Data CDs / Parish Records

The census and official records of birth, marriage and death do not go back as far as parish records. In 1538 Thomas Cromwell the Vicar General to King Henry VIII declared that all marriages, christenings and burials should be recorded; normally these are kept at the Parish Church. In 1598 an Act was passed that meant these records should be copied and sent to the bishop, these are known as Bishop's Transcripts. The Phillimore transcripts of parish records go back as far as 1538 for some. W.P. Phillimore was a genealogist who started the job of publishing transcripts of early parish records in the 1890s. These normally end in 1812 or 1837 and for the range of years covered you will need to look at the details for the county you are researching. Most of the Phillimore transcripts are of marriages and have been published on CD by S&N. Other transcripts are published by societies or individuals. We have published these parish records when permitted to do so or when the records are out of copyright. We are always looking to increase the range of these publications. Dwelly's transcribed Bishop's Transcripts for parishes whose records, covering the Somerset area, no longer exist. These are now published by S&N on CD.

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