Norfolk Civil Registration

Introduction
When civil registration of births, marriages and deaths began in 1837, Norfolk was divided into a number of registration districts, each containing several parishes. There was a major reorganization of districts in 1935; thereby, many of the historical districts created in 1837 were replaced with new names and boundaries. Certificates can be obtained from district registrars in Norfolk as well as the General Register Office. There is a duplicate of the marriage certifcate in the parish registers where the marriage took place. There is no duplicate of a birth certificate or death certificate at the parish level. Consult the England Civil Registration page for an indepth understanding. The England 1851 Jurisdiction maps provide an interactive view of the parishes in relation to district boundaries.

Civil Registration Indexes
By identifying a person in the civil registration indexes, one is able to order a certificate from the General Register Office. There are many sites that provide access to the civil registration indexes. FreeBMD is a preferred site since it provides free access and it has an excellent search capacity. FreeBMD searches can be conducted on a district level, county level or national level. One also can search the district indexes in person at their offices. The General Register Office indexes do not correspond with the indexes at the district level.