Warwickshire Online
BEST WEBSITES TO AID YOUR RESEARCH
Lots of the key collections for genealogical research in Warwickshire are available through subscription websites. Ancestry.co.uk has Warwickshire Church of England parish registers between 1535 and 1910, for example. These sit alongside the occupational and quarter sessions collections (1662–1886), land tax (1773–1830), county militia lists from 1776 to 1825, bastardy orders (1816-1839) and 1619 visitations.
Findmypast.co.uk also has Warwickshire’s parish registers (1535–1914), plus national school admission registers and log books (1870–1914), Warwickshire monumental inscriptions and a Warwickshire bastardy index (1844–1914).
Findmypast and its sister site british newspaperarchive.co.uk give access to these Warwickshire newspapers: Alcester Chronicle, Leamington Advertiser, Leamington Spa Courier, Nuneaton Advertiser, Rugby Advertiser and Warwick and Warwickshire Advertiser.
You can view many thousands of images of Warwickshire parish registers for free via family search.org, and the site lists other important online resources at bit.ly/fs-warwickshire.
The ever-useful www.midlandshistorical data.org has a Warwickshire Cemetery Index (1859–1966), plus a collection of county Poor Law records (covering apprenticeship, settlement, removal, examinations and bastardy records), alongside a series of directories from the Victorian period to the first half of the 20th century.
The county record office’s website ( bit.ly/ warwickshire- cro) has information for planning a research trip, plus details of collections and research services. There are also links to some free indexes and finding aids such as a victuallers’ database (1801–1828), calendars of prisoners (1800–1900) and tithe apportionments.
The Warwickshire Community website our warwickshire.org.uk has thousands of photos, stories, memories and maps covering the county’s history, heritage and natural environment, while windowsonwarwickshire.org.uk gives access to more than 10,000 items, including images, documents, maps, letters and ephemera.
Finally Midland Ancestors ( midlandancestors.uk) has details of activities and publications covering Warwickshire, and news of the aforementioned parish register project. The online shop is at bmsgh- shop.org.uk.