A Hand List of Online England County-wide Indexes


This list provides the largest and most powerful ‘finding’ sources county by county for online indexed or transcribed *CMBs (christenings, marriages and burials) in England. The websites below show county-wide coverage for each county which are currently available to England family history researchers.


This code key is for the County List of best websites (below):

• FS – FamilySearch.org
• FMP -  FindMyPast.co.uk
• AC - Ancestry.co.uk
• OPC – Lancashire, Sussex, Warwickshire, etc., “Online Parish Clerk”; Google to find
• Joiner MI – Joiner Marriage Index; see at www.joinermarriageindex.org.uk ($)
• FHS – Family History Society; Google to find website by county name
• Soc. Gen. – Society of Genealogists, London; see at www.sog.org.uk ($)
• TheGenealogist or TG – see at www.TheGenealogist.co.uk ($)
• FreeReg – see at www.FreeReg.org.uk
• BMI - Boyd’s Marriage Index - now located on FMP (see above)

County List - best websites with church record databases for finding ancestry:

Bedfordshire:  FS – 1.2m or nearly 98% county coverage
Berkshire:  FS – has abt 1.2m (70% co. coverage);FMP – 1.1m
Buckinghamshire:  FS – has abt 1.2m or nearly 50% county coverage;FMP – 2.1m Buckinghamshire county archive has some 
       marriage licences online;
Cambridgeshire:  Cambridgeshire FHS – CDs for 100% co. to 1900; CDs available also at FHL); FS 1.9m - ~70% coverage for co.; 
      Freereg – 46%; Boyds Marr Indx – 85% at FMP
Cheshire:  FS – 9m ~70% coverage; Cheshire Parish Reg. (CMBs) Proj (31 parishes only); Ancestry – 5m; FMP – 6.5m
Cornwall:  FS – 1.6m (80%);OPC – 1.9m (85+%); BMI. – 80%; FreeReg – 85% (mostly marriages)
Cumberland:  FS – has 1.5m (80+% county coverage)
Derbyshire:  FMP – 5.3m 85% and FS – 4.9m 75%; Ancestry – 6.4m
Devonshire: FMP – 7m and FS – 4m—abt 50% coverage; FHL also has some parish register transcripts
Dorsetshire:  FS – 8.6m; FMP – 3.6m, & Ancestry.com – 7.7m; theGenealogist – 1.5m
Durham:  FS – 80+% county coverage; FMP – 3.6m;www.durhamrecordsonline.com; Freereg – 74% theGenealogist – 1.8m;
Essex: FS – 3.4m; Ancestry – abt 2.2m entries; theGenealogist – 2.5m; FMP – 700k;also Essex Rec. Office (SEAX) online has images
      of PRs but no transcriptions;
Gloucestershire: Ancestry.com – 10.2m; FS – 3.4m; Avon FHS CDs; Gloucestershire archives: http://ww3.gloucestershire.gov.uk 
      /genealogy/Search.aspx
Hampshire: theGenealogist – 3.2m FS has 4.2m (part. pre-1750);FMP – 2.9m FMP; Hants Record Office marriage index (mostly
      complete); Freereg – abt 30% coverage;
Herefordshire:  FS – has over 80+% county coverage up to 1880; Bertram Merrell Marr. Index (on microfiche at FHL); Herefordshire
      FHS – marrs 1538-1957; burials- 1813-1839
Hertfordshire: FS – has nearly 90% or 1.8m up to 1875; FMP – 1.8m
Huntingdonshire:  FS – 1.4m; FMP has 228k burials
Kent: FS 8.2m East Kent & West Kent FHS has CDs with abt 70% marrs. coverage; and FMP – 2.2m or most of East Kent; 
      Ancestry – 2.m
Lancashire: FS 21m, incl Mchstr;  Ancestry – 12.6m, incl Mnchstr; incl Liverpool RCs – 2.4m; Lanc OPC  8m; Freereg – 30%  FMP –  
      1.7m Manchester
Leicestershire:  Leicestersh. Fam. H. Soc.CDs - 70% cov; FS – 1.1m or 40%; FMP – 3.5m
Lincolnshire:  FS – 6.25m or abt 85+%; Freereg – 82% coverage; FMP – 4.5m
London [City of]: FS abt 90+%; Ancestry.co.uk – abt same
Middlesex:  Ancestry.co.uk – 27.4+ million (~60+%, largest online; Westminster mostly excluded); plus Pallots Marriage Index – 
      1780-1837 (80%); Docklands ancestors – abt 1m entries for Greater London’s East-end parishes of Middlesex; FS – 5 million
      entries; Westminster only--FS - 1.8m; FMP 5.4m for Westminster.
Monmouthshire:  FS – 5.1m; FMP ~1m 
Norfolk:  Ancestry – 8.5m; FreeReg.org.uk - nearly 75% coverage; FS – 4.5m; FMP – 4.3m; thegenealogist – 3.6m, completing rest of 
      county by 2017; Genealogy.doun.org has abt 300k PR/BTs entries; see also Tinstaafl
Northamptonshire: Northamptonshire R.O. has marriage index; Northhants FHS published BMB indexes on CDs - see at 
      www.familyhistorynorthants.co.uk; Ancestry – 7.6m; Freereg –  71% coverage; FS – FHL has CDs
Northumberland:  FS – 2.9m or 85+% coverage; FMP – 2.3m; Joiner MI; Freereg – 80% coverage; theGenealogist – abt 2+m
Nottinghamshire:  Ancestry – 4.3m; FS – 1.8m (70%);freereg - 90% cov.FMP – 2.2m; more TG – 1m
Oxfordshire: AC – 4.3m; FS – abt 366k or ~08% coverage; Oxford FH Soc. (see their website) has numerous parishes transcription
      publications for sale
Rutlandshire:  LRFHS.org.uk has numerous CDs available; FS abt 100k or 25% coverage for county;  FMP - ~361k
Shropshire:; FMP – 3.9m (has most burials) FS – 2m (~50%, some burials)
Somerset:  FreeReg.org.uk – has nearly 85% county coverage; Ancestry 7m; FS -  30% or 2m; FMP – 5m­; theGenealogist – ~1m
Staffordshire:  FS – 9.6m or 85+% coverage; FMP – 4.6m; Freereg – 3.2.m
Suffolk: Suffolk FHS CDs - ~60% coverage (by deanery name), burials completed; FS ~65+% (10m);  (Boyd’s Marriage Index or BMI –  
      33%) (avail. on FMP) FMP – 1m
Surrey: Ancestry – 3.8m; FS – 3.7m or abt 70+% coverage; FMP has 500k
Sussex:  FS – 5.8+m coverage; Sussex OPC - many parishes completed; Burchall Marr index - E. Sussex; Leeson Marriage Index – 
      on CDs; FMP – 1.2m ;theGenealogist – 3m
Warwickshire: Ancestry – 6.4m; FS – 4.6m; FMP – 4.9m; Warwickshire OPC has indexed many parishes; Freereg – 56% coverage;
Westmorland:  FS – largest databases for county with 70+% coverage or 1.2m
Wiltshire:  FMP – 5.1m; FS – 3m or nearly 50% coverage; Nimrod Marriage Index is complete; Freereg – 80% - mostly marriages; 
     Ancestry – 3m; more in Summer of ‘17
Worcestershire:  FS – nearly 75% coverage or 2.5m; see Birmingham and Midland Society publications; theGenealogist – 2.1m+ 
     entries 
Yorkshire: Ancestry.co.uk – 11.8m PRs/5.8m BTs – tot. 17.6m; FS – 12.1m; FMP – 21.4m; Joiner Marriage Index – 2m+; Sheffield
     Indexers – partial data, no post-1754 entries for Cath

Wales CMBs:  FS.org – 7.5m; see below; FMP – 8.1m (abt 65%)- see under name of co.)

§  Anglesey: FMP – 502,000; FS.org – 301,000
§  Breconshire: FMP – 304,000; FS.org – 313,000
§  Denbighshire:  FMP – 892,000; FS.org – 819,000
§  Caernarvonshire: FMP – 404,000; FS.org – 227,000
§  Cardiganshire: FMP – 151,000; FS.org – 200,000
§  Carmarthenshire: FMP – 590,000; FS.org – 702,000
§  Flintshire: FMP – 628,000; FS.org – 657,000
§  Glamorganshire: FMP – 2.1m; FS.org – 2.3m
§  Merionethshire: FMP – 293,000; FS.org – 191,000
§  Monmouthshire: FMP – 617,000: FS.org – 550,000
§  Montgomeryshire: FMP – 993,000: FS.org – 593,000
§  Pembrokeshire: FMP – 495,000; FS.org – 539,000
§  Radnorshire: FMP – 145,000; FS.org – 150,000

·   Wiki.familysearch.org – look under single parish name, or County’s List of Parish’s on County page. Scroll to “Church Records”; then click links to parish records online

British Navy/Royal Marines:  FMP 1m; TNA (the nationalarchives.gov.uk)
·         British Army and nationals’ BMDs abroad 1730-1969:  Ancestry – 437,000; TNA
·         British Consulate BMBs 1810-1968: Ancestry – 21,000; TNA
·         British Army Pensions:  FMP has several W.O. pension records indexed; TNA
·         British BMDs (births, deaths & marriages) at sea 1844-1890:  437,000 at Ancestry; TNA
·         British India BMDs 1647-1948 – FMP – 2.5m;  FIBIS.com; theGenealogist.co.uk
·         British Merchant Seamen 1835-1857:  FMP – 1.9m; TNA
·         Nationals Armed Forces Marriages 1796-2005 – FMP – 242,000k
·         Nonconformist/nonparochial registers: FS – several million entries; indexing since about 1976; thegenealogist.co.uk; bmdregisters.co.uk
·         Old Bailey Quarter Sessions (Grtr London, S. Eng.) & Accts 1674-1913 – FMP – 1.2m
·         Quakers:  FMP 1.3m; FS – has indexed most of its large collection of Quaker registers

Miscellaneous “Tips” to Find Ancestors online at FamilySearch.org:

     FamilySearch.org – has many burials now online for numerous counties
     FamilySearch.org – is now indexing in most England counties, generally; if your county is NOT listed in the “Browse all published collections” on the FS “Search” engine page, then instead, search under the name of county by typing it in; or search at the parish level (spelt correctly).
     Probate records: most counties have county-wide indexes available online; Google under 1) county name, with the search terms “index” and “probate” (or “will”); or better, use Wiki.familysearch.org and click on “England/[name of]County/Probate”; follow steps
     “Google” the search terms:   1) [name of] county 2) “Indexes” & 3) i.e. “Baptisms”
     www.parishregisters.com ($)– a.k.a. East Dockland (London) Ancestors or view at FMP




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