Family History in Manchester
Births, Marriages, Deaths and Divorce
Please note that the closure of Manchester Archives and Local Studies will start to happen from 25 February as a result of Central Library's temporary closure for renovation and refurbishment in Spring 2010.
Information about Archives and Local Studies services while Central Library is closed.
More information about Central Library's temporary closure.
Before 1837
The civil registration of births, marriages and deaths in England and Wales began on 1 July 1837. For records before this date you will need to rely on church records.
National Index of Births, Marriages and Deaths for England and Wales
- Births, Marriages and Deaths 1837-1915 (fully name indexed) are available on-line at FreeBMD. This index is also available on Ancestry.com (subscription web site).
- Births, Marriages and Deaths 1915-2005 (fully name indexed) are available on Ancestry.com.
Free access to Ancestry Library Edition is available at Manchester Archives and Local Studies or any Manchester City Council library.
Microfiche version
Please note that we do not have microfiche copies of the National Index of Births, Marriages and Deaths. If you wish to view the index on microfiche in Manchester, it is available at the Greater Manchester County Record Office from 1837-2006. They also hold on microfiche:
- Provisional data for births and deaths for 2007
- Civil Partnerships Index 2005-2007
- Overseas Index: Births, Deaths and Marriages 1761-2006 (also available on-line at Findmypast)
- Adopted Children Index 1927-2007
Free access to findmypast is available at Manchester Archives and Local Studies.
Local Indexes
Each district register office in England and Wales has its own indexes, which tend to be more accurate than the national indexes, and can be accessed for a fee. However, free access to large sections of the indexes is available via the free web sites LancashireBMD and CheshireBMD. Although the indexes are not yet complete for all years and registration districts, the databases will eventually cover Lancashire and Cheshire births, marriages and deaths for the years 1837 to the present day.
Certificates
Once you have found the required entry from the index a copy of the original certificate can be purchased from the Manchester Register Office (for the City of Manchester), or from the appropriate district register office. However Manchester Register Office and the majority of district register offices will not supply marriage certificates if the church is not known.
Scotland
Statutory registers of Birth, Marriage and Death for Scotland 1855-2006 can be viewed on-line at Scotland's People [pay per view web site].
Divorce
We do not hold any divorce records, but Findmypast contains the index to Divorce and Matrimonial Causes 1858-1903. Free access to Findmypast is available at Manchester Archives and Local Studies.
The National Archives have produced a good guide on Divorce records.
Census information including scanned images.
Searchable on-line service of early non-conformist birth, marriage and death registers held at the National Archives.
Features an ever-growing number of local register office indexes of births, marriages and some deaths for Cheshire.
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Has the war graves database online, and offers the opportunity to find details of ancestors who died in combat. By clicking on 'Debt of Honour', you can search for those who died in World War One and later conflicts.
Cyndi Howell's website includes over 240,000 links to world-wide genealogical sources, although it has a strong American bias.
Enables people to search for baptism and marriage entries throughout the British Isles. Many of the local churches are covered, including Manchester Cathedral. By selecting 'Search for Ancestors', you can search the International Genealogical Index (IGI) either for all of the British Isles, or for a particular county, and also the 1881 UK census.
This website from the UK and Ireland Genealogical Information Service provides an excellent starting point for those beginning to research their family history. It offers information on places, libraries, archives, family history societies etc, for every UK county.
Features an ever-growing number of local register office indexes of births, marriages and some deaths for Lancashire.
Manchester and Lancashire Family History Society
Can assist those researching their family history in the Manchester and Lancashire areas.
Search the burial registers for Southern, Philips Park, Gorton, Manchester General and Blackley cemeteries.
Office for National Statistics
Via 'Births, Marriages and Deaths', this site gives up-to-date details on how to order birth, marriage and death certificates for England and Wales from 1837, and allows you to download application forms.
The Lancashire Online Parish Clerks Project
This project aims to extract and preserve the records from the various parishes and to provide online access to that data, free of charge. Transcripts of various parish registers are available on this web site.
Contact us or search the A-Z of Council Services.
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