A parish is an ecclesiastical territorial division, the area
under the spiritual control of a priest. During the 16th and 17th
centuries the parish gradually superseded the manor as the main
unit of local government, but this came to an end in the late
nineteenth century with the reforms which created civil municipal
and borough councils, rural and urban district councils, and parish
councils.
Parish registers
Registers of baptisms, marriages and burials are among the most
frequently consulted documents in a local record office. Parishes
were ordered to keep them from 1538, but in many parishes they
survive only from a later date. Peterborough Central Library has a
number of copies of parish registers. They are available on FICHE.
These are:
- Soke of Peterborough parishes sixteenth-nineteenth century -
(excludes Longthorpe, Werrington, and Peterborough St Paul).
Bainton
- Composite CB 1713-1743, M 1713-1740
- Composite CB 1744-1812, M 1745-1752
- Marriages 1758-1834
Barnack
- Composite CB 1696-1809, M 1696-1753
- Composite CB 1810-1812
- Christenings 1813-1974
- Marriages 1754-1836, 1838-1954
- Burials 1813-1913
Castor
- Composite CM 1538-1751, B 1547-1686
- Composite M 1752-1754, B 1782-1791
- Composite CM 1792-1812
- Christenings 1752-1791 1813-1928
- Marriages 1754-1864
- Burials 1678-1781, 1813-1900
Etton
- Composite CMB 1587-1737
- Composite C 1734-1754, 1755-1812, M 1737-1743, 1755-1759, B
1738-1743, 1758-1812
- Marriages 1759-1835, 1838-1967
Eye
- Composite C 1543-1665, M 1650, B 1543-1669
- Composite CB 1727-1797, M 1727-1791, CB 1797-1812, M
1786-1812
- Christenings 1813-1933
- Marriages 1813-1837, 1889-1945
- Burials 1813-1897
Glinton
- Composite CB 1567-1796, M 1567-1752
- Composite CB 1797-1815
- Christenings 1814-1828, 1841-1969
- Marriages 1754-1826, 1829-1837-1930, 1932-1975
- Burials 1814-1943
Helpston
- Composite CMB 1685-1781
- Composite CMB 1781-1800
- Composite CB 1801-1812
- Christenings 1813-1926
- Marriages 1802-1990
- Burials 1813-1891
Longthorpe
- Registers are believed to be retained by the incumbent and
therefore not filmed.
Marholm
- Composite CMB 1566-1745
- Composite CB 1746-1812, M 1747-1753
- Marriages 1755-1810, 1813-1836
Maxey
- Composite C 1552-1713, MB 1538-1712
- Composite CMB 1713-1756
- Composite CMB 1757-1780
- Composite CB 1780-1812
- Christenings 1813-1866
- Marriages 1754-1958
- Burials 1813-1895
Newborough
- Christenings 1830-1843
- Christenings 1843-1871
- Christenings 1871-1929
- Marriages 1830-1973
- Burials 1831-1942
Northborough
- Composite C 1677-1764, M 1671-1749, B 1671-1764
- Composite CB 1764-1812
- Christenings 1813-1939
- Marriages 1754-1839
- Burials 1813-1961
Paston
- Composite CMB 1644-1704
- Composite CB 1705-1787, M 1705-1754
- Composite CB 1788-1812
- Christenings 1813-1973
- Marriages 1754-1983
- Burials 1813-1948
Peakirk
- Composite CB 1560-1642, M 1617-1642
- Composite CMB 1642-1700
- Composite CB 1700-1757, M 1700-1754
- Composite CB 1757-1814
- Christenings 1813-1918, 1829-1841
- Marriages 1754-1974
- Burials 1813-1980
Peterborough All Saints
- Christenings 1887-1970
- Marriages 1891-1976
Peterborough St Barnabas
- Christenings 1900-1943
- Marriages 1908-1966
Peterborough St John
- Composite CMB 1599-1644, 1658-1727, C 1727-1807, MB 1727-1754,
B 1755-1807, CB 1807-1812
- Christenings 1813-1959
- Marriages 1754-1953
- Burials 1678-1878
Peterborough St Marks
- Christenings 1856-1923
- Marriages 1858-1921
- Burials 1860-1868
Peterborough St Mary
- Christenings 1857-1963
- Marriages 1860-1980
Peterborough St Paul
- Christenings 1869-1883 [others believed to be retained by
incumbent]
Stamford St Martin
- Composite CMB 1572-1642, 1661-1729, CB 1729-1812, M
1729-1766
- Christenings 1813-1902
- Marriages 1754-1957
- Burials 1813-1860
Sutton
- Composite C 1763-1812, M 1758-1808, B 1788-1799
- Marriages 1813-1837
- Burials 1822-1930
- Burials (in Church) 1736-1859
Thornhaugh
- Christenings 1562-1924
- Marriages 1654-1974
- Burials 1562-1812
Ufford
- Composite CMB 1570-1676, 1695-1740, CB 1741-1812, M
1741-1753
- Christenings 1813-1977
- Marriages 1754-1836
Upton
- Composite CM 1770-1812
- Marriages 1813-1837
- Burials 1855-1930
Wansford (entries before 1808 in Thornhaugh registers)
- Composite CB 1808-1812
- Marriages 1807-1812, 1815-1962
Werrington
- Registers believed to be retained by incumbent.
Wittering
- Composite 1783-1812, M 1784-1811
- Christenings 1813-1973
- Marriages 1757-1944
Transcript of Peterborough St John 1559-1812 PRINTED
Norman Cross Hundred Parishes FICHE
- (Caldecot, Denton, Conington, Water Newton)
Lincolnshire Border Parishes FICHE
- (Barholm, Baston, Crowland, Deeping St James, Deeping St
Nicholas, Greatford, Langtoft, Market Deeping, Tallington,
Uffington, West Deeping)
Northampton Border Parishes FICHE
- (Apethorpe, Baston, Collyweston, Easton, Fotheringhay, Kings
Cliffe, Nassington, Tansor, Warmington, Woodnewton, Yarwell)
Cambs Border Parishes FICHE
- (Thorney (1653-1837) Whittlesey St Andrew (1602-1851)
- Whittlesey St Mary (1599-1851)
- Whittlesey Holy Trinity Coates (1850-1921)
Hunts Border Parishes
- (Alwalton, Fletton, Orton Longueville, FILM Orton Waterville,
Stanground with Farcet Caldecot, Denton, Conington, Water Newton)
FICHE.
Peterborough Central Library also holds a variety of indexes for
this material:
- 1601-1700, Huntingdonshire (whole county) Marriage Index,
FICHE
- 1701-1754, Huntingdonshire (whole county) Marriage Index,
FICHE
- 1754-1837, Huntingdonshire (plus Thorney) Marriage Index,
PRINTED
- 1700-1753, Lincolnshire (Aveland and Ness, Beltisloe and the
two Elloe Deaneries) Marriage Index, PRINTED
- 1754-1837, Lincolnshore (Aveland and Ness, Beltisoe and the two
Elloe Deaneries) marriage Index, PRINTED
- 1701/1712-1804/1812, Bishops transcripts (Glinton, Helpston,
Etton, Maxey, Northborough and Ufford), PRINTED
- Sixteenth century-1812, Northants marriage Indexes (Glinton,
Peakirk, Northborough and Castor), PRINTED
- 1654-1837, Thorney Surname Index (christenings, marriages and
burials), PRINTED
- 1654-1837, Thorney Surname Index (christenings, marriages and
burials), PRINTED
Other sorts of records
There is much more available than just the registers. Many local
churches have deposited a wide variety of documents at the
respective local record offices including churchwardens accounts,
tithe records, overseers papers, constables books and so on. For
details of these records contact Northampton Record Office or
Huntingdon Record Office as appropriate.
Parish records are popular sources for family and local history,
and there are many books which can provide you with help in
understanding them. The best overall introduction is still W.E.Tate
The Parish Chest (Cambridge 1951). Those of you purely interested
in the registers themselves should read Eve McLaughlin Parish
Registers (FFHS 1988). Genealogical Sources in Cambridgeshire (1994
plus recent updates) can tell you precisely which registers and
transcripts are available for specific parishes.
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