Worcestershire, England, Extracted Church of England Parish Records, 1541-1812

This database is a collection of historical parish registers from Worcestershire, England. Parish records--primarily baptisms, marriages, and burials--provide the best source of vital record information in the centuries before civil registration. The records include baptisms/christenings, burials, marriages, tombstone inscriptions, obituaries, tax lists, wills, and other miscellaneous types of records. All of the data was converted as it was originally presented in various published registers and books.

This Collection
The spelling is archaic, and is transcribed as it was written. There are many spelling inconsistencies and non-standard grammar. Phonetic spelling is often used. Try using variant spellings if a search yields no results.

The individual files in this database may not include all dates and records for each parish/church. Use caution in assuming that any database is a complete set of records--even for the parishes and time period listed. Due to the legibility of the original sources, there may be gaps in the records, including partial sentences, cut-off words, and other omissions.

Due to the nature of the records and because the records were originally compiled by a third party, it is difficult to absolutely verify the completeness and validity of the data. The information in this collection is as correct as it was when Ancestry.com received it, and has merely been reproduced in an electronic format.

What historical background should I know to use this data?
A large number of parish records date from the sixteenth century, when a series of mandates required clergy to compile records of baptisms, marriages, and burials within the parish, and to send an annual copy to the Bishop. Essentially, there are two sets of records: the parish copy and the copy the clergyman sent to the Bishop each year, known as Bishops Transcripts. Many records were destroyed, lost, or simply not kept during the Civil War (1642-1660). Of the surviving records, many have since been transcribed and collected by genealogical societies. The records are a valuable resource for finding vital information of people of the time. The content of the records may vary between the two sets.

1601-1652; Marriage Licenses and Sequestrations
Worcestershire: - Registers of Marriages (Various Parishes), 1538-1836

• Marriages at Shipston-on-Stour, 1572 to 1812.
• Marriages at Tidmington, 1693-1812.
• Marriages at Bradley, 1630 to 1812.
• Marriages at Kempsey, 1690 to 1812.
• Marriages at Alderminster, 1613 to 1812.
• Marriages at Offenham, 1543 to 1812.
• Marriages at Alstone, 1550 to 1805.
• Marriages at Kington, 1588 to 1836.
• Marriages at Redditch, 1808 to 1812.
• Marriages at Church Lench, 1702 to 1812.
• Marriages at Rous Lench, 1539 to 1812.
• Marriages at Elmbridge, 1570 to 1812.

The court of the Bishop of Worcestershire, Marriage Licences and Sequestrations, 1451-1600
Worcestershire: Bedwardine - St. Michael's Parish Registers (Christenings, Marriages, Burials), 1546-1812 (Marriages to 1754)
Worcestershire: Bushley - Parish Registers (Christenings, Marriages, Burials), 1538-1812
Worcestershire: Churchill in Oswaldslow - Parish Registers (Christenings, Marriages, Burials), 1564-1839
Worcestershire: Eastham, Hanley William - Parish Registers (Christenings, Marriages, Burials), 1572-1812
Worcestershire: Haslesowen - Parish Registers (Christenings, Marriages, Burials), 1559-1643
Worcestershire: Upton Snodsbury - Parish Registers, 1577-1837
Worcestershire: Worcestershire - Cathedral Registers (Christenings, Marriages, Burials), 1693-1811
Worcestershire: Worcestershire - St. Alban's Parish Registers (Christenings, Marriages, Burials), 1630-1812