Wales, Monmouthshire, Parish Registers - FamilySearch Historical Records

Wales Monmouthshire

What is in the Collection?
This collection contains church records from the Welsh county of Monmouthshire for the period 1538-1912.. This collection was done in cooperation with FindMyPast, and a full version of the index can be found at findmypast.

In its most basic sense, a parish register is a record of religious ordinances performed in the Church of England. Beginning in 1538, every parish priest was required to write down certain information about every baptism (officially termed “christening” in Anglican use), marriage, and burial that took place in his parish over the course of each year. He was then supposed to bind these pages into a single volume, thereby annually producing a comprehensive history of his ministerial efforts. After 1754, a new law required that marriages be recorded in a separate book, and banns—public proclamations of a couple’s intent to marry—were to be recorded in yet another book. Starting in 1812, pre-printed registers were introduced, and separate registers were then kept for baptisms, marriages, and burials. It should also be noted that many parish records were not kept during the Interregnum, 1649-1660, due to temporary changes in the hierarchy of the Church of England.

Due to this long and relatively stable tradition, parish registers are central to Welsh genealogical research as they are often one of the only sources for finding families and individuals before the start of civil registration in 1837.

Located in the Welsh borderlands, Monmouthshire was long considered by many as an English county until a governmental act in 1974 finally confirmed its Welsh status. For a list of parishes which historically made up Monmouthshire, please see the Monmouthshire Parishes page.

How Do I Search the Collection?
Before beginning a search in these records, it is best to know the full name of the individual in question, as well as an approximate time range for the desired record. When entered into the search engine on the Collection Page, this information provides the quickest, most reliable path to finding the correct person. Of course, other information can be substituted as necessary.

Search by name by visiting the Collection Page: Fill in the requested information in the initial search page to return a list of possible matches. Compare the individuals on the list with what is already known to find the correct family or person. This step may require examining multiple individuals before a match is located.

Known Issues with This Collection
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