UK Records-BMD



For those researchers with ancestors in the United Kingdom (England-Wales-Scotland and Northern Ireland) remember to check the databases of the FreeBMD online. It contains some 221 million records and it is free access. The records are of the civil registration index for births, marriages and deaths in England and Wales and new ones are continuing to be added. Note even if your relatives came from Northern Ireland or Scotland, you should still review the database since ancestors did move. My 3rd gr grandmother was born in Northern Ireland, but married in England. The time frame runs from 1837 (when official registrations were required) to the 1950s and some districts into the 1970s.

The civil registrations are grouped in quarter months such as January to March 1888. Use the red search box to begin. You can search by different family names, including a mother’s maiden name. Select the type of record (B-M-D) or look for all of them. Choose a district or a county to help narrow the search, especially if it is a common surname. You can highlight (select) more than one by using the ‘control’ key on your computer keyboard to highlight several locations. Click the ‘Find’ button to see what is available. Even if you just place a surname, all those with that name will be listed. If you place a time range, that will help narrow down the search.

Review the Key explaining symbols above the names that appear to know what is available. You can do another search or revise a name and location. You can save and download the information.

Placing a sample name provided the following. For the name ‘George Kershaw’ in the county of Lancashire between 1840 and 1910 for all records produced a massive selection. Whenever you have additional information such as a marriage range of dates, use that in the search. Those records with an icon of ‘glasses’ are a scanned copy of the original records – which is great to keep and add to your primary sources.

Photo:  Blackpool, Lancashire Co., England in 1898.

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