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Researching family history using official records
Birth, marriage and death certificates can be crucial for piecing together your family history. There is a range of certified records you can access yourself, or you can get professional help from a genealogist in your search.
Family records held by the General Register Office
The General Register Office for England and Wales oversees the registration of births, marriage, civil partnership, deaths, stillbirths and adoptions for England and Wales and holds a wide range of records that may help you in tracing your family tree, starting from 1837.
For events in Scotland or Northern Ireland
To access records of these events, you can contact the relevant General Register Office using the links below.
Divorce or civil partnership dissolution records
If you need a copy of a decree absolute or final order of the dissolution of a civil partnership, contact the court in which the divorce or dissolution was granted, or:
The Principal Registry of the Family Division, First Avenue House, 42-49 High Holborn, London, WC1V 6NP
Tel: +44 (0) 207 947 7016 to receive an information pack.
Abandoned Children Register
Since 1977 the births of abandoned babies whose parentage is unknown have been recorded in the Abandoned Children Register. Before this, these births were registered at the register office in the district where the child was found.
Applications for certificates can be made by writing to:
General Register Office, Adoptions, Trafalgar Road, Southport, PR8 2HH
Tel : +44 (0) 151 471 4830
Fax: +44 (0) 151 471 4755
Thomas Coram Register
The Thomas Coram Register is a list of children given into the care of the Foundling Hospital between the years 1853 and 1948. A charitable refuge for abandoned children, it was set up by Thomas Coram in 1739 for the 'education and maintenance of exposed and deserted young children' in central London. Previously known as the Thomas Coram Foundation for Children, today the charity is known as Coram Family and it continues to work with children separated from their parents and to support vulnerable families.
All enquiries about children raised in the Foundling Hospital, and applications for certificates of register entries, should be made via the charity:
Coram Family, Coram Community Campus, 49 Mecklenburgh Square, London, WC1N 2QA
Tel: +44 (0)20 7520 0300
Website: www.coram.org.uk
The charity will organise a copy of the certificate from the General Register Office. Please note that only short versions carrying the child’s details - but not those of the parents - are issued from this register.
Other official sources
Getting professional help
You may wish to consult a professional genealogist or genealogical records agent. Alternatively, the Society of Genealogists has a selection of reference resources.
Additional links
Order certificates online
Apply for birth, marriage and death certificates
