All About Parish Registers (115)
Parish registers, the records of baptisms, marriages and burials maintained by the Church of England, are the most important source for genealogists before civil registration began in 1837. Parish registers start as early as 1538 and continue in use today. They remain an important resource even after the start of civil registration because of the many missing civil records during the years from 1837 to 1874. The registers reveal most to those genealogists who know the most about them, their background and historical context, the legislation that affected the content, and the layout of the registers.
This course provides you with that knowledge. In the first lesson you will learn about the history of parish registers and the many formats in which they appear. More details on the specifics for baptism, marriage and burials, including how to find social status and occupational clues within the registers follows in the other two lessons using case studies. A separate handy section on old handwriting and Latin comes with Lesson Two. In the final lesson you will also learn how to bring everything together to construct a family tree. Throughout is discussion on how to access parish registers in various formats and use some of the key websites.
STUDENTS SAID "The course was packed full of useful hints and tips, I enjoyed the exercises."
- The history of parish registers
- Using marriage registers, plus help with reading early records
- Problem solving with baptisms and burial registers
Each lesson includes exercises and activities, and a minimum of 1 one hour chat session per week. See How the Courses Work.
Relevant Countries: England and WalesCourse Length: 3 weeks
Start Date: 06 May 2016
Start Date: 04 Nov 2016
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