Halesworth, Suffolk Genealogy

Guide to Halesworth, Suffolk ancestry, family history, and genealogy: parish registers, transcripts, census records, birth records, marriage records, and death records.

Parish History
HALESWORTH (St. Mary), a market-town and parish, in the union and hundred of Blything, E. division of Suffolk, 30½ miles (N. E. by N.) from Ipswich, and 101 (N. E.) from London. There are places of worship for Independents and Wesleyans.

Refer to the works listed in Suffolk Gazetteers or England Gazetteers for source material.

Resources
If you live in Suffolk you will have access to a variety of resources at local archives and libraries. For those who live further afield, one can access microfilm and online records at Family History Centres. Refer to and  in the FamilySearch Catalogue for available records.

Civil Registration
Halesworth was in Blything district. To search an index of Blything district records go to FreeBMD. The Suffolk Civil Registration article provides more details about these records. Civil Registration began in 1837. While the district had been created in 1837 for the purpose of recording births, deaths, and marriages, the Hundred had been in existence for hundreds of years for administrative, military, and judicial purposes.

Church records
Halesworth parish registers of christenings, marriages and burials are available online for the following years:

To find the names of the neighboring parishes, use England Jurisdictions 1851 Map. In this site, search for the name of the parish, click on the location "pin", click Options and click List contiguous parishes.

Records are also available at the Suffolk Record Office.

Cemetery: Municipal

 * Halesworth Cemetery Surname Index: Courtesy of the Waveney District Council

Census records
There are census records available for Halesworth from 1841 to 1911. Census records are available on a variety of subscription and other websites. If you need to consult the 1841 to 1891 census on microfilm, refer to in the catalogue. There is statistical data available for the census years 1801 to 1931 that records the number of houses, families, people, and other statistical data for every parish in Suffolk. Refer to the Suffolk Census wiki article for details about the Census.

Probate records
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Suffolk Probate Records to find the name of the court having primary jurisdiction. Scroll down in the article to the section Court Jurisdictions by Parish.

Maps and Gazetteers
Maps are a visual look at the locations in England. Gazetteers contain brief summaries about a place.


 * England Jurisdictions 1851
 * Vision of Britain