Channel Islands Church Records

Online Records

 * 1638-1838 Transcripts of the digest copy of the registers of births, marriages and burials, 1638-1838 (Society of Friends) at FamilySearch Catalog(*) - images
 * 1787-1933 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1820-1907 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index; Also at: Ancestry ($), Findmypast ($), MyHeritage ($)
 * The Island Wiki, Baptism, marriage and burials records database, index, complete.
 * Channel Islands, Jersey Births and Baptisms at MyHeritage - index ($)

For information about records for non-Christian religions in the Channel Islands, go to the Religious Records page.

Definition
Parish registers are a prime source for information about vital events (christening, birth, marriage, death and burial) in an individual's life. The marriage records for the Church of England parishes on Guernsey are not recorded in civil registration until 1920, therefore this is the only source for this information.

Time Coverage
Time period: 1560's to present.

Information Contents

 * Christening/birth: date and place; name of child and parents;
 * Marriage: date and place; names of couple;
 * Death/burial: date and place; name of deceased.

Parish Chest
The parishes in the Channel Islands served both a civil and ecclesiastical function. These particular records relate to their civil responsibilities. Poor records, bastardy, rate books, churchwardens accounts, vestry minutes and censuses will be found in these records.

Contents:
 * names;
 * parentage;
 * relationships;
 * birthplaces;
 * population movement;
 * census of locality;
 * lists of residences;
 * poor law documents;
 * parentage of illegitimate children.

Locating the Records

 * Church of England registers are in local custody and on Jersey a copy of the registers are on file with the Superintendent Registrar.
 * Nonconformist records are in local custody and on Guernsey a collection is held by the Royal Court. See A guide to Civil and Parish Registers and Census records

Jersey Archive Holdings
Jersey Archive holds records from the Church of England, Catholic, Methodist, Independent Church and the Ecclesiastical Court.

Church of England Records from 1540 – 1915 for baptisms and 1540 – 1940 for marriages and burials have now been digitized and are available at Jersey, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1540-1812.

Church of England
The archive holds the parish registers of these Church of England parishes: St Helier, St Clement, St Martin, St Saviour, St Mary, St Ouen, St Matthew, St Simon, St Andrew, St Marks, Grouville, St Brelade, St Lawrence, St John, St Peter, Trinity, Gouray, All Saints, St Luke and St James.

Roman Catholic
The Archive holds the baptism, marriage and burial records of the following Roman Catholic Churches; St Thomas’, St Mary and St Peters, St Matthew’s, Sacred Heart, St John and St Anthony Chapel (baptisms only) and St Anne’s (baptisms only). There are also indexes for the St Thomas’ records available to order. These records have not been digitized.

Methodist
The Archive also holds baptism, marriage and burial registers for the majority of Methodist Chapels in the Island. The Methodist collection also contains lists of Sunday School attendees, membership lists and class books which can prove useful for the family historian. Early registers appear within the Circuit records and then later within individual chapels and span the years 1836 – 1989. These records have not been digitized.

Independent
Records are also held for the following Independent Churches; Halkett Place Evangelical Church – Registers from 1809 – 1947, New Church Society – Registers from 1844 – 1987, United Reformed Church – Registers from 1827 – 1965, Jersey Baptist Church and the Presbyterian Church. These records have not been digitized.

Priaulx Library
See A guide to Civil and Parish Registers and Census records at the Priaulx Library. See '''Research at the Priaulx Library.