Isle of Man, Parish Registers, 1598-2009

What is in This Collection?

This collection includes records from 1598-2009. This collection contains parish registers from the Isle of Man containing baptisms, marriages, and deaths. These records have been provided by Manx National Heritage as Records Custodian for the individual churches on the Isle of Man and as such all rights are reserved.

Baptisms (christenings), marriages, and burials were recorded on blank pages in a bound book called a register. The events of baptism, marriage, and burial were all recorded in one volume until 1754, when a law required that marriages be recorded in a separate book. The records are usually recorded in English with a few in Manx, which is the historical language of the island.

In 1530, King Henry VIII established the Church in England, also known as the Anglican Church, the State Church, or the Episcopal Church. In 1537, the Church of England mandated that parishes begin keeping church registers by the next year (1538). The Manx Church was then under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of York, but the first parish registers did not begin until 1598. These records have numerous gaps until 1610. At that time, the Archdeacon of Manx issued an order requiring the ministers under him to keep a register book recording the christenings, marriages, and burials.

Starting in 1812, preprinted registers were introduced, and then separate registers were kept for baptisms, marriages, and burials. However, use of the preprinted registers was not required, so not all parishes used them. The preprinted registers contained additional information not previously recorded.

In 1910, all parish registers were passed temporarily to the General Registry so that government staff could make handwritten copies of all records prior to 1849. These copies, together with the original registers spanning 1849-1883, were subsequently microfilmed in the late 1940s, together with indexes arranged by parish for baptism and marriage entries. This collection covers records for the years 1598 through 1950.

Parish registers were created to record the church events of baptism or christening, marriage, and burial. Baptism, which was also called christening, was performed soon after the birth of a child. Marriage in the church legally united a man and a woman for civil legal reasons and for the purpose of founding a religiously-sanctified family. Marriage license paperwork did not survive for the Isle of Man (Jeremy Gibson, Bishop's Transcripts and Marriage Licenses, Bonds and Allegations (Bury: Federation of Family History Societies, 2001), 51). Burial was a function of the church to inter the deceased soon after death.

Parish registers are the most reliable and accurate family history source until 1878 for births and marriages and until 1884 for marriages, when the government instituted the civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths. Parish registers are one of the best sources for identifying individuals and connecting them to parents, spouses, and other generations.

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:

Note on marriage announcement dates: This normally took place on three separate occasions prior to the marriage and gave anyone with a valid reason a chance to object to the marriage.