England, Derbyshire, 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 county of Derbyshire for the years 1537-1918. The original records are held at the Derbyshire Record Office. Availability of records may vary by year and locality.

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.

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 These Records Tell Me?
Christening records include:
 * Name of the child
 * Date and place of christening
 * Gender

Some records may include:
 * Names of the parents

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

Some records may include:
 * Marital status
 * Age
 * Birth year
 * Names of parents

Burial records include:
 * Name of the deceased
 * Date and place of burial

Some records may include:
 * Age
 * Date of birth
 * Gender
 * Names of parents

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

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select County
 * 2) Select Town, Parish/Church
 * 3) Select Event Type and Year Range to view 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. Keep track of your research in a research log.

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

 * If possible, look at an image of the original record. 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 information
 * If you find a birth record, look for the individual in census records
 * If you find a birth record, estimate a possible marriage date and look for marriages in the civil registration
 * If you find a marriage record, look for the new family in future censuses
 * Continue to search the index 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
 * 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, surname, or expand the date range to return broader list of possible matches
 * Keep in mind in searching baptismal records, that it was not unusual for a child to be baptized weeks or even months after birth
 * Search the records of nearby parishes. For this particular collection, this step may require finding records in the bordering English counties of Cheshire and Staffordshire to the west, Lancashire and Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire to the east, or Warwickshire to the south. If researching in the mid-nineteenth century or later, an extensive search of records from the city of Manchester might be necessary, especially if the individual was in the northwestern part of Derbyshire
 * The individual in question may not have records in the Church of England at all, but rather might have belonged to a nonconformist denomination

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, Derbyshire, Church of England Parish Registers, 1537-1918." Database. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : accessed 2017. Citing Church of England Record Office, Matlock.
 * Collection Citation:

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