England, Sussex, Parish Registers - FamilySearch Historical Records

England Sussex

This collection consists of parish registers from the county of Sussex for the years 1538-1910.

Why Should I Look at This Collection?
Parish registers have been kept at the local level across England since the mid-1500s. Due to this long and relatively stable tradition, these records are central to English genealogical research as they are often one of the only sources for finding families and individuals in England before the start of civil registration in 1837.

To learn more about parish registers, please see the England Parish Registers page.

What is in the Collection?
These parish registers were acquired from the East and West Sussex Record Offices under multiple projects.

Coverage Table
The coverage tables for this collection describe which the locations, types, and years of available records in this collection. Due to number of parishes included, the coverage information is presented according to the first letter of the name of the parish:


 * Sussex parishes beginning with A


 * Sussex parishes beginning with B


 * Sussex parishes beginning with C


 * Sussex parishes beginning with D-E


 * Sussex parishes beginning with F


 * Sussex parishes beginning with G-H


 * Sussex parishes beginning with I-L


 * Sussex parishes beginning with M-O


 * Sussex parishes beginning with P


 * Sussex parishes beginning with R


 * Sussex parishes beginning with S


 * Sussex parishes beginning with T-U


 * Sussex parishes beginning with W-Y

Parish Coverage
Parishes intended to be indexed in both East and West Sussex are included in the following pages: Parishes in Hove are explained in Hove, Sussex. Additional Church development in Worthing and other parishes in the town is explained in Worthing, Sussex.
 * Arundel, Sussex
 * Battle, Sussex
 * Brighton Chapel Royal, Sussex
 * Brighton Holy Trinity, Sussex
 * Brighton St John the Evangelist, Sussex B
 * righton St John the Evangelist, Sussex
 * Brighton St Nicholas, Sussex
 * Brighton St Peter, Sussex
 * Brighton St Stephen, Sussex
 * Bexhill St Peter, Sussex
 * West Blatchington, Sussex
 * Chichester All Saints, Sussex
 * Chichester St Andrew, Sussex
 * Chichester St Bartholomew, Sussex
 * Chichester St Martin, Sussex
 * Chichester St Olave, Sussex
 * Chichester St Pancras, Sussex
 * Chichester St Paul, Sussex
 * Chichester St Peter the Great, Sussex
 * Chichester St Peter the Less, Sussex
 * Cuckfield, Sussex
 * Dallington, Sussex
 * East Grinstead, Sussex
 * Hastings All Saints, Sussex
 * Hastings St Mary in the Castle, Sussex
 * Hastings St Clement, Sussex
 * Horsham, Sussex
 * Horsham Holy Trinity, West Sussex
 * Horsham St Leonard, West Sussex
 * Kingston by Sea, Sussex
 * Midhurst, Sussex
 * Petworth, Sussex
 * Rotherfield, Sussex
 * Rye, Sussex
 * Seaford, Sussex
 * Storrington, Sussex
 * West Dean, Sussex
 * Westbourne, Sussex
 * Worthing St Andrew, Sussex
 * Worthing St Paul, Sussex

The 207 parishes of East Sussex and 223 parishes of West Sussex included in the Online Parish Clerks database for Sussex are being included in the FamilySearch Research wiki pages. For further information about Sussex Online Parish Clerks (OPC) visit Sussex Online Parish Clerks(OPC) which is a free online database volunteer effort to transcribe not only parish register material but all types of records for the two counties.

The Family Search Research Wiki pages also contain references to the existing volunteer effort in East and West Sussex by local Wikipedia contributors over the last decade to provide details of places of worship in both counties which may assist research. These include demolished or disused places of worship and reflect the diverse use of worship buildings to the present day.

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching, it is best to know the following information: As you search, compare your results with this information to find a match.
 * Name of the person
 * Date range for the record

Search the Index

 * 1) Go to the collection page.
 * 2) Enter the requested information into the search box.
 * 3) Click Search to return a list of possible matches.

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

 * Copy down all the information in the index entry.
 * Do not forget to cite the record; see below for help citing records in this collection.
 * Look at an image of the original record. The online index entry only lists the most basic information found in a record; the original may contain further information which was not included in the index. Save or print a copy of the image whenever possible.
 * If in the appropriate period, use the information which has been discovered to find the individual in civil records. Particularly useful for research in nineteenth-century England are the England Census and civil registration records.
 * 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 an individual with a common name, look at all the search results before deciding which is the correct person. Use other information, such as place of birth, age, occupation, or names of parents, to help with this decision. If listed, a personal title may be a clue to property ownership or occupation, either of which might be noted in other records.
 * Try variations of given names and surnames. An individual might appear under a different name in a record for a variety of reasons:
 * An individual might have been listed under a middle name, nickname, or abbreviation of their given name.
 * Spelling was not standardized for much of the period of this collection, so names were often spelled as recorders heard them. Pay attention to how the name should have been pronounced and try spelling variations that could have that pronunciation.
 * Some women returned to their maiden names after the death of their husbands.
 * Vary the search terms. For example, search by either the given name or surname to return broader list of possible matches. Try expanding the date range as well.
 * Search the records of nearby parishes. While it was uncommon for an individual in this period to move more than about 20 miles from their place of birth, smaller relocations were not uncommon. For this collection, nearby locations include the bordering counties of Hampshire, Surrey, and Kent.
 * 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 England Nonconformist Church Records for more information.

For additional help searching online collections see FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

Citing This Collection
Citing sources correctly makes it easier to refer to information which has already been found, so proper citations are key to keeping track of research. Correct citations also allow others to check completed research by helping them find and examine records for themselves.

Below are the proper citations to use for this collection as well as for individual records within the collection:

Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):