00WHAT THE ARCHIVES SAY

Work backwards,
one record at a time.

A quiet archive reading room desk with old leather-bound record volumes, a pencil and a notebook in soft window light — AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

Every family tree starts with the nearest branch.

In England and Wales, a handful of record sets carry most family history research: birth, marriage and death certificates, the census, the 1939 Register and parish registers. Each one reaches a little further back than the last.

1538parish registers beginUpdated 14 October 2026

Pick an era

01Principles

Certificates from 1837
Census names from 1841
Parish registers before that
From your grandparents to the Tudors

02THE SHORT ANSWER

Start with certificates,
then step back.

Each record set covers a different stretch of time.
Used together they can link one generation to the next.

1837 ONWARDS

Birth, marriage and death

The General Register Office has all records registered in England and Wales from July 1837. Its online index covers historic births to 1934 and deaths to 1957.

Where to start

1841 TO 1921

The census, every ten years

The census has been taken every ten years since 1801, except 1941. 1841 was the first to list every individual's name, and the returns from 1841 to 1921 are online.

Compare the records

BEFORE 1837

Parish registers

As part of the Reformation changes, parish churches had to record baptisms, marriages and burials after 1538. Early entries are often brief, and some are in Latin.

Reading old registers

03A QUICK RECORD CHECK

How much will
the record tell you?

Pick a record to see what it usually contains. The bar shows how much personal detail you can expect, from bare names to ages, jobs and family links.

Based on The National Archives' census and 1939 Register guides and Gloucestershire Archives' guide to parish registers.

Record check

Choose a recordParish marriage, before 1754The 1841 censusCensus, 1851 to 1921The 1939 RegisterMarriage entry, 1837 onwards

Parish marriage, before 1754Names and a date

Often just the names of bride and groom and the date. Some give their parish or the bride's father's name.

The 1841 censusRounded ages

Names, sex and occupation, but ages for those 15 or over were rounded down to the nearest five years, and birthplace is just whether they were born in that county.

Census, 1851 to 1921Relationships and birthplaces

Relationship to the head of the household, marital status, age, occupation and county and parish of birth for people born in England or Wales.

The 1939 RegisterExact birth dates

Less detailed than a census overall, but it gives exact dates of birth where census returns give only an age.

Marriage entry, 1837 onwardsAges, jobs and fathers

Names, ages, marital status, occupations and residences of bride and groom, plus the names and occupations of both fathers and the witnesses.

Sources: The National Archives, Census records and 1939 Register research guides; Gloucestershire Archives, Parish registers.

04TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING

One snapshot fills a gap,
one rule sets the wait.

One figure on the 1939 Register,
one on how long census returns stay closed.

≈ 40 million

People recorded in the 1939 Register for England and Wales

Taken on 29 September 1939, it holds details of around 40 million people in more than 65,000 volumes. With the 1931 census destroyed by fire and none taken in 1941, it is the most complete survey between 1921 and 1951.

1939 REGISTER · THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES

100 years

How long later censuses stay closed to the public

Censuses after 1921 remain with the Office for National Statistics and stay closed for 100 years after the date they were taken. That is why 1921 is the latest census you can search.

CENSUS CLOSURE · THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES

The National Archives notes that some pages are missing from every census, and 1861 has suffered most. Its catalogue lists parishes and districts known to be missing.

05FOUR STEPS TO TRY

From the GRO index
to the parish chest.

This order follows the records themselves, newest first, so each find gives you names and places to look for in the next.

Find the index reference
Search the GRO online index of historic births (1837 to 1934) and deaths (1837 to 1957), or view references free on FreeBMD.
Order the certificate
Use the index reference to order a birth, marriage or death certificate from the General Register Office.
Step back through the census
Work from 1921 back to 1841 to see households every ten years, with ages, jobs and birthplaces.
Go to the parish registers
Before July 1837, look at parish registers of baptisms, marriages and burials, many now digitised by local archives' partners.

A microfiche reader on a library desk with a tray of fiche cards beside it — AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

06READING OLD REGISTERS

Mind the calendar
and the handwriting.

Hands carefully turning the yellowed pages of an old handwritten register on a foam book support — AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

Before 1752 the year started on 25 March, Lady Day, so dates from 1 January to 24 March belong to the year before. Gloucestershire Archives advises checking both years. Registers before 1754 often mix baptisms, marriages and burials in one volume.

From 1754 to 1837 everyone except Quakers and Jews had to marry in the parish church, so marriage registers also include nonconformist couples. Entries kept during the Civil War and Commonwealth period can be incomplete.

07Questions

Questions people ask

How far back do birth, marriage and death certificates go?

The General Register Office has all records registered in England and Wales from July 1837. To trace back further, you need parish records. Scotland and Northern Ireland have a different process.

Which census can I search?

The censuses for England and Wales from 1841 to 1921 are available online. Later censuses stay closed to the public for 100 years after they were taken.

Why can't I find my ancestor in the census?

There are many reasons. Some pages are missing from every census, and 1861 has suffered most. Ages in 1841 were also rounded down to the nearest five years for those aged 15 or over.

What is the 1939 Register?

A record of the civilian population of England and Wales taken on 29 September 1939. It was used to produce identity cards and ration books, and gives exact dates of birth.

How far back do parish registers go?

Parish churches had to keep registers of baptisms, marriages and burials after 1538. Surrey History Centre says most of its registers from 1538 onwards can now be searched online.

08Sources

Work backwards,
one record at a time.