[restornu]

More than 400 Years
of London Church Records

Did you know that until 1763, you only had to be 12 (girls) or 14 (boys) to marry in London? That 20% of London’s population was killed by a second Black Plague in the 1600s? That during the first year of WWI, marriages in London increased by 32%?

Take a walk through the pages of London’s history in more than 400 years of parish registers, extending all the way back to the 1500s. Or, use these church records to take the next step back in your discovery-since churches were keeping records long before governments were.

Find where your ancestors were born, their parents’ names and the dates of important life events.

[tutstar]

gnip...

[unkus]

Thanks for posting.

[LiteKeeper]

SITREP

[Tainan]

And the great thing about these records is...they are written in ENGLISH.....sort of....

[Mila]

Apart from being extremely interesting and informative, I was very impressed by the form and clarity of the handwriting found in these old documents. Great post!

[onedoug]

Soul of the age!
The applause ! delight ! the wonder of our stage!
My SHAKSPEARE rise ! I will not lodge thee by
Chaucer, or Spenser, or bid Beaumont lie
A little further, to make thee a room :
Thou art a monument without a tomb.... --Ben Jonson

[Marysecretary]

I’ve had wonderful luck finding my Norwegian ancestors on Norway Heritage and Norway Rootsweb. There are thousands of census, birth and baptism, marriage and death records in the churchbooks there. I found many listers/volunteers who were willing to help me on this bittersweet journey I’m on to write my family history. It was amazing how much information they looked up for me.

[elpadre]

Interestingly enough, the C of E churches in America (now Episcopal) continued the practice after the Revolution and courts until the modern era would accept church records of the Episcopal Church in deference to government records. Modern rectors do not seem to realize the importance of good record keeping and the practice has become quite sloppy, IMO.