Parish registers before 1754

Examples of baptism, marriage and burial entries from the parish register of Auckland, St. Andrew, 1722-1725.

Before 1754 baptisms, banns, marriages and burials were usually recorded in the same parish register. The amount of detail given in the earliest registers varies from parish to parish, but most entries are very brief. The writing in the earliest registers may be difficult to read as many entries were made in Latin.

Here are three pages from a single register, belonging to Auckland St. Andrew’s parish, showing baptism, marriage and burial entries.

During the Civil War and the Commonwealth period (1643-1653) many registers contain gaps in the entries.

Also, during the Commonwealth period, births were recorded rather than baptisms. From 1653 until the Restoration in 1660 civil registers were kept instead of church registers .