What is a burial or death record?
A burial record is any type of record or certificate that states the date and place an individual was buried. Some parish registers date from 1538. A death record is a certificate that states the date and place an individual died; civil registration records are available from 1837 onwards.
There is more information on burial records and death records available throughout this site.
What can I find?
You can almost always find:
- Name and surname of the deceased
- Date of death and/or burial
- Age at death
You may also find the cause of death, residence, marital status, relatives, cemetery, officiating clergyman, maiden name, date and place of birth, or undertaker.
How can records help?
You may want to know:
- If an ancestor was alive in a certain period
- How they died
- Where they were buried
- Their date and place of birth
These details can reveal new family connections and point you towards earlier generations.
Where can I find a record?
For records starting as early as 1538, Parish Records is the place to look. For records from 1837 to 2005, you can look at BMD Indexes.
You can also view burial and death records online or on CD. To see an example, read our case study, or order certificates to support your research.