England, Bristol Parish Registers - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This collection is an index of parish registers from the Church of England in Essex county, 1538 to 1900. The registers contain birth, marriage, and death records.

Church of England parish registers are the most reliable and accurate family history source for the time period before July 1837, when the government instituted the civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths. Even for later dates, however, parish registers continue to play an important role because they are often more readily available than civil registers. Parish registers are one of the best sources for identifying individuals and connecting them to parents, spouses, and other generations. Information in parish registers and bishops’ transcripts can be verified against each other.

The FamilySearch Wiki contains detailed background on Church of England Parish Registers.

A list of the parishes and events included in this collection are found at: England Bristol Church of England Parish Registers and Bishops Transcripts Coverage Table

Record Content
Baptism records may contain the following information:


 * Name and gender of child
 * Date of baptism
 * Place of baptism
 * Parents' names
 * List of witnesses

Marriage records may contain the following information:


 * Marriage date
 * Place of marriage
 * Name and age of bride
 * Name and age of groom
 * Residence of bride
 * Residence of groom
 * Marital status of bride and groom
 * Parents' names
 * Names of witnesses

Burial records may contain the following information:


 * Name and gender of deceased
 * Age of deceased
 * Residence
 * Marital Status
 * Date and place of death
 * Cause of death
 * Name of parents or spouse of deceased

How to Use the Record
To search for a person in the Church of England parish registers it is helpful to know the following information:


 * Where the person lived and the corresponding parish
 * When the person lived--if you do not know the time period, you can estimate it from what you know of more recent generations

Search the Collection
To search the collection by name: Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors 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 several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

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

Using the Information

 * Use the age to approximate the person’s birth year and to find the baptismal record.
 * Baptism or christening records list the parents’ names, making it possible for you to connect your ancestor to an earlier generation.
 * After 1812, baptismal records list a place of residence, making it easier to identify your family by where they lived. Use this information to search for census and other records.
 * Marriage records sometimes state the residence of the bride and groom. You can use this information to look for their baptism records and to identify their children.
 * Banns indicate the bride and groom's parish of residence. This information often leads to the records of another parish.
 * You can search for the baptisms of the bride and groom in their parishes of residence since these might also be the parishes where they were born.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * Be aware the Residence field may have the place hierarchy backward with the parish and town being in reverse order.
 * After 1812 and sometimes before, burial records include the age of the deceased.
 * If the deceased is a child, the parents’ names might be given. This information helps to extend your family another generation.
 * Sometimes the groom’s occupation is listed, which could help you find more records about the groom. Marriage records after 1754 list the names of witnesses, who were often family members.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?
Bishops’ transcripts are a backup source for parish registers that are missing or illegible. If possible, you may want to search both the parish registers and the bishops’ transcripts since one is a handwritten copy of the other and might contain differences.

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

 * Bristol Maps
 * Bristol History
 * England and Wales History Links
 * England and Wales Historic Maps

Related Wiki Articles

 * Bristol
 * Bristol Record Office
 * England
 * England Church Records

Citations for This Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):