Source Information

This data collection consists of death and burial records from Board of Guardian Poor Law records and from more than 10,000 Church of England parish registers (including Bishop’s Transcripts) in the greater London area. The Board of Guardian records cover the years 1834-1906 while the parish registers cover the years 1813-1906.

About this Collection:

Records are typically arranged in chronological order and contain the following information:

• Parish
• County
• Name of deceased
• Death or burial date
• Age at time of death

Additional details such as where buried or cause of death may also be available on the original record.

Specific source citations, including call and microfilm numbers, are provided on the record level for each entry.

Parish Records:

Parish records--primarily christenings, marriages, and burials--are the best source of vital record information before the nineteenth century. Before Civil Registration began in 1837, key events in a person’s life were typically recorded by the Church rather than the State. Starting in the sixteenth century, parish records are some of the longest running records available.

Beginning in 1598, clergy were required to send copies of their parish registers to the bishop of their diocese. These copies are known as Bishop’s Transcripts. Bishop’s Transcripts are useful in cases where originals are unreadable or no longer exist.

In 1812, George Rose’s Act called for pre-printed registers to be used for separate baptism, marriage, and burial registers as a way of standardizing records. These standardized registers are included in this collection. For earlier registers, please see the link provided below in the Related Data Collections section.

Poor Law Records:

In 1834 the Poor Law Amendment Act was enacted. This law formed parishes into groups called Unions. Each Union elected a Board of Guardians, which was then responsible for the care of the poor, rather than the individual parishes.

Individuals who received relief generally included the elderly, orphaned, unemployed, or sick and afflicted. In addition to monetary relief, other daily necessities such as food, clothing, and work were provided. Children could be appointed to apprenticeships or placed in schools and other institutions.

Poor law workhouses and infirmaries kept lots of records, among them registers of deaths and burials. In fact, many workhouses and hospitals had their own burial grounds. Additionally, some schools and homes for children or the elderly also kept registers of deaths.