KEY ALTERNATIVE SOURCES

BISHOPS’ TRANSCRIPTS

Up until the mid-19th century, church ministers in England and Wales were obliged to send a copy of entries made in the register to their bishop. These copies, known as Bishops’ Transcripts ( BTs), vary in quality, but if the parish register has not survived and the BT has, it could be your best bet.

ELECTORAL REGISTERS

Although the survival rate of electoral registers is good, they are limited as a resource by whether your ancestor had the right to vote. However, if you can’t find someone in the census, especially the later ones, it’s worth checking electoral registers. Both ancestry.co.uk and findmypast.co.uk have growing collections.

NATIONAL PROBATE CALENDAR

The calendar was established in 1858 to provide a national finding aid for probate records administered in England and Wales after the civil Court of Probate was created. It can be searched for free at probatesearch.service.gov.uk if you can’t pin down a death.

NEWSPAPERS

Now that more newspapers are being digitised, they can be great substitutes for civil records. By the early 20th century it was not uncommon for families to pay for an entry in the ‘hatches, matches and dispatches’ columns. Newspaper notices can even include more information than certificates.

SCHOOL RECORDS

From the 1870s onwards you are more likely to find a date of birth in school admission registers (plus details of the father and occupation). A large number for England and Wales have been digitised on

findmypast.co.uk, but also check archives and other websites.

VALUATION ROLLS

If you are searching in Scotland, then check out valuation rolls. These list both the owner and occupier of properties in Scotland from 1855 to 1996. You can see them online at scotlandspeople.gov.uk in 10-year intervals from 1855 to 1935. Unlike a census they don’t list the whole household, but can still help if you are stuck.