Bishops' transcripts

Bishops' transcripts of baptisms, marriages and burials for Hampshire (including Southampton and Portsmouth) and Isle of Wight parishes from c1780 to 1921, are now available on Ancestry. Free online access in Hampshire Libraries and Record Office.

From 1598, parishes were required to send lists of their baptisms, marriages and burials to their diocese. These lists are more commonly known as bishops' transcripts.

For Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, very few bishops' transcripts survive until 1780. From that date, the records are substantial but rarely complete. For survivals, see 21M65/F8.

Bishops' transcripts are most useful where parish registers do not survive. The following transcripts fill gaps of five consecutive years or more in Hampshire parish registers.