Liverpool has played a central role throughout Britain's history. The city's docks have ushered in industrial revolution, suffered from civil war, and welcomed generations of arrivals from Ireland, Wales and further afield. Follow your family's story through these changing times with our Liverpool parish records.
Our new Church of England and Catholic registers let you visit your ancestors' key events in over 3 million records through more than four centuries of Liverpool life. Follow the trail of births, marriages and deaths to piece together your family's Merseyside story.
The Church was a central part of everyday life through the 18th and 19th centuries, as most people stuck to the established religion. Parish registers are the most comprehensive records of your ancestors' vital events until civil registration started in 1837 – and even after that date they can fill in frustrating gaps.
Discover your relatives as they are welcomed into the Church as children and look out for extra details such as parents' names and occupations.
Witness the happiest days of your forebears' lives, and see if their addresses and occupations are included in the records.
Mourn your ancestor's passing, and find out how old they were plus often their last addresses.
See your family reinforce their commitment to the Church, and try to spot crucial clues like ages and addresses.
Delve back through the generations and find the records that reflect changes in parish life and Church policy.
In the early and mid-1800s, Liverpool saw a huge influx from abroad – particularly from Ireland, as immigrants fled the Great Famine. Follow the fate of these ‘new scousers’ and their descendants in the registers of the Catholic churches that sprung up to accommodate them.
Discover the first generations of the Irish diaspora born on English shores – among thousands of other Catholic children.
Strictly speaking, after 1753 any weddings that weren’t held in a CofE church were illegal – but you will find ancestors that bucked the establishment.
Find out if your forebears were laid to rest in Catholic churchyards – or the important Ford and Yew Tree cemeteries.
Many immigrants who arrived as children will be recorded first at their confirmation.
Discover details of Irish immigrants' previous life back home, in our huge range of records from Ireland – including the crucial census substitute Griffith's Valuation.
Find out morePutting your ancestors' stories in the context of wider history always gives you a better understanding of their lives – and nowhere is this more true than in Liverpool.
From the slave trade in the 17th century to the coming of railways 200 years later, world events have directly influenced the city's people. Follow these simple steps to trace the effects on your family:
Follow your ancestors' lives in our new parish records and use your family tree to keep track of their birth, marriage and death dates.
Read the timeline below to see what impacted your forebears' lives. Perhaps events around the world brought about their arrival in Liverpool? Or maybe changes in Merseyside can explain sudden disappearances?
Our timeline may suggest good next steps for your research. Mass migration would point you towards passenger lists; warfare would suggest military records; while changes in working habits might have you looking in occupation records.
Track the ups and downs that affected the Liverpudlians in our parish records
Trace your forebears' arrivals in and departures from Liverpool in our passenger lists. UK, Incoming Passenger Lists 1878 – 1960, includes thousands of immigrants from around the world, while similar collections from America, Canada and Australia record those who left our shores.
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