Family history starter kit

Civil registration of births, marriages and deaths began in England and Wales on 1 July 1837. Public access to the registers is not permitted by law but indexes are available. We hold the indexes from 1837 to 1992 on microfiche and offer free access via Ancestry, FindMyPast (up to 2005/6) and FreeBMD. The General Register Office Index Getting started page gives information about the indexes and how to obtain copies of certificates.

If you find a relevant entry in a Hampshire registration district you can check the parish registers for that district. There is a parish map showing registration districts to 1894 or you can check the UKBMD's page about Registration Districts in England and Wales.

Parish recording of baptisms, marriages and burials began in 1538 but many early records have not survived. A map showing the dates of commencement of registers for Hampshire parishes formed before 1832 is available. We hold parish registers for most Hampshire parishes and they are also available on Ancestry. A helpful table can be found on our Parish registers page.

Hampshire parish registers held elsewhere (eg Southampton, Portsmouth) are also available as microform copies. We do not hold any parish registers for the Isle of Wight.

Portsmouth parish registers are on FindMyPast. 

Visit our Online sources page for more details.

Hampshire Genealogical Society holds regular meetings throughout the county for its members. It publishes a quarterly magazine and members are able to advertise their interests and request information. It also produced a variety of indexes to Hampshire records: pre-1837 baptisms, marriages and burials (available on CD-ROM), wills beneficiaries and census, some of which are available to non-members.

We hold many nonconformist registers. Registers of baptisms and burials in nonconformist churches were kept from the eighteenth century and, when civil registration began in 1837, many of these registers were subsequently deposited at The National Archives. We have microfilm copies of the registers relating to Hampshire, some of which are available on Ancestry.

Hardwicke’s Marriage Act, in force between 1754 and 1837, made it compulsory for all marriages, except those of Jews and Quakers, to be celebrated in an Anglican church in order to be considered valid and any children legitimate. Therefore, search Anglican registers for marriage entries between these dates.

You can also access a range of non-conformist records on Ancestry.

The first national census was taken in 1801 and then every 10 years after, with the exception of 1941. Early census returns do not include specific information about individuals.

Returns from 1841 onwards are a valuable source of information about individuals as they record all persons present in each household on a specific night. They also show where individuals were born. The 1841 census shows if an individual was born within the county of residence (indicated by the letter ‘Y’) or within England and Wales (indicated by the letter ‘N’). From the 1851 census onwards a specific place of birth is given. Information about residence, age and occupation is shown on all census returns from 1841.

We hold microform copies of census returns for Hampshire, including the Isle of Wight, for the years 1841-1911. We also offer free access to Ancestry which has census returns for the whole country 1841-1911, and to FindMyPast which also includes the 1921 census. Hampshire County Council libraries also have free access to these websites.

We have copies of The National Archives guides to census records Making Sense of the Census and A Clearer Sense of the Census.

Wills can be an invaluable source for family historians, linking family names and wider relationships. Some 16th to 18th century wills also include inventories, giving insights into how our ancestors lived. We hold copies of Hampshire wills from 1400 to 1941. Our online catalogue lists individual wills and inventories, and probate documents proved in the church courts of the Diocese of Winchester up to 1921 are also available on Ancestry.

We also hold the National Probate Calendars (an indexed summary of all wills for England and Wales) from 1858 to 1943 on microfiche and from 1944 to 1952 in original format. The leaflet Getting Started: Wills gives more detailed information about wills, available at Hampshire Record Office.

These give details of those entitled to vote in parliamentary elections. More information can be found on our Electoral registers page.

We hold a large collection of parish register transcripts, some indexed. There are also transcripts available on our CD-ROM terminals, including the Phillimore marriage index, and we also have several CD-ROMs of searchable parish indexes, such as Hampshire baptism, marriage and burial indexes published by the Hampshire Genealogical Society.

Many baptisms and marriages are indexed on the IGI (International Genealogical Index). Alternatively, a 1992 edition is available in the search room on microfiche.

These records contain details from gravestones and memorials in many Hampshire churchyards and cemeteries and often include surname indexes.

It may also be useful to research Burial records.

Burial registers of some municipal cemeteries are available on microfiche.

It may also be useful to research Burial records.

You can search our online catalogue for personal and place names noted in original documents, many of which may prove useful for your genealogical research.

Ancestry hosts passenger lists, which may be useful for people whose families settled in the UK.