Birth Marriage Death

Registration of births, marriages and deaths in England started on 1st July 1837.

The indexes of all these registered events are held at the
General Register Office, St Catherine's House, 10 Kingsway, London, WC2B 6JP.

The indexes are arranged in separate sections for births, marriages and deaths. Each section is arranged chronologically up to the present day. The years are divided into quarters and labelled March, June, September and December.

Within the indexes, the registration district in which the event occurred is given, followed by a volume and page number. These details only need be provided when applying for certificates from the GRO. Local register offices do not use these indexes.

Today, these indexes are becoming available in the internet, thanks to a large number of volunteers who are transcribing the indexes. These can be viewed at
www.freebmd.rootsweb.com/

Certificates can be obtained on line from the General Register Office for England and Wales at
www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/