Birth, marriage and death records

This page contains information about birth, marriage and death records for County Durham and links to online indexes.

• Records at Durham County Record Office
• About civil registration
• Online indexes to birth, marriage and death records

Records at Durham Record Office

What we don’t keep

Durham County Record Office does not keep birth, marriage and death certificates.

These records, produced by the civil registration system established in 1837, are held separately by Durham County Council’s registration service and they are stored in a different location.
Search registrars certificates online.

What we do keep

The Record Office does keep church registers of baptism, marriage and burial, from the sixteenth century to the present day.

Church registers are essential for family research before 1837, and they complement birth, marriage and death certificates after 1837.

Find out more about parish registers and nonconformist church registers.

Use our church registers database to check what registers we hold.

About civil registration

Civil registration, that is the registration of births, marriages and deaths, was introduced in England and Wales on 1 July 1837.

For the purposes of civil registration England and Wales were divided into registration districts.

There is useful information about registration districts between 1837 and 1974 on the GENUKI website. It includes a list of registration districts and the civil parishes/townships included within their boundaries. The list also includes the names of the districts which currently hold the records.

See our Births, Marriages and Deaths (Civil Registration), a brief guide.

Online indexes to birth, marriage and death certificates

The Registrar General compiles alphabetical indexes, popularly known as the St. Catherine’s House Indexes, from the information sent to him by superintendent registrars and these indexes cover the whole of England and Wales.

You can search the indexes online on the websites of Ancestry (subscription only), Find My Past (pay as you view) and FreeBMD (free of charge).

In addition to the national indexes, many local registration services are currently indexing their birth, marriage and death registers and making the indexes available online. Here are the links to indexes covering County Durham:

County of Durham Registration Service

To order copy certificates for the County Durham area see:

• Registrars Certificates online
• Guidance on ordering birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates
• How much does a certificate cost?

All certificate requests and enquiries are processed by the Bishop Auckland Register Office. Details of the office opening hours and location are included on the register offices list.

Registration services covering areas no longer in County Durham

To order copy certificates for areas that were once in County Durham see:

• Darlington Registration Service
• Gateshead Registration Service
• Hartlepool Registration Service
• South Tyneside Registration Service
• Stockton-on-Tees Registration Service
• Sunderland Registration Service

Order copies of birth, marriage and death certificates

You can apply for copy certificates from the local registration services listed above.

How to order a copy of a birth, death or marriage certificate.

Order copies of birth, marriage and death certificates for England and Wales from the General Register Office (GRO).