Church Records

Church records are a rich source of information for tracing your family history. One of the most important sources is the
Church of England parish registers. The registers provide information about your ancestors before 1837, when Civil Registration began, but are still helpful even after this date.

During the Reformation there was a growth in the number of Protestant Dissenters, which resulted in the formation of separate churches. Despite the strict laws prohibiting the practice of their faith, a number of people remained Roman Catholic. Some of the Nonconformist and Roman Catholic churches kept their own registers of baptisms, marriages, and burials, although it was not until the late 18th century that laws were relaxed to enable them to do so legitimately.

Through its own courts the Church of England was responsible for the granting of probate of wills and issuing letters of administration. From 11th of January, 1858 the Church lost this function to the new civil probate registries.

TRANSCRIPTS OF REGISTERS

some registers are available on this site, indexed by name:

Bilston St Leonard registers
baptisms 1686-1812, marriages 1686-1754, burials 1727-1812

Wednesfield St Thomas registers
baptisms and burials 1751-1837

Willenhall St Giles registers
baptisms 1642-1812, burials 1727-1812

Wolverhampton St Peter registers
baptisms 1539-1812, marriages 1539-1838, burials 1539-1812