England, Hampshire Bishop's Transcripts - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in this Collection?
This collection consists of Anglican church records from the county of Hampshire for the years 1538-1980. Availability of records may vary by year and locality. Beginning in 1598, priests of the Church of England began to make copies of parish registers and send them to the archdeacon or bishop every year. The copies were named archdeacon’s or bishop’s transcripts, and resembled parish transcripts. Many priests stopped producing these transcripts with the beginning of civil registration in 1837, but they did not fully disappear until after 1870. As bishop’s transcripts generally contain more or less the same information as parish registers, they are an invaluable resource when parish records have been damaged, destroyed, or otherwise lost. However, because bishop's transcripts are copies of the original records, they are likely to contain errors.

Image Visibility
Whenever possible, FamilySearch makes images of digitized records available for all users. However, the rights to view images on this website are ultimately granted by the record custodians. Due to their restrictions, the images in this collection are not available for general viewing, but may be accessed by registered FamilySearch Patrons. Registration for a free FamilySearch account can be done here.

For additional information about image restrictions, please see the Restrictions for Viewing Images in FamilySearch Historical Record Collections page.

What Can This Collection Tell Me?
The following lists indicate potential information given in each type of record. It must be remembered that every record may not provide all the listed information, as the procedures for keeping parish records evolved considerably over the centuries after 1538. It must also be noted that individual parishes often developed record-keeping traditions unique to themselves.

Collection Content
This collection contains a mixture of baptismal, marriage, and burial records. Birth records are the most common in the collection, followed by burial records, with marriage records making up the smallest portion.

How Do I Search the Collection?

 * Name of the person
 * Approximate date of the event

View Images in This Collection by Visiting the Browse Page
If granted the rights to view the digitized records in this collection (see below), the images may be accessed by following this series of links: ⇒ Select Browse through images on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the appropriate  Record Type  to go to 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.

Some of the records in this collection may be written in an old script that can be challenging to read. Refer to BYU’s Script Tutorial for assistance with reading the records.

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

 * Make sure to transcribe and cite the index entry for future reference; see below for assistance in citing this collection.
 * Look at an image of the original record, if possible. The online index entry generally lists only the most basic identifying information for an individual; the original record may contain further information which was not included in the index. Save or print a copy of the image if possible.
 * Use the age listed in the record to estimate a year of birth.
 * Information found in the index may be useful when searaching [England Census]] and England Civil Registration records.
 * Use the information which has been discovered and locate the original parish record, if possible. See the Hampshire Parish Registers page for more information and search options.

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking for, What Now?
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 * When looking for a person with a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which individual is correct. Use other information, such as place of birth, age, occupation, or names of parents, to determine which candidate is the correct person. If listed, a personal title may be a clue to property ownership or occupation, either of which might be noted in other records.
 * Check for variants 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 they were pronounced. Pay attention to how the name should have been pronounced and try spelling variations that could have that pronunciation.
 * Some women reverted to their maiden names after the death of their husbands.
 * 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 the England Nonconformist Church Records page for more information.

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.

Collection Citation:

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