How do you access and use UK parish registry ?

Question

I have been told to try these in my ancestry search but have absolutely no idea how to go about it.

Does it work for both marriages and births?

Do you have to know the exact church?

Do you type in a suburb or just a name?

Do you have to know the exact year?

Are you charged for every record you look at?

Family Records UK have a Parish registry section, I dont know how it works, should I use them?

Please how do I start?

Answer 1

Yes and deaths as well.

Not always.

A name and county.

Searches are usually + or -  however many years.

Mostly, but freereg is coming along nicely, it's as it's name says, Free.

Google the County you need or go to-



http://www.familyrecords.gov.uk/links.ht...

and use the menu on the left.

Answer 2

Remember that the term UK in genealogy is misleading . Always stick to the country ie England Scotland Wales or Ireland . In England and Wales statutory registration of births , marriages and deaths started in July 1837 but in Scotland it was Jan 1855. Old Parish Registers in Scotland , mainly births, baptisms  and marriages are now cetralised in the General Record Office for Scotland in New register House in Edinburgh . These have been digitised and can be downloaded through the Scotlandspeople web site . In England and Wales ,  Parish are generally lodged with the County Record Office for the particular parish you are researching . Most County Record Offices provide on line catalogues  providing details of churches and parishes . The Society of Genealogists in London also has a a large number of transcriptions which can be bought from them . The LDS ( Mormon ) Family search web site has births , baptisms/ christenings pre 1837 for England and Wales and for Scotland up to 1876 ( overlaps with statutory registration ! )