Cardiganshire

Family history & genealogy records

BMDs & Parish Records

Cardiganshire Baptisms
Discover your Welsh ancestor's baptism in the historic county of Cardiganshire. These records will give you details of their parents' names and the place of baptism.
Cardiganshire Marriages & Banns
Discover your Welsh ancestor's marriage, or intention to marry, in the historic county of Cardiganshire. These records will give you details of your ancestor's marriage date and may include details of your ancestors' parents' names.
Cardiganshire Burials
Discover your ancestors who were buried in Cardiganshire, Wales. The records may reveal your relative's birth year, death year, and burial place.
Llangynfelyn Parish Registers
Baptisms 1813–1861, Marriages 1813–1880 and Burials 1813–1949.

Cemeteries & Graves

Ceredigion Cemetery Records
Search and view burial records for 61 cemeteries.

Census Records

1939 Register
Search almost 50,000 individuals from this census substitute, which is the latest available.

Additional Records

Cardiganshire Family History Society
Catering for the needs of those researching their Cardiganshire ancestors, both locally and from overseas, with encouragement for complete beginners.
Sheriffs of Cardiganshire
A list of those who have served the office of High Sheriff for the county from 1539 to 1867, with genealogical and historical notes.
Place-Names of Cardiganshire
Some details and history about the town and village names.

County context

About Cardiganshire

Cardiganshire is one of the older counties of Wales. It belongs to that group of divisions of the lands of the Principality which was formed under the Statutes of Rhuddlan at the conquest by Edward I. As compared with such shires as Monmouth, Brecon, Radnor, &c., which as counties were the creations of Henry VIII, Cardiganshire has the advantage in age of about two centuries and a half.

Before the conquest by Edward I, this part of Wales was generally ruled by a regulus, or provincial lord, acknowledging the superiority of one or other of the Welsh princes or kings. Generally this superior ruler would be the King or Prince of Dyfed (Dimetia), which in the tripartite division of Wales made by Rhodri Mawr included the three south-western counties, and was presided over, after Rhodri's decease, by his son Cadell, with his residence at Dinefawr.

Cardiganshire bears a name borrowed from old Cymric times. "Cardigan" is a compressed form of the ancient Welsh name Ceredigion, and the county was so called after Ceredig, or Caredig, a somewhat legendary king mentioned by Geoffrey of Monmouth.

Population statistics

1841 — 68,766
1851 — 70,796
1861 — 72,245
1871 — 73,488
2017 — 72,922 (Ceredigion)