Cheshire, England: Parish and Probate Records

Our Territories

Channel Islands
England
Ireland
Isle of Man
Scotland
Wales

Our Categories

Home
Locations

Surnames
Articles
Library

This database is a collection of historical parish and probate registers from the county of Cheshire in the Country of England. The records in this collection can range in date from the early 1500s to the mid- to late-1800s. Some non-parish records may be included from as early as the 12th century. 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. Also included are some records from non-conformist churches. All of the data was converted as it was originally presented in various published registers and books. For this reason, you will find interesting phonetic spellings and large descriptive tables of contents.

Access This Database Here

What should I know about this collection to access the data?
Some of the records may be in Latin or even a Welsh or Scottish dialect depending on location. 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 16th 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 (1642-60). 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.

Civil registration of births, deaths, and marriage, often called General Registration, began in July of 1837. It provides a national vital records index that simplifies searches and includes people who may not have been associated with a church. The civil records are more readily available than parish records (parish records after 1837 often aren't filmed) and are easier to use. But many births went unrecorded in the early years of civil registration, so parish records are still extremely valuable.

Extended Description:
Cheshire & Flintshire: - Revenues of the counties of Chester and Flint Michaelmas, 1361-62
Cheshire & Lancashire: - Wills and Administrations, 1831-33
Cheshire & Lancashire: - Wills and Administrations, 1821-25
Cheshire and Lancashire: - Funeral Certificates, 1600-78
Cheshire: - Supplementary Index to the "Infra" Wills and Administrations, 1693
Cheshire: - Cheshire in the Pipe Rolls, 1158-1301
Cheshire: - Inquisitions Post Mortem, 1603-60 (P-Y)
Cheshire: - Marriage Bonds of Archdeaconry of Cheshire, 1700-06/07
Cheshire: - Marriage Bonds of Archdeaconry of Cheshire, 1707-11
Cheshire: - Marriage Bonds of Archdeaconry of Cheshire, 1711-15
Cheshire: - Marriage Bonds of Archdeaconry of Cheshire, 1715-19
Cheshire: - Marriage Licences granted within the Archdeaconry of Cheshire, 1691-1700
Cheshire: - Memorials of the Civil War in Cheshire and the Adjacent Counties and Burghall's Providence Improved, 1628-63; Registers of Marriages in Cheshire, 1732-1837

  • Marriages at Alderley, 1629 to 1837
  • Marriages at Bosley, 1729 to 1750
  • Marriages at Capesthorne, 1722 to 1747
  • Marriages at Chelford, 1674 to 1752
  • Marriages at Marton, 1563 to 1769
  • Marriages at Poynton-cum-Worth, 1723 to 1753
  • Marriages at Siddington, 1722 to 1783
  • Marriages at Pott Shrigley, 1685 to 1751
Cheshire: - Wills and Administrations, 1826-30
Cheshire: - Wills and Inventories, 1681-1700
Cheshire: - Wills and Inventories, 1701-20
Cheshire: - Wills and Inventories, 1741-1760
Cheshire: - Wills and Inventories, 1761-80 (A-M)
Cheshire: - Wills and Inventories, 1761-80 (N-Z)
Cheshire: - Wills and Inventories, 1781-90
Cheshire: - Wills and Inventories, 1791-1800
Cheshire: - Wills and Inventories, 1801-10 (A-L)
Cheshire: - Wills and Inventories, 1801-10 (M-Z)
Cheshire: - Wills and Inventories, 1811-20 (A-L)
Cheshire: - Wills and Inventories, 1811-20 (M-Z)
Cheshire: Bromborough - Talbot Deeds, 1200-1682
Cheshire: Bruera - Parish Register (Christenings, Marriages, Burials & Inhabitants), 1662-1812
Cheshire: Chester - Calendar of Wills, Diocesan Registry of Chester, 1701-1800
Cheshire: Chester - Earliest Ordination Book of The Diocese of Chester, 1542-57 & 1555-58
Cheshire: Chester - Freemen of the City of Chester, 1392-1700
Cheshire: Chester - Freemen of the City of Chester, 1700-1805
Cheshire: Chester - Marriage Licenses Granted within the Archdeaconry of Chester in the Diocese of Chester, 1639-1644
Cheshire: Chester - Quarter Sessions Records and other records of the Justices of the Peace, 1559-1760
Cheshire: Chester - Wills and Administrations,1834-1837
  • Lancashire Wills
  • Cheshire Wills
  • Welsh Wills
Cheshire: Chester Cathedral - Parish Register (Christenings, Marriages, Burials & Inhabitants), 1687-1812
Cheshire: Northwich- Northwich Hundred Poll Tax 1660 and Hearth Tax 1664
Cheshire: Overchurch - Register of Upton in Overchurch (Christenings, Marriages & Burials), 1600-1812
Cheshire: Prestbury - Parish Registers (Christenings, Marriages & Burials), 1560-1636
Cheshire: Stockport - Probate Records, 1578-1619
Lancashire & Cheshire: - Miscellanies and an Index of Infra Wills
Lancashire & Cheshire: - Calendar of parsons commemorated in Monumental inscriptions, Abstracts of Wills, and Administrations
Lancashire & Cheshire: - Cases in the Court of Star Chamber, 1499-1528
Lancashire & Cheshire: - Miscellanies containing The Book of the Abbot of Combermere, 1289-1529
Includes Rentals of Wych Malbanke

Lancashire & Cheshire: - Miscellanies containing:

  • A list of clergy for, 1541-42; a list of the tenths and subsidy payable to the Archdeaconry of Chester
  • Chorley survey
  • List of the wills, inventories, administration bonds, and testamentary depositions, 1487-1620
  • Preserved at the diocesan registry, Chester.

Lancashire & Cheshire: - Miscellanies containing:

  • A list of the Freeholders in Cheshire, 1578
  • The ordination Register of Chester, 1542-1558
  • List of the Wills, Inventories, etc., 1621-1700
  • Preserved at the Diocesan Registry, Chester

Source Information:
Ancestry.com. Cheshire, England: Parish and Probate Records . [database online] Provo, UT: Ancestry.com, 2001. Original data: Electronic databases created from various publications of parish and probate records.

Source Information:

How do I find copies of the originals?
These records are a finding aid that help researchers locate an ancestor in a particular time and place in history. With a location and an approximate date, the microfilm number of pertinent corroborating records can often be found on the LDS Church's FamilySearch site  in the Family History Library Catalog. The Family History Library in Salt Lake City has the largest collection.

For un-filmed original parish records go to The Phillimore Atlas and Index of Parish Registers, under the county of interest. This will then direct you the County Record Office where the registers are housed. You can also contact local genealogy societies or local parishes for information on viewing original records. See Crockford's Clerical Directory, a directory of Church of England clergy, if you wish to write to a parish. It is published annually.

There are other church records, and a search on Familysearch.org on the FHLC can provide you with listings of original parish records by doing a locality search for your county/parish, then look under "Church Record" type.

Access This Database Here

Note: This page can be used as a front end into Ancestry's United Kingdom and Ireland databases. Since this links to a UKI membership database at Ancestry, you must first join in order to more then just search the database. Free Trial - Ancestry.com World Deluxe Membership

 

Copyright 2001-2006 by BIGenealogy.com. All rights reserved.