Cheshire Family History

Research your Cheshire family history and find your ancestors with these family history, genealogy and local history records and links including BMDs, burials, wills, military records and more.

Archives

• Archives & Local Studies
  Collects, protects and promotes interest in and the use of records and printed material relating to the historic county of Cheshire.
• Wirral Archives

BMDs and Parish Records

• Cheshire BMD
  Nearly 7 million births, marriages and deaths. Search and view the BMD records for free.
• England BMDs
  Births, deaths and marriages from all over the UK.
• The Cheshire Collection
  Contains many important databases for Cheshire.
• Cheshire Parish Records
  Baptisms, marriages and burials from 1538 onwards.

Burials & Cemeteries

• Cheshire Memorial Inscription Collection
• Norbury Church, Hazel Grove, Stockport
• Overleigh Cemetery Database 1850-1950
• Tameside Burials
  Records are available from: Dukinfield Cemetery and Crematorium, Hyde Cemetery, Mottram Cemetery

Census Records

• Census 1841-1921
  Search the census records from 1841-1921, plus the 1939 Register, which has over 1 million Cheshire residents included.
• FreeCen
  Has a good, but not complete, selection of free records to search and view.

Criminals and Convicts

• Chester Gaol Inmates 1808-1865
• Chester Gaol Prisoners 1808-1816
• Criminal Ancestor Records

Electoral Registers

These registers detail landowners, those eligible to vote and why they’re able to vote. For the years when there’s no census records, these electoral records are a valuable alternative. In the following collections, there are over 10 million records of Cheshire inhabitants.

• Electoral Registers 1842-1900
• Electoral Registers 1832-1932
• Freemen of Chester 1747-1925
• The Rolls of the Freemen of Chester
  An alternative from the above with a wider scope.
  • Part 1. 1392-1700
  • Part 2. 1700-1805

Forums

• RootsChat Cheshire
  Help others or get help researching ancestors in Cheshire.

Heraldry

• Cheshire Heraldry
• Visitation of Cheshire 1580
• Visitation of Cheshire Pedigrees 1613

Historical Directories

• Cheshire Historical Directories
• Cheshire & Chester Trade Directories 1781-1840
• Collection of Directories for Cheshire

Local History

• Cheshire Local History Association
• Cheshire Towns & Parishes
• Domesday Book Cheshire
• GENUKI Cheshire

Maps

• Cheshire Tithe Maps
  Almost 500 Cheshire tithe maps are now available online. Together with the information recorded in tithe apportionments, they are a unique record of land ownership, occupancy and use in Cheshire 150 years ago.
  You can use them to answer questions such as:
  • Where did your ancestors live?
  • Who lived in your village or even your house?
  • What was land in your area used for?
  • Who owned land in your area?
• Old Cheshire Maps

Military Records

• British Military Records
• Carl’s Cam War Memorials
  Carl’s cam gives you free access to hundreds of war memorials in Cheshire with the names of those on them. There is a surname index for easy browsing. Photos of Cheshire can also be found using the alphabetical place name list, plus there’s a gazetteer of Cheshire with a handy timeline of its history. A great site for cheshire family history.
• Cheshire Military Museum
• Cheshire Military Records
• Cheshire Roll of Honour
• The Cheshire Regiment
• Trafford War Dead

Newspaper Archives

• Cheshire Newspaper Collection 1710-1953
  Search and view millions of articles from the Chester Courant, Cheshire Observer, Chester Chronicle and many more.

Occupations

• Alderly Edge Miners
• British Apprentices 1710-1808
  What profession did your ancestor choose? Search almost 7,000 Cheshire records.
• Cheshire Police Roll of Honour
• Lost Pubs of Cheshire
• Railway Staff Registers 1869-1950
  Browse the records by surname to see the station your ancestor worked at, their position and the year they were appointed.

Photos and Postcards

• Carl’s Cam
• Cheshire Image Bank
  The digital image archive of Cheshire Archives and Local Studies which includes images of Cheshire’s people, places & events. Images can be searched, viewed and purchased.
• Cheshire Photograph Index

School Records

• Cheshire School Records 1782-1950
  Find out your ancestor’s school, birth year and name.

Societies and Groups

• Family History Society of Cheshire
  Founded in 1969 to advance the study of family history and genealogy, they now have around 3000 members worldwide. As well as helping people with ancestors in the county, they also assist members living locally whose ancestors originated elsewhere.

Surnames

• Cheshire Surnames 1881
• County Families of Cheshire

Wills and Probate

• Cheshire Wills and Probate
  These records include all surviving original wills of Cheshire residents proved at the Chester diocesan consistory court 1492–1857 and registered copies made at Chester Probate Registry 1858-1911.
• Chester Wills Index 1761-1780
• Disley Wills
• Weaverham Wills 1599-1837

Workhouses & Poor Law

• Cheshire Workhouse Admissions
  Search for people who were admitted or discharged from Cheshire workhouses between 1781 and 1911.
• Cheshire Workhouse BMDs
  There are around 40,000 workhouse birth, baptism, death and burial records available in the following collections.
  • Workhouse Births
  • Workhouse Baptisms
  • Workhouse Deaths
  • Workhouse Burials