Lancashire

Lancashire has one of the richest collections of online genealogy records in England, reflecting its large population and industrial heritage. This page brings together every useful free resource for researching Lancashire ancestors, from parish registers dating back to 1538 through to the 1939 Register, so you can find what's available without trawling dozens of separate websites.

Records are organised by type below. Civil registration of births, marriages and deaths began in 1837; for earlier ancestors, parish registers are your primary source and many Lancashire parishes have excellent coverage online.

Archives

• Bury Archives

  Archives and family history resources for the Bury area.

• Lancashire Archives

  The main county archive in Preston. Find out what records they hold and how to view them, including parish registers, estate records and much more.

Births, Marriages, Deaths & Parish Records

Civil registration of births, marriages and deaths began in 1837. For earlier ancestors, parish registers are your main source — Lancashire has good online coverage going back to 1538. Many of the resources below are free to search.

County-wide collections

• Lancashire Baptisms 1538–1917

  Millions of Lancashire baptism records spanning almost four centuries.

• Lancashire Marriages and Banns

  Marriage and banns records from parishes across Lancashire.

• Lancashire Burials 1538–1991

  Burial records from Lancashire parishes covering over 450 years.

• Lancashire Parish Registers — FamilySearch

  Free access to a large collection of Lancashire parish registers.

• Lancashire Online Parish Clerk

  Extracts and preserves records from Lancashire parishes, with free online access for family and local historians.

• Lancashire BMD

  Over 11.1 million births, 4.6 million marriages and 6.6 million deaths available to search and view for free. Covers civil registration from 1837.

Individual parish registers

Online books and transcriptions for specific Lancashire parishes, mostly hosted on Archive.org and free to browse or search.

• Aldingham in Furness Parish Registers 1542–1695
• Brindle Parish Registers 1558–1714
• Bury Parish Registers 1590–1616
• Bury Parish Registers 1617–1646
• Cartmel 1559–1661
• Chipping Parish Registers 1559–1694
• Cockerham Parish Registers 1595–1657
• Colne Parish Registers 1599–1653
• Croston Parish Registers 1538–1727
• Croston Weddings & Burials 1690–1727
• Deane (Bolton) Burials 1751–1812
• Denton, St. Lawrence 1695–1757
• Didsbury St. James 1561–1653
• Didsbury St. James 1654–1757
• Gisburn St. Mary the Virgin Burials 1558–2007
• Gorton Parish Registers 1599–1741
• Hawkshead Registers 1568–1704

  Baptisms, marriages and burials.

• Horton Parish Registers 1742–1789
• Lancaster Parish Registers 1599–1690
• Leyland Parish Registers 1653–1710
• Liverpool Parish Records
• Liverpool St. Anthony's Church Records
• Liverpool St. Nicholas Burials 1813–1854
• Manchester Cathedral Church 1573–1617
• Manchester Roman Catholic Parish Registers
• Middleton Parish Registers 1653–1729
• Newchurch Parish Registers 1599–1812
• Oldham Cemetery Registers, 1797–2004
• Ormskirk Parish Registers 1557–1626
• Over Kellet Parish Registers 1648–1812
• Padiham Parish Registers 1573–1653
• Pennington, St. Michaels Parish Registers 1612–1702
• Pilling Baptisms 1630–1721, Marriages 1630–1719, Burials 1685–1718
• Poulton-le-Fylde Parish Registers 1591–1677
• Prestwich Parish Registers 1603–1688
• Ribchester Parish Registers 1598–1694
• Satterthwaite Parish Records
• St. Michaels on Wyre Parish Registers 1659–1707
• Upholland St. Thomas the Martyr 1600–1735
• Urswick Parish Registers 1608–1695
• Whalley Parish Registers 1538–1601
• Wigan Parish Registers 1580–1625

Burials & Cemeteries

• CemSearch

  Databases of monumental and headstone inscriptions from cemeteries and graveyards across Lancashire, including Accrington, Blackburn, Burnley, Preston and more.

• Chorlton Upon Medlock Burials 1821–1933

  61,000 registers from the Rusholme Road Cemetery.

• Lytham Park Burials

  Index of burials (1927 onwards) and cremations (1958 onwards) from Lytham St. Annes. PDF and Excel downloads available.

• Oldham Burial Records

  Free access to burial and cremation records from Chadderton, Crompton, Failsworth, Greenacres, Hollinwood, Lees, Oldham Crematorium and Royton cemeteries.

• Tameside Burial Records

  Records from Ashton, Audenshaw, Denton, Droylsden and Mossley cemeteries.

• Wigan Burial Records

  Online indexes from Wigan, Gidlow, Hindley, Ince, Westwood and Howe Bridge cemeteries, plus much more of local interest.

Census Records

• Census 1841–1921

  Search census records from 1841–1921, plus the 1939 Register which includes over 4,000,000 Lancashire records searchable by person or address.

• FreeCen

  A good, but not complete, selection of free census records to search and view.

• School Admission Registers 1870–1914

  Search school records for Lancashire pupils and teachers between 1862 and 1959.

Criminals & Convicts

• Lancaster Convict Database 1800s
• Warrington Robberies Register

  Details of over 2,100 crimes committed in Warrington between 1909–1916, including the crime, victim and person apprehended.

Historical Directories

• Lancashire Historical Directories

  A collection of trade and residential directories for Lancashire from the University of Leicester.

• Bury Directory 1791
• Bury Directory 1818

  Names, trades and residences of the principal inhabitants in the town and neighbourhood.

• Preston Historical Directories

  Various directories listed for Preston across multiple years.

• Wigan Directory 1825

Electoral Registers

• Electoral Registers 1832–1932

  Search 30 million records to find those eligible to vote and their location across a century of elections.

Local History & Maps

• Domesday Book Lancashire

  Lancashire entries from the Domesday Book of 1086.

• Lancashire Past

  Information about historical sites around the county.

• Historic Lancashire Maps
• Lancashire Newspaper Collection 1710–1953

  Search historical Lancashire newspapers for your ancestors.

• Preston Pubs & Inns

  History and stories of Preston's historic public houses and inns.

Military Records

• Lancashire Fusiliers
• Lancashire Infantry Museum
• Loyal North Lancashire Regiment Archived
• Lancashire Roll of Honour
• South Lancashire Prisoners of War

  A database of prisoners who received parcels during WW1.

• Wigan War Records

  Free PDF downloads of men who died at the Somme, plus war memorials and absent voters lists.

Occupations

• Lancashire Police Records

  Search for ancestors who served with the Lancashire County Constabulary from 1840 to 1925.

Photos & Postcards

• Lancashire Lantern

  An image archive of old photographs, postcards and other images from across Lancashire.

• Preston Digital Archive

  Over 17,000 old images of Preston and its people.

Societies & Forums

• Lancashire Family History & Heraldry Society

  The main family history society for Lancashire. Membership, publications, events and surname interests.

• RootsChat Lancashire

  A popular forum where you can seek help with Lancashire research and browse previous posts.

Surnames

• Lancashire Surname Interests

  Surnames being researched by members of the Lancashire Family History & Heraldry Society, with period and locality details.

• Lancashire Surnames 1881

  The most common surnames in Lancashire from the 1881 census.

Wills & Probate

• Lancashire Wills & Probate 1457–1858

  More than 301,000 Lancashire wills and probate records. Find out if your ancestor left a will.

• Lancashire Will Search

  An index to help find wills of persons who died in Lancashire from the mid-sixteenth century to the early nineteenth century.

• List of Lancashire Wills 1748–1792

Workhouse Records

• Oldham Workhouse 1867–1917

  Search over 150,000 records from Oldham, Alkrington, Chadderton, Crompton, Middleton, Royton, Thornham and Tonge.