UK Public Records Search Engine

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How Can I Find Public Records in the UK

Public records offer a wealth of material and information for everyday citizens to discover. Whether it is trying to locate family or researching a news story, public records most often can help to provide you with and answer to those questions. For many people however, trying to find them is a bit difficult, however access to these documents is easier to gain access to then many people think.

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Most relevant public records can be found in the National Archives of the UK. These archives carry a wealth of material including birth, marriage, and death certificates for finding information on long lost ancestry as well as other mundane things like medieval documents recording court cases and taxation information. The old documents such as those from far back in the medieval and dark ages are in ancient language like Old English, Welsh, but most commonly in Latin. These types of documents require an understanding of the language and for most individuals a translation of what is written is needed to gain an understanding of what is said. The National Archives of the UK also include more modern records like military service records, wills, and newspaper archives. Many of the records are available online to search and view. Others will require a trip to the National Archives headquarters in London where you can request documents for viewing in privacy and be able to handle in person.

For genealogy purposes that date from hundreds of years ago, searching old church records can also help locate information. A birth record may not be available but most old church parishes will contain baptismal and christening records which can offer this information. Often there may be records of gifts and donations to the church which may offer some insight into the status of a person based on their personal wealth and even the status of their health. Individuals seeking healing, absolution, or to simply increase their position in view of the church would give as large of donations as they could offer.

Seeking public records in the UK isn’t as difficult as it is often thought. Usually if a document is available all that is needed is a request and a copy or translation can be sent to you or you can view it yourself at the archival headquarters. A little time, a little effort is generally all you need to find public records in the UK.

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2 thoughts on “UK Public Records Search Engine

  1. You state on your search page, ( please be patient this may take a few moments) I am looking for an aunt of mine and has been searching now for mor than 50mins, have I got any chance of a result because I have a lot more to find out as well. Thankyou, C Jones.

    1. C Jones, please let us know if we can be of further assistance with your UK Public Record Search. Our service may have been down temporarily, please try again

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