Research
Investigating your family tree
Records held by the General Register Office
The following tables indicate the records that are held by the General Register Office and the dates they cover.
Records recorded in England and Wales
Record held | Explanation | From - To |
Birth, marriage and death registers | A record of all events recorded | July 1837 - 18 months prior to the present date |
Adopted Children Register | A record of all adoptions granted by courts | 1927 – present date |
Abandoned Children Register | A record of all abandoned babies whose parentage is unknown | 1977 – present date |
Thomas Coram Register | A record of children given into the care of the Foundling Hospital | 1853 – 1948 |
Parental Order Register | A record of all births that have been re-registered on production of a court order where a child has been born via a surrogacy agreement | 1994 – present date |
Records recorded abroad
Record held | Explanation | From - To |
Regimental records | Records of births/baptisms, marriages and some deaths relating to British Army Regiments | 1761-1924 |
Chaplains returns | Army Chaplains records of baptisms, marriages and deaths | 1761-1880 |
Ionian Islands records | Births, marriages and deaths of the British Garrison on Corfu | 1818-1864 |
Marine records | Births and deaths at sea | 1837 - present date |
Consular records | Births, marriages and deaths of British subjects registered at British Consulates | 1849 – 12 months prior to the present date |
Army records | Births, marriages and deaths of members of the British Army or their families | 1881-1965 |
War Deaths | Deaths of serving personnel during | |
the Boer War | 1899-1902 | |
World War 1 | 1914-1921 | |
World War 2 | 1939-1948 | |
Aircraft records | Births and deaths on board British registered aircraft | 1947 - present date |
Foreign Marriage Certificates | Certificates deposited with the General Register Office | 1948 - present date |
High Commission records | Births and deaths of British subjects registered at British High Commissions | 1949 - present date |
Armed Forces records | Births, marriages and deaths of members of the British Armed Forces or their families | 1965 - present date |
Installation deaths | Deaths of workers on British Oil and Gas rigs | 1971 - present date |
Hovercraft records | Births and deaths on British registered hovercrafts | 1972 - present date |
For a more detailed explanation of overseas records see, Searching for overseas records.
