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What's available
Indexes for England and Wales
Births, marriages and deaths can be found at Ancestry (1837 to 2005), Findmypast (1837 to 2006) or FreeBMD (1837 to 1983, incomplete). Free access to Ancestry and findmypast is available at any of our libraries.
On microfiche
Indexes available on microfiche at Central Library for:
- births for England and Wales, 2006 to 2023 and provisional index up to March quarter 2024
- deaths from 2006 to 2023 and provisional index up to March quarter 2024
- marriages from 2006 to 2022
- civil partnerships from 2005 to 2023
- adopted children up to 2022
Drop in and see us; there's no need to book.
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. Free access to large sections of the indexes are on free web sites Lancashire BMD and Cheshire BMD. If the desired record is located in Manchester then we would suggest you order through our website.
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. The Lancashire BMD now includes all pre 1915 births and marriages and 90 per cent of pre 1915 deaths. The easiest way to buy a copy certificate is online using a reference number from Lancashire BMD if available, or use the district, year and quarter of registration.
Indexes for Scotland
Statutory registers of birth, marriage and death for Scotland 1855 to 2006 can be viewed online at Scotland's People (fees apply).
Divorce
We do not hold any divorce records, but findmypast contains the index to divorce and matrimonial causes 1858 to 1903. Free access is available at any of our libraries.
The National Archives have produced a good guide on divorce records.
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Once you've found the record you need, you can: