last name
• Birth date
• Baptism date
• Parent’s names
• Abode
• Profession
• Officiator

Marriages

• First name(s)
• Last name
• Birth date
• Marriage date
• Place of marriage
• Residence
• Spouse’s name
• Spouse’s residence

Burials

• First name(s)
• Last name
• Age at death
• Birth year
• Burial date
• Burial place

Bishop’s transcripts were abbreviated copies of the parish records sent to the Diocesan bishop several times a year. They can be an invaluable source of genealogical information when the original record has not survived.

Parish records were made mandatory by the Church of England in 1537. With many starting the following year, they are the most comprehensive source of information about births, marriages and deaths that took place before the introduction of civil registration in 1837.

Advantages of using our Browse function

The ‘Browse’ function replicates how users would have searched the original volumes, so we’re providing you with the ability to choose how to access the records. Using the Browse is a very methodical approach and can be useful if you are searching for as yet unknown individuals between a fairly narrow range of dates.

Also, if a name is commonly transcribed incorrectly, browsing can help you to find them.

Finally, if you are certain of the date of an event, but less certain of the name, browsing can be a quicker way to find likely candidate.