England, Kent, Canterbury Parish Registers - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains indexed baptism, marriage, and burial records from the city of Canterbury for the years 1538-1986. The records were filmed at the Canterbury Cathedral Archives, and the index is being created by findmypast.com.

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.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Collection Content
For additional details about these records and help using them see England Parish Registers - FamilySearch Historical Records

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * Name of the person
 * Approximate date of the event

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?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * If you found a christening record, search for birth information in the civil registration
 * Use the information found in christening and marriage registers to look for families in the census records
 * Continue to search the index for individuals with the same surname

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

 * Note that family members often appear on an individual's vital records, such as in the role of witnesses to a marriage
 * 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 scribes 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, expand the date range or search by either the given name or surname to return broader list of search results
 * Search the records of nearby parishes. For this collection, nearby parishes could include other Kent parishes outside Canterbury. See the Kent Parishes page for more information
 * Search in neighboring counties
 * Essex to the north
 * London and Surrey to the west
 * East Sussex to the south
 * 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

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in England.
 * England Guided Research
 * England Record Finder
 * England Research Tips and Strategies

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.

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