United Kingdom Research

• Geography - In order to find the records you will need for your family you need to know about the geography of this area. Remember Great Britain is an island. There are four constituent countries; England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. You need to understand the history of the area because of all the changes in power; it can change where records are located.

• Jurisdictions - Jurisdictions are important in both the government records and the church records. Understanding these helps you know who has authority which will help you understand where to begin your search.

• Government jurisdiction start with counties and later were divided into civil parishes and civil registrations
• Church jurisdictions are divided into Provinces, Dioceses, Deanery and Parishes. Parishes are the first place you will begin to search.

•  Use Historical Records - Both the church and the government recorded information about birth, marriages and deaths. Church records have been kept since the late 1400's. Government records began a lot later in the middle of the 1800's. These two types of records did not record the same information - you get christening and burial records from the church and birth and death dates in government records. Below are dates and helpful information about each:

1.     Government records started recording at different times for each country.

                                 1. England/Wales - 1 July 1837

                                 2. Scotland - 1 January 1855

                                 3. Ireland – 1864

2.     Church Records consist of Parish Registers and Bishop's Transcripts. The Bishop's Transcripts are copies of the parish registers which were sent yearly to the Bishop- Head of the Diocese. You need to know whether your ancestors were a member of the Church of England, Presbyterian Church, Church of Ireland or Non-Conformists.

Here are some websites that can help you in your research:
                       1. maps.familysearch.org
                       2. findmypast.com 
                       3. thegenealogist.com
                       4. ukbmd.org.uk
                       5. freebmd.org.uk
                       6. www.ukbmd.org.uk/online_parish_clerk
                       7. freereg.ork.uk
                       8. familysearch.org
                       9. ancestry.com

Thank you Brother Cronk for teaching us about United Kingdom research and happy researching!