A family records service is provided by the General Register Office (www.direct.gov.uk/gro).
The General Register Office provides access to the following:
(certificates can be purchased for any entry in the above - you can place an order by post, fax, telephone or via the web)
These records can be viewed on microfilm.
The National Archives is a government department and an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice. It brings together the Public Record Office, Historical Manuscripts Commission, the Office of Public Sector Information and Her Majesty's Stationery Office. Guidance on researching family history is provided online by the National Archives at:
The 1901 and 1911 census returns for England and Wales are available online:
If you know where the event (birth, marriage or death) occurred then you will be able to obtain certified copies of certificates from the Register Office for that area. Statutory fees are payable.
If you wish to search to establish a family link and you know the area in which the events took place, you can search through the indexes in the Register Office for that district. The fee for a General Search by personal application is £18.00 for no more than SIX successive hours and is subject to a mutually agreed appointment. Statutory fees will apply on any entry found for which a certificate is required.
