Key dates for UK genealogy

posted by Scott Andrew Bird

The following are dates to bear in mind when researching ancestors from the UK. You will find that record-keeping changed in some way at each of these times.

1801 First Census of England taken. Names of individuals were not recorded, and it is of little genealogical value.

1813 Standardisation of parish record books for recording births, deaths and marriages. Prior to this the format of the information was up to the vicar.

1837 Modern civil registration of births, deaths and marriages begins in England and Wales. Prior to this time, records such as these were the responsibility of the Church of England (with the exception of Jews and Quakers from 1755-1837).

1841 First Census of England which included names of individuals. Note that it doesn't specify the relationship of individuals to the head of the household, and ages from 15-65 were rounded to the nearest 5 years.

1851 First census of England featuring exact ages of individuals.

1855 Civil registration of births, deaths and marriages begins in Scotland.

1864 Civil registration of births, deaths and marriages begins in Ireland.

1881 Census taken for England and Wales. This is a good place to start looking for your ancestors if you know the county in which they lived, but not the city or town.

1974 English county borders were redrawn, so some towns will now appear in different counties.