Find burial records and monumental inscriptions for Wales

Start by searching an index
In Wales the coverage of the large indexes varies depending on the county. Most counties have done extensive indexing of burial records and monumental inscriptions.


 * National Burial Index: This index may work even if you do not know where the death or burial happened because it covers multiple counties. However, Wales is not well covered by the National Burial Index.
 * County indexes.
 * The International Genealogical Index (IGI): There are some entries for Wales with the event listed as "Will Making or Probating" rather than the normal birth/christening and marriage. Persons listed in the IGI with an event type "Will Making or Probating" were found listed in probate records. Use the batch number and source number to trace back to the original record which may provide death and burial place information or a clue on where to search for the burial record.

Identify where burials may have been for the date range being searched
The following sources can help identify the years when a burial ground may have existed;


 * Parish Registers of Wales
 * Nonconformist Registers of Wales
 * 1851 Religious Census

Search records for the parish where the family lived
People were usually buried in the parish where they lived. If you know the church or chapel a person attended start your search in the burial and monumental inscriptions for that place. If you do not find the burial or monumental inscription at the chapel or church where you expect it broaden your search. You should search all existing records for the parish where the person lived. You may need to expand your search even further since some people may have been buried a distance from where they were from or lived. The monumental inscriptions for one chapel near Swansea indicate that ten per cent of the people were Buried Away from Home.

Search records for the surrounding parishes
If you know the religious denomination the person or family belonged to you should search available records for that denomination first. It may even be helpful to prioritize your search based on the Chapel Pedigree. Families often attended one particular chapel until a split occurred then  might travel a distance to attend a new chapel. Consider the possibility that a burial may have been done at a graveyard distant from where a person lived but where they had a connection.

Return to the Wales Portal page