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British Origins gives you access to over 70 million names taken from a wide variety of specialist family history records. Spanning over eight centuries, and located in a variety of different repositories, this unique collection is especially useful to those who have already completed the first steps of their research.

Together with the indexes, abstracts and images, which provide information on locating original documents, British Origins also has in-depth research articles giving the full background and history of each collection, including tips and techniques on how to read, interpret and navigate your way though the wealth of family history data.

British Origins includes access to:
  • over 70 million names covering 1209-1948,
  • National Wills Index, the primary online resource for pre-1858 English probate material,
  • British Origins Image Library,
  • Place Searching,
  • our British Genealogy Guide.
Find out more about British Origins collections
Census records & census substitutes
Association Oath Rolls  City of London Livery Companies 1696, & Surrey 1695  over 33,000 names
Containing names of a substantial proportion of the adult male population within the areas which they covered, Oath Rolls offer a valuable pre-19th century "census substitute". Association Oath Rolls for the City of London Livery Companies contains the names of over 21,500 members of 77 livery companies, plus nearly 12,000 Oath Rolls for the County of Surrey.
England & Wales Census 1841  over 15 million names and images
The most accurate 1841 census index. A full index to and digitised images of the original 1841 Census records for England and Wales. Records are searchable by name, age, parish and county. The index records include the source record references, so that users with access to CDs of the original census records can use this index alongside these CDs.
England & Wales Census 1861  over 21 million names and images
Full indexes to digitised images of the complete 1861 England & Wales census records. Our census indexes are recognised as the most accurate and complete available.
England & Wales Census 1871  over 22 million names and images
Full indexes to digitised images of the complete 1871 England & Wales census records. Our census indexes are recognised as the most accurate and complete available.
Somerset Electoral Registers  1832-1914,  over 2 million entries with over 31,000 images
Each entry gives the full name of the voter and his place of abode, the exact nature of the property held and the location of the property which conferred the right to vote.
Marriage records
Dorset Marriage Index  1538-1856,  over 500,000 names
Over 150,000 marriages transcribed by Somerset & Dorset Family History Society from parish registers, Bishops Transcripts, and non-conformist circuit registers. Online records are of the actual marriages and over half a million names are searchable, including witnesses.
Surrey Marriage Index  1500–1846,  over 539,000 names
This index, kindly made available by West Surrey Family History Society, covers nearly 270,000 marriages (539,000 brides and grooms) for the whole of rural Surrey, portions of Metropolitan Surrey, some Middlesex parishes, and strays from all over the UK.
Webb’s London Marriages  1538-1837,  nearly 200,000 names
Over 96,000 marriages for London and Middlesex. Most of the marriages included in this Index are not, to the best of our knowledge, available anywhere else online.
York Marriage Bonds and Allegations Index  1613-1839,  over 305,000 names Copies of original documents can be ordered online
This Index covers over 150,000 marriage licences. The Archbishop of York granted marriage licences for the Diocese of York and the remainder of the Northern province when more than one jurisdiction was involved.
Copies of original documents can be ordered online Copies of original documents can be ordered online.
Birth & Baptism records
Middlesex Baptisms Index  1538-1882,  over 300,000 names
The Middlesex Baptisms dataset records nearly 100,000 baptisms in Middlesex and London which are not included with the IGI. In nearly all cases the names of the parents are given, and often the maiden name of the mother.
Apprenticeship records
London Apprenticeship Abstracts  1442-1850,  over 486,000 names
Children from all over Britain became apprenticed to London Livery Companies. The rich records are an exceptional resource of genealogical information. Over 165,000 abstracts with an index of nearly half a million names.
Court records
Charles I Chancery Index  1625-49,  82,000 cases
An index to all 82,000 cases tried in the Court of Chancery between 1625 and 1649. Chancery records often reveal personal, business and family relationships in more detail than almost any other source.
Inheritance Disputes Index  1574-1714,  over 26,000 lawsuits
A comprehensive index to over 26,000 lawsuits instituted in the Chancery Court of England relating to inheritance of money or real estate. These cases typically involved several members of the same family so are of particular value to family historians.
London Consistory Court Depositions Index  1700-1713,  over 3,200 names
The Consistory Court of London was the main court dealing with matrimonial disputes. Cases involve divorce and separation, breach of promise, arguments over estates and probate, defamation, and "criminous conversation".
Burial records
City of London Burials  1781-1904
An index to 36,000 burials in the City of London. Records include the last name, first name, age, year of burial and the parish name.
Militia records
Militia Attestations Index  1886-1910,  over 110,000 names Copies of original documents can be ordered online
Over 110,000 of these documents are indexed, from regiments all over the British Isles. They were filled in at the time of recruitment and, containing much personal data, can be very fruitful source of genealogical data.
Copies of original documents can be ordered online Copies of original documents can be ordered online.
Passenger Lists
British & Irish Passenger Lists  1890 & 1891,  over 193,000 names
Probably the most complete and accurate transcriptions of the 1890 & 1891 passenger lists for sailings from British & Irish ports to the USA and Canada. The names of nearly 200,000 passengers are included.
Specialist records
Poor Law Records  1742-1868,  12,000 names
Poor law records for the City of London have been made available as the first in this series, covering the parish of St Botolph Aldgate; the index contains nearly 12,000 names.
Somerset & Dorset Notes and Queries  1890-1980
Free text search across nearly 10,000 pages. Subjects include family trees, parish registers, wills, inventories, property records, emigration, militia, shipping, civil war, the Monmouth Rebellion and much, much more.
Places, Maps & Images
England & Wales Gazetteer  published 1895
Over 25,000 entries plus maps of every county and plans of major cities. The entire text is fully searchable so you can find entries for specific places and any appearance in the text of the place you are interested in.
England & Wales Gazetteer Maps & Plans  1895, All counties
The county maps, coloured to show the political divisions, show natural features - mountains, rivers lakes and estuaries - and main roads, railways and canals. There is also a map of the whole of England and Wales, showing county boundaries.
British Origins Library  9 collections, 18th & 19th centuries
Rare vintage photos, maps and other publications depicting life in Britain in the 18th and 19th Centuries.
Includes: Children's Employment Commission Part II (1842)- BROWSE FREE , Domesday Book for Middlesex, England & Wales Gazetteer Maps, Wonderful London.