British Newspaper Archive, Obituaries - FamilySearch Historical Records

United Kingdom England

What is in This Collection?
This is a collection of obituaries found in the British Newspaper Archives, covering the period 1800-1900. This collection was provided the British Library in partnership with findmypast.

The obituaries in this collection come from a variety of newspapers across Britain. Major newspapers from this time include The Courier, The Scotsman, The Chartist Northern Star, The Daily Telegraph, The Illustrated London News, The Western Mail, and The Daily Mail.

Image Visibility
Whenever possible, FamilySearch makes images available for all users. However, rights to view images on our website are granted by the record custodians.

These images can be viewed online by members of the supporting organization(s), at a Family History Center near you, or the Family History Library. They are also viewable to users who are part of the British Library, or who have contributed to the FamilySearch Indexing effort. Learn how to be a part of FamilySearch Indexing here.

For additional information about image restrictions, please see the Restrictions for Viewing Images in FamilySearch Historical Record Collections page.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
Obituary Records may contain:
 * Name of deceased individual
 * Date and place of birth
 * Date and place of death/burial
 * Cause of death
 * Spouse’s name
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Names of parents, siblings, children, or other family members
 * Life history, sometimes including occupation and/or military service

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * Name of the deceased
 * Approximate date of death

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select Place of Death - State/Country
 * 2) Select Place of Death - County
 * 3) Select Place of Death - Town
 * 4) Select Newspaper
 * 5) Select Publication Date to view the images

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Save or print a copy of the image if possible
 * Use the information to calculate an approximate year of birth
 * Use the information to find the individual in other records. Particularly useful for research in nineteenth-century England are Church Records, the England Census and Civil Registration records
 * Continue to search the index to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives. Note 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
 * Check for variations of given names, surnames, and place names
 * Also remember that it was not uncommon for an individual be listed under a nickname or an abbreviation of their name.
 * Note that some women reverted to their maiden name when their husband died, and therefore could be recorded under their maiden name in an obituary
 * Vary the search terms. For example, search by either the given name or surname to return broader list of matches
 * Search the records of nearby locations
 * Look at the actual image of the record to verify the information found in the online description, if possible

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.


 * Collection Citation:

"British Newspaper Archives, Obituaries." Database with Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : accessed 2017. Images provided by Findmypast and index by FamilySearch. Citing The British Library, London.

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