London, England, Church of England Deaths and Burials, 1813-2003

This data collection consists of burial records from over 10,000 Church of England parish registers (including Bishop’s Transcripts) in the Greater London area, from the original registers deposited at London Metropolitan Archives as well as those formerly held by Guildhall Library Manuscripts section. A full list of the Church of England parishes in London can be found in the more help section. These have been arranged in two ways, alphabetically by name and alphabetically by modern London borough.

This collection also includes registers of deaths and burials that occurred in workhouses operated by the Boards of Guardians. The parish registers cover the years 1813-2003 whilst the Board of Guardian records cover the years 1834-1906.

Bishop’s Transcripts are copies of the original registers which were made annually and sent to the Bishop. They are particularly useful where original records either do not survive or in the case of many of the churches in the City of Westminster, are not held by London Metropolitan Archives.

Some records from Southwark were supplied by the Diocese of Southwark, specifically reference numbers DW/T/0899 through to and including DW/T/0969. Special conditions apply to these burials and reused graves at Norwood Cemetery. Click here for details.

About this Collection:

Records are typically arranged in chronological order and contain the following information:

• Parish
• County
• Name of deceased
• Death or burial date
• Age at time of death

Additional details such as where buried or cause of death may also be available on the original record.

Specific source citations, including call and microfilm numbers, are provided on the record level for each entry. Information in this source citation indicates whether the record is from Parish Registers or Bishops Transcripts. A notation such as "transcript of deaths" indicates the record was taken from Bishops Transcripts.

Parish Records:

Parish records--primarily christenings, marriages, and burials--are the best source of vital record information before the nineteenth century. Before Civil Registration began in 1837, key events in a person’s life were typically recorded by the Church rather than the State. Starting in the sixteenth century, parish records are some of the longest running records available.

Beginning in 1598, clergy were required to send copies of their parish registers to the bishop of their diocese. These copies are known as Bishop’s Transcripts. Bishop’s Transcripts are useful in cases where originals are unreadable or no longer exist.

In 1812, George Rose’s Act called for pre-printed registers to be used for separate baptism, marriage, and burial registers as a way of standardizing records. These standardized registers are included in this collection. For earlier registers, please see the link provided below in the Related Data Collections section.

Poor Law Records:

In 1834 the Poor Law Amendment Act was enacted. This law formed parishes into groups called Unions. Each Union elected a Board of Guardians, which was then responsible for the care of the poor, rather than the individual parishes.

Individuals who received relief generally included the elderly, orphaned, unemployed, or sick and afflicted. In addition to monetary relief, other daily necessities such as food, clothing, and work were provided. Children could be appointed to apprenticeships or placed in schools and other institutions.

Poor law workhouses and infirmaries kept lots of records, among them registers of deaths and burials. In fact, many workhouses and hospitals had their own burial grounds. Additionally, some schools and homes for children or the elderly also kept registers of deaths.