English parish records are a fundamental source for English research. In this detailed guide, family historian Paul Milner explains how and why the records were created, beginning in 1538, what the records look like and what information they contain. A well-illustrated case study, with plenty of twists and turns, shows why care is needed to trace back in time from one generation to the next. The guide continues by explaining how and where to get access the records, (online, microfilm, originals or in print) and concludes by explaining what to do when you can’t find your ancestors in the records.

Here is a practical guide that will help the beginner to avoid mistakes in climbing the family tree, yet the depth and details are here to assist the experienced researcher in understanding how to get the most from parish registers. This publication is a definitive guide to English parish registers that you will wish you had when you first started your research.

Contents:
Acknowledgements
Introduction and how to use this book
Original and law regarding English parish records
- Parish orgiinal and locations
- Laws regarding English parish registers
- 1634 Act of Supremacy
- 1538 Orders establishing parish registers
- 1597 Changes to parish registers
- 1653-1660 Commonwealth changes
- 1666-1679 Burying in Woollen Acts
- 1733 Conversion to English requires
- 1753 Act for the preventing of Cladestine Marriages
- 1763 Age changes
- 1783 Stamp Act
- 1812 George Rose Act affecting baptisms and burians
- 1837 Civil registration
- Summary table
What to the parish registers contain?
- Baptism registers (illegitimacy, adoption)
- Marriage registers (civil marriages 1653-1660, marriages under Canon Law and clandestine marriages, post 1837, marriage research)
- Burial registers
Case study
- FamilySearch
- Original records
Finding church records
- Search tips
- Free websites
- Commercial websites
Why can't I find my ancestor in the parish registers?
- You are looking in the wrong place
- Your ancestors were nonconformists
- There are too many people with the same name
- The baptism was not recorded
- The marriage was not recorded
- Misleading clues
Ten things to remember when using parish registers
Bibliogaphy
Index