England, Manchester, Parish Registers - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains an index to and images of baptism, marriage, and burial records from the Diocese of Manchester for the years 1603-1910. The records are held at the Manchester Archives. The parishes are mainly from the historic county of Lancashire, with a few parishes from Cheshire and Yorkshire.

For most of the period of this collection, the area around Manchester fell under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Diocese of Chester, but in 1847, the Diocese of Manchester was created. With the creation of this new diocese, many parish boundaries changed. To learn more about these changes, see the Cheshire Parishes and Lancashire Parishes pages, as well as the England Jurisdictions 1851 page. The Manchester Collegiate Church page also offers insight into the jurisdiction of the area.

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

Marriage records include:
 * Names of the bride and groom
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Gender
 * Marital status
 * Names of parents

Burial records include:
 * Name of the deceased
 * Date and place of burial
 * Gender
 * Age
 * Estimated birth year
 * Father's name

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * Name of the person
 * Approximate date of the event

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select County
 * 2) Select Town (with Parish)
 * 3) Select Event Type and Year Range to view the images.

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 estimated age to calculate a birth date
 * A birth record may note the mother’s age. Use her age to calculate her estimated birth year
 * Sometimes marriage records note the names of the bride and groom’s parents. Use this information to extend your pedigree a generation
 * Use the estimated age at death or burial to calculate an approximate birth year
 * Continue to search the index and records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may also have been living in the same area

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

 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct
 * Check for variant spellings of the names
 * Search the records of nearby localities (counties, parishes, etc.)
 * Try alternative search methods such as only filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then click on search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You can then browse the list for individuals that may be your ancestor
 * If your ancestor used multiple names throughout their life, look for all their names

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.

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, Lancashire, Cheshire, Yorkshire, Parish Registers, 1603-1910." Database with images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : accessed 2017. Citing Church of England. Archives Central Library, Manchester.
 * Collection Citation:

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