England, Durham Diocese, Bishop's Transcripts, 1639-1919

What is in This Collection?

This collection consists of church records from the county of Durham for the years from 1639-1919. The collection also includes records from select parishes in the counties of Northumberland, Yorkshire, and Cumberland.

A parish register is a record of religious ordinances performed in the Church of England. Beginning in 1538, every parish priest was required to write down certain information about every baptism (officially termed “christening” in Anglican use), marriage, and burial that took place in his parish over the course of each year. He was then supposed to bind these pages into a single volume, thereby annually producing a comprehensive history of his ministerial efforts. After 1754, a new law required that marriages be recorded in a separate book, and banns (public proclamations of a couple’s intent to marry) were to be recorded in yet another book. Starting in 1812, pre-printed registers were introduced, and separate registers were then kept for baptisms, marriages, and burials. It should also be noted that many parish records were not kept during the Interregnum, 1649-1660, due to temporary changes in the hierarchy of the Church of England.

Due to this long and relatively stable tradition, parish registers are central to English genealogical research as they are often one of the only sources for finding families and individuals in England before the start of civil registration in 1837.

Additional records and/or images may be added to this collection in the future.

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What Can These Records Tell Me?

The following information may be found in these records:

Collection Content

For additional details about these records and help using them see England Bishop's Transcripts - FamilySearch Historical Records

Sample Images

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  Baptism 1816

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  Marriage 1824

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  Burial 1813