England, Cheshire Bishop's Transcripts - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The collection contains an index to baptismal, marriage, and burial records in the county of Cheshire for the years 1598-1900. The original records are held at the Cheshire Archives.

Before 1847, Cheshire was overseen by the the Diocese of Chester, which also covered certain parishes in Lancashire. Records from some Lancashire parishes may therefore be present in the collection; it could be helpful to use the Historical Jurisdictions Map to locate pre-1851 parish boundaries.

Bishop’s transcripts contain more or less the same information as parish registers, so they can serve as a replacement when a parish register has been damaged, destroyed, or otherwise lost. Bishop's transcripts are often of value even when parish registers exist, as priests often recorded either additional or different information in their transcripts than they did in the original registers.

To learn more about the content and importance of bishop's transcripts, see the England Bishop's Transcriptspage.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
Birth records include:
 * Name of the child
 * Date and place of birth
 * Gender
 * Names of parents

Baptism records include:
 * Name of the child
 * Date and place of baptism
 * Names of parents

Marriage records include:
 * Name of the bride and groom
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Marital status
 * Age
 * Estimated birth years
 * Names of parents

Death records include:
 * Name of the deceased
 * Date and place of death
 * Gender
 * Age
 * Estimated birth year

Burial records include:
 * Name of the deceased
 * Date and place of burial
 * Age
 * Estimated birth year

Coverage Table
There is a  coverage table which makes a detailed account of the types and locations of records contained within this collection.

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching, it is best to know the following information:
 * Name of the person
 * Date range for the record

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?

 * Use the information which has been discovered to find more. For instance, use the estimated age given in a marriage or burial record to calculate an approximate year of birth, if that is yet undetermined
 * If in the appropriate period, use the information which has been discovered to find the individual in civil and census 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
 * If possible, look for the original image

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

 * When looking for an individual with a common name, look at all the search results before deciding which is the correct person
 * If listed, a personal title may be a clue to property ownership or occupation, either of which might have been listed under a middle name, a 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 scribes heard them. Pay attention to how the name should have been pronounced and try spelling variations that could have that pronunciation
 * Vary the search terms. For example, search by either the given name or surname to return broader list of results which can then be examined for matches. Try expanding the date range as well; 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
 * Search the records of nearby locations
 * The individual in question may not have records in the Church of England at all, but rather might have belonged to a nonconformist denomination. See the Cheshire Nonconformist Records page for more information

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

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, Cheshire Bishop's Transcripts, 1598-1900." Database. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : accessed 2017. Citing Church of England Record Office, Chester, England.
 * Collection Citation:

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