England, Hampshire Bishop's Transcripts - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection consists of Anglican church records from the county of Hampshire for the years 1680-1892. Availability of records may vary by year and locality.

Beginning in 1598, priests of the Church of England began to make copies of parish registers and send them to the archdeacon or bishop every year. The copies were named archdeacon’s or bishop’s transcripts, and resembled parish transcripts. Many priests stopped producing these transcripts with the beginning of civil registration in 1837, but they did not fully disappear until after 1870. Bishop’s transcripts generally contain the same information as parish registers, and are a great resource when parish records have been damaged or destroyed.

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How Do I Search This Collection?
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I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

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 * Continue to search the index to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives. Remember that family members often appear on an individual's vital records, such as in the role of witnesses to a marriage

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * When looking for a person with a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which individual is correct. Use other information, such as place of birth, age, occupation, or names of parents, to determine which candidate is the correct person
 * Vary the search terms. For example, search by either the given name or surname to return broader list of possible candidates which can then be examined for matches. Alternatively, try expanding the date range; this is especially useful in searching baptismal records, as it was not unusual for a child to be baptized weeks or even months after birth
 * An individual might have been listed under a middle name, nickname, or an abbreviation of their given name
 * Spelling was not standardized for much of the period of this collection, so names were often spelled as they were pronounced. Pay attention to how the name should have been pronounced and try spelling variations that could have that pronunciation
 * Some women reverted to their maiden names after the death of their husbands
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, try searching records of a nearby locality. Marriages often took place in the parish where the bride resided
 * The individual might not have records in the Church of England at all, but rather might have belonged to a nonconformist denomination. See England Nonconformist Church Records for more information.

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.

"England, Hampshire Bishop's Transcripts 1680-1892." Database. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 8 December 2017. Citing Lancashire and Hampshire Record Offices.
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