Family History

Civil registration, that is the registration of births, marriages and deaths, was introduced in England and Wales on 1 July 1837.

You will find a brief guide to civil registration on our website.

For the purposes of civil registration England and Wales were divided into registration districts. Many registration services are currently indexing their birth, marriage and death registers and making the indexes available online. You will find further information about services in this region on the following websites:

• Durham County Registration Service
• Darlington Registration Service
• Gateshead Registration Service
• South Tyneside Registration Service
• Sunderland Registration Service
• Tees Valley Area

Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates for England and Wales

The Registrar General compiles alphabetical indexes, popularly known as the ‘St. Catherine’s House Indexes’, from the information sent to him by superintendent registrars and these indexes cover the whole of England and Wales. You will find further information about the indexes in our online guide to civil registration.

You can search the indexes online on the websites of Find My Past, FreeBMD, RootsWeb and Ancestry.

You will find information about ordering copies of birth, marriage and death certificates for England and Wales on the website of the General Register Office (GRO).

On the GENUKI website you will find some useful information about registration districts in England and Wales between 1837 and 1974. It includes a list of registration districts and the civil parishes/townships included within their boundaries. The list also includes the names of the districts which currently hold the records.