Do you have ancestors’ from Durham? Discover your English ancestry in the Durham baptism records. The records will reveal not just your ancestor’s name but also their parents’ names. You will also discover their occupations and where they lived. This collection of records also includes bishop's transcripts.
Do you have ancestors’ from Durham? Discover your English ancestry in the Durham baptism records. The records will reveal not just your ancestor’s name but also their parents’ names. You will also discover their occupations and where they lived. This collection of records also includes bishop's transcripts.
Each record includes a transcript and original image where available. The information contained in the records varies however you may be able to find out a combination of the following:
Title
First name
Last name
Birth date
Baptismal date
Parish
Description
Place
Denomination
Residence
Father’s first name
Father's last name
Father other
Mother’s first name
Mother's last name
Mother other
Occupation*
County
Extended information
Notes
Archive
Register type
Register year range
Page
*The occupation of the parent is either listed in the ‘Occupation’ or ‘Father/Mother other’ field. Also, the Description field usually includes the name of the Church in which the baptism took place and ‘Place’ refers to the village of the baptism.
The Durham baptisms were previously published in the Northumberland and Durham Baptisms and the Durham Bishop’s Transcripts Baptisms.
The records were created by the Northumberland and Durham Family History Society, formed in 1975. A number of records were also provided by the College of Arms, the official heraldic authority for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and much of the Commonwealth including Australia and New Zealand.
Bishop’s transcripts are contemporary copies of parish registers and usually contain the same vital details found in parish registers.
The Durham Bishop’s Transcripts are copies of Durham’s original parish registers. In 1598, an act was passed which required all parishes to create a copy of the parish registers and send the copies to the bishop. Some bishop’s transcripts are inferior to the original parish registers and are only abbreviated versions.
The original books are held at the Durham University Library and the images have been captured by Family Search.
A full list of the parishes included is available within the in the Useful links and resources section.
Begin your search broadly with just a first and last name.
You can narrow your results if needed by adding a year, place, or parent’s name.