First distinguish England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Services, indexes and ordering rules are not interchangeable.
Prepare your research
Nation, historic county, parish or district, period and event type. For England and Wales, the official GRO guide dates civil registration from July 1837.
The method, step by step
- For England and Wales, use the GRO guide for civil registration. Check same-name candidates before ordering.
- National Archives guides cover censuses and specialist records. Discovery may give a reference or another repository without an image.
- For local families and parishes, also identify the territorial archive. Record historical county and parish, not just the modern address.
Choose the right repository
GRO: England and Wales. Scotland’s People: Scotland. For Northern Ireland identify the relevant service; none of these portals covers the entire UK.
Choose a route from the record you have
- First choose the nation: England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. GRO, Scottish records and Northern Irish archives are not one service.
- Distinguish people through district or parish, spouse and occupation. Trace the household in another record before ordering a certificate or assigning an indexed birth.
Find archives
The National Archives →
The UK National Archives guides cover censuses, migration, military records and repositories. Start with the topic guide, then the Discovery catalogue: a description identifies a record but does not guarantee free online access.
Scotland and Northern Ireland also have their own services. For England and Wales civil registration consult the GRO.
General Register Office →
The official guide explains using the General Register Office for family history in England and Wales. Identify an index entry, compare known details and check the ordering options available for that record.
Orders, costs and formats vary. The GRO alone does not cover the whole UK.
Scotland’s People →
National Records of Scotland service for Scottish records. Choose a collection before searching names; also browse unindexed volumes.
Account and access conditions depend on the service chosen. Check terms before buying credits or ordering copies.
Public Record Office of Northern Ireland — PRONI →
Northern Ireland’s public archives offer family and local history applications: probate indexes, maps, valuation books and directories. Choose by place and event; this service is distinct from Republic of Ireland archives.
Applications cover different scopes. Name search does not cover all holdings and an index entry does not replace a record. Images depend on the collection.
Sources & references
- The National Archives ↗ (Resource review date : )
- General Register Office ↗ (Resource review date : )
- Scotland’s People ↗ (Resource review date : )
- Public Record Office of Northern Ireland — PRONI ↗ (Resource review date : )