England, Middlesex, Westminster, Parish Registers - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains an index to and images of baptismal, marriage, and burial records from the area of Westminster in Middlesex for the years 1538-1912. This collection was done in cooperation with findmypast, and a full version of the index can be found at findmypast.

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.

Image Visibility
Whenever possible, FamilySearch makes images available for all users. However, rights to view images on our website are granted by the record custodians.

These images can be viewed online by members of the supporting organization(s), at a Family History Center near you, or the Family History Library. The images are also viewable to users who are part of the (enter the contributing organization here), and users who have contributed to the FamilySearch Indexing effort. Learn how to be a part of FamilySearch indexing here.

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

What Can These Records Tell Me?
Christening/Baptism records include:
 * Name of the child
 * Date and place of christening
 * May include name of parents

Marriage records include:
 * Names of the bride and groom
 * Date and place of marriage

Burial records include:
 * Name of the deceased
 * Date and place of burial
 * May include age and estimated birth year

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching, it is best to know the following information:
 * Name of the person
 * Date range for the record

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?

 * Make sure to look at an image of the original record, if possible. The online index entry only lists the most basic information from a record; the original may contain further information which was not included in the index
 * Save or print a copy of the image whenever possible
 * If you find a christening record, use the information to find a birth record
 * If the parents' names are listed, trace the family to censuses
 * If you find a marriage record, use the names of the bride and groom to find the new family in future censuses
 * If you find a burial record, use the date to look for a death record
 * Continue to search the index for people with the same surname to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives
 * Remember 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?

 * Try variations of given names and surnames. An individual might have been listed under a middle name, a nickname, or an abbreviation of their given name
 * Spelling was not standardized for much of the period of this collection, so names were often spelled as recorders heard them. Pay attention to how the name should have been pronounced and try spelling variations that could have that pronunciation
 * Vary the search terms. For example, search by either the given name or surname to return broader list of possible matches
 * 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

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, Middlesex, Westminster, Parish Registers, 1538-1912." Database with Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : accessed 2017. From "Parish registers 1539-1945." Database and images. findmypast. http://www.findmypast.com : n.d. Citing City of Westminster Archives Centre, London.
 * Collection Citation:

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