England, Cheshire Bishop's Transcripts - FamilySearch Historical Records

England Cheshire

This collection consists of bishop's transcripts from the county of Cheshire for the years 1538-2000.

Why Should I Look at This Collection?
Bishop’s transcripts contain more or less the same information as parish registers, so they can serve as a replacement when a parish register has been damaged, destroyed, or otherwise lost. Bishop's transcripts are often of value even when parish registers exist, as priests often recorded either additional or different information in their transcripts than they did in the original registers.

To learn more about the content and importance of bishop's transcripts, see the England Bishop's Transcripts page.

What Is in This Collection?
The collection contains and index to baptismal, marriage, and burial records.

Before 1847, Cheshire was overseen by the the Diocese of Chester, which also covered certain parishes in Lancashire. Records from some Lancashire parishes may therefore be present in the collection; it could be helpful to use the Historical Jurisdictions Map to locate pre-1851 parish boundaries.

Coverage Table
There is a  coverage table which makes a detailed account of the types and locations of records contained within this collection.

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching, it is best to know the following information: As you search, compare your results with this information to find a match.
 * Name of the person
 * Date range for the record

Search the Index

 * 1) Go to the collection page.
 * 2) Enter the requested information into the search box.
 * 3) Click Search to return a list of possible matches.

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

 * Copy down all the information in the index entry.
 * Do not forget to cite the record; see below for help citing records in this collection.
 * Use the information which has been discovered to find more. For instance, use the estimated age given in a marriage or burial record to calculate an approximate year of birth, if that is yet undetermined.
 * If in the appropriate period, use the information which has been discovered to find the individual in civil records. Particularly useful for research in nineteenth-century England are the England Census and Civil Registration records.
 * Continue to search the index to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives. Note that family members often appear on an individual's vital records, such as in the role of witnesses to a marriage.

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

 * 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. Transcription errors could occur in any handwritten record; also, it was not uncommon for an individual be listed under a nickname or an abbreviation of their name, especially in church records. See Abbreviations Found in Genealogy Records for examples of common abbreviations. Note that some women reverted to their maiden name when their husband died, and therefore could be buried under their maiden name.
 * Vary the search terms. For example, search by either the given name or surname to return broader list of possible candidates which can then be examined for matches. Alternatively, try expanding the date range; this is especially useful in searching baptismal records, as it was not unusual for a child to be baptized weeks or even months after birth.
 * Search the records of nearby parishes. While it was uncommon for an individual in this period to move more than about 20 miles from their place of birth, smaller relocations were not uncommon. For this particular collection, this step may require finding records in the bordering English counties of Lancashire to the north, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire or Shropshire to the south, or in the Welsh counties of Denbighshire and Flintshire to the west. Note that marriages usually took place in the parish where the bride resided.
 * Look at the actual image of the record to verify the information found in the online description, if possible.
 * Some parish records might have been lost over time. If possible, use the Bishop's Transcripts as a substitute.
 * 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 England Nonconformist Church Records for more information.

For additional help searching online collections see FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached 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
Citing sources correctly makes it easier to refer back to information that has already been discovered; proper citations are therefore key to keeping track of genealogical research. Correct citations also allow others to check completed research by helping them find and examine records for themselves.

Following are the proper citations for this collection as well as for individual records within the collection:

Collection Citation: "England, Cheshire Bishop's Transcripts, 1598-1900." Database. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : accessed 2017. Citing Church of England Record Office, Chester, England.

Bishop's Transcripts Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):