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When you research your family tree online, the indexes show the district where a birth, death, or marriage was registered. To get more details, you can buy a copy of the certificate from the register office for that district.
Older indexes show the quarter (three-month period) when the event was registered, while newer indexes include the exact dates.
Registration districts in England and Wales have changed over time as boundaries and boroughs were adjusted. This means the same town might appear in different districts depending on the date of the record.
Records we do not hold
Some places have a ßÙßÇÂþ» postal address but are actually outside ßÙßÇÂþ»’s county boundaries and in nearby boroughs. You’ll need to contact those boroughs directly. These include addresses in the London boroughs of:
Records we hold
The ßÙßÇÂþ» Registration Service holds records for the entire county of ßÙßÇÂþ», dating back to 1837. Please see details of the registration districts held by the ßÙßÇÂþ» Registration Service as referenced in online indexes.
Our archives are located at Guildford Register Office. If we do not hold all of the records mentioned, we have indicated which neighbouring offices that you need to contact.
Whilst it is not possible for you to have access to the original registers held in our archives, you are able to purchase copy certificates of any entry and use the information contained in that entry to further your family research.
Please see our webpage: Information contained on birth, marriage and death certificates, for more information about our records and tips for finding the correct record.
You can purchase a copy certificate of one of our records online, by telephone or by post.
What information do we need?
It is important that you give us as much information as you can when ordering a certificate. Our older records still involve a manual search in order to locate a particular registration, as records were only entered on computers in 1996.
Please note the reference numbers shown in online indexes don’t match our records, so you don’t need to include them when ordering a certificate.
Our indexes are filed firstly by area, then date, and finally by name. Without some basic details, we may not be able to find the record you need. The most helpful information is:
- The town or village where the birth, death, marriage or civil partnership happened (or at least the registration district)
- The date or approximate date of the event (even the quarter helps)
- The names of the people involved
Please see our webpage: Information contained on birth, marriage and death certificates for more information about our records and tips for finding the correct record.
Other sources of information
To help further your research, information is also available from the following sources:
- - is the UK government's official archive.
- - is now part of the Identity and Passport Service and is responsible for ensuring the registration of all births, marriages and deaths that have occurred in England and Wales since 1837.
- ßÙßÇÂþ» History Centre - can help you to discover your family history. The pages contain links to many useful family history societies and resources.
- ßÙßÇÂþ» Heritage - caring for and promoting our county's rich past.
- - a charity offering research material, guidance and support for those interested in family history and the lives of earlier generations.
- - many branches of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints provide information for personal perusal. These include church records prior to 1837 and access to information from other countries.
If your research takes you outside the county of ßÙßÇÂþ» or even overseas, the following sources will help you:.
- in Edinburgh
- in Belfast
- in Dublin
- in Douglas
- in St Helier
- in St Peter Port
- The also holds records of some births, deaths and marriages of British Citizens that have occurred overseas and registered with the British consuls, High Commissions, HM Forces, the Civil Aviation Authority and the Registrar General of Shipping and Seaman. Please note, it is not compulsory to notify the General Register Office of every overseas event, so you may have to go to the records of the country concerned to find further information on the entry you are interested in.