England, Devon, Parish Registers - FamilySearch Historical Records

Image Visibility
Whenever possible, FamilySearch makes images available for all users. However, ultimate rights to view images on our website are granted by the record custodians. The England, Plymouth and West Devon, Parish Registers collection is available to the Family History Library, FamilySearch Centers, and to members of the supporting organization, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The images can be viewed at a FamilySearch Center near you.

Record Description
This collection contains baptisms, marriages, and burials from parishes in West Devon. This collection was done in cooperation with FindMyPast, and a full version of the index can be found at www.findmypast.co.uk.

Church records are the main source for identifying people prior to 1837 when civil registration began. It is also a main source after 1837 in conjunction with civil registration. The Church of England was formed in 1536, after King Henry VIII severed all ties to the church in Rome. Each local parish was responsible to register all marriages, baptisms and burials starting in 1538. The governing of each parish created a group of records known as Parish chest records. The Church of England has dominated the religious scene in England; therefore it is likely that this is where you will find your ancestors. As time passes other religions began to organize and keep their own records. Those that did not belong to the Church of England were referred to as Nonconformists. The main influence of nonconformism was in larger towns and cities.

Parish registers often record only the marriage date and the names of the bride and groom. The records may also include the marital status and the parish of residence of both parties, the groom’s occupation, signatures of witnesses, and the minister’s name, especially after 1754. Starting in 1813, marital status and occupations may be given. Names of witnesses are also given.

Record Content
Baptism records usually contain the following information:


 * Date of baptism, sometimes with birth date
 * Child's name
 * Names of parents
 * Residence
 * Occupation of father

Marriage records usually contain the following information:


 * Full name of bride and groom
 * Maiden name of bride
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Names of witnesses
 * Age

Burial records usually contain the following information:


 * Name of deceased
 * Date of burial
 * Age in Years and Months
 * Occupation
 * Date of death
 * Place of death

How to Use the Record
To begin your search in the baptism records, it would be helpful if you knew the following information:


 * Names of parents
 * Approximate year and place of birth

To begin your search in the marriage records, it would be helpful if you knew the following information:


 * Name of bride or groom
 * Approximate year and place of marriage

To begin your search in the burial records, it would be helpful if you knew the following information:


 * Name of deceased
 * Approximate year and place of death

Search the Collection
To search the collection fill in the requested information in the boxes on the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the individuals in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to look at the information on several individuals comparing the information about them to your ancestors to make this determination.

As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor’s given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence and age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line video at FamilySearch Search Tips.

Using the Information
Use the birth year in the marriage and death records to search for baptism records.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?
If you can't find the information that you are looking for, consider the following to help you in your search:


 * Surnames are often found under unexpected spellings.
 * Events are filed by the date registered, not the date they occurred (for example, a birth on 20 March which was registered on 6 April will be in the April-May-June quarter).
 * Indexes were prepared by hand and may contain copying errors (for example, "T" for "F") or omissions.
 * A person may have been registered under a different name than he or she used later in life.
 * Some marriages were indexed by the name of only one spouse.
 * A woman’s surname in the marriage index may be her surname from a previous marriage.
 * Persons with common names may be difficult to identify in the index.
 * Some deaths were registered as "unknown."
 * A child born before the parents’ marriage may be registered under the mother’s maiden name.
 * Some children were registered as "male" or "female" if a name had not been selected before registration.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki 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.

Related Websites
Church of England Parish Registers on FindMyPast.co.uk

Related Wiki Articles

 * England
 * Church of England Parish Registers

Citations for This Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information (often called citing your sources). This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually.

Collection citation:

Record citation (or citation for the index entry):