Manchester City Council

Tracing family history is an increasingly popular hobby. However, sometimes it can become a very complicated and time-consuming process. Here at the register office we receive countless enquiries from all over the world, not all of which we can provide answers to, but these are some frequently asked questions.

What information would I need to obtain a birth, marriage or death certificate?

If you are applying for a less recent entry (that is pre 1927 for births, pre 1950 for deaths and marriages) you will need to inform us of the name or names on the certificate, year, quarter and registration district.

Where can I find the information?

In order to obtain this information you will need to search the General Registration Indices (also known as St. Catherine's House Indices). These indices are held at numerous locations including libraries, family history centres and record offices around the UK as well as in Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

Can I obtain from your office a certificate of a birth, marriage or death that occurred outside Manchester?

Unfortunately not. Records of births, marriages and deaths are always held in the district where the event took place and can only be issued from the local office. Manchester Register Office holds records for the City of Manchester. This does not include Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and other areas of Greater Manchester.

Can I trace a long lost relative?

At the Register Office, we only keep records of births, deaths and marriage and the details given at the time of those events. We do not keep updated records of a person's whereabouts. Try contacting the electoral register for the district covering the person's last known address. Alternatively, telephone directories can sometimes be useful.

Can anyone come into the office for a certificate?

Yes, as long as they have the information necessary to find the entry. We do not need to see any identification.

Copy certificates for Family History

In cases which require extended searching, e.g. family history searches, it may be necessary to post certificates on to you. We have had a large increase in family History applications following programmes like 'Who do you think you are?' and 'You don't know you're born'.

As a result we are unable to provide a same day service for family history certificates. We will accept your applications with a cheque or credit card details and a daytime telephone number.

We will endeavour to contact you with the results of our search within one week of your application being submitted.

To avoid unnecessary travel, why not use our credit card line on 0161 234 5535 or use the postal service. Thank you for your patience.

For what dates do you hold records?

Civil registration of births, deaths and marriage started on 1 July 1837 and our records are complete from this date to the present day. Before this date, baptisms, burials and marriages were recorded by the churches where they took place.

Many of the church records for Manchester Diocese prior to 1837 are held by Manchester Archives and Local Studies at Manchester Central Library which publishes a list of their church register holdings

Where can I get help tracing my family history?

There are many people interested in family history (or genealogy as it is also called), and many groups and organisations that can help. Try visiting your local library and take a look at some of the books written on the subject. Alternatively, you can conduct a search on the internet (but be warned! Prepare for thousands of search results), or take a look at the website for the Manchester and Lancashire Family History Society.

Many thanks to Manchester and Lancashire Family History Society for their assistance in putting this page together.

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