Jersey Parish Registers now available to search on Ancestry
The Church of England baptism, marriage and burial records for Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands, are now available to search on Ancestry.
The registers covering the 12 parishes of the island date from 1540 to 1940 have been digitised and indexed.
Searchable by name, birth date, parish, baptism, marriage and burial date, name of spouse and name/s of parents, these records contain vital information for anybody looking to find out more about an ancestor who lived in Jersey.
The records are predominantly recorded in French, this being the written language at that time, but they follow a standard format and, with some French knowledge, they are relatively easy to interpret.
Jersey Church of England Baptisms, Marriages & Burials 1540-1812
Details found on the baptism records will include:
- Child’s Christian name
- Date of baptism
- Name of father
- From mid 17C mother’s maiden name
- Godparents
- Residence & Occupation of father if of high social standing
Details found on the marriage records will include:
- Name of Bride & Groom
- Date of marriage
- Parish of origin for both parties
Details found on the burial records will include:
- Name of deceased (for a woman this will be maiden name, with name of husband)
- Date of burial
Jersey Church of England Baptisms 1813-1915
Baptism records before civil registration in 1842 typically record the date of baptism, the child’s Christian name, the name of the mother and father, with the mother’s maiden name generally given and the godparents. Some parishes do include the date of birth and the name of the officiating minister.
After 1842 all records are recorded in preprinted regsiters and the birth and baptism dates are listed, along with the additional information of the occupation of the father.
Jersey Church of England Marriages 1754-1940
Marriage records before civil registration will include the name of the bride and groom, the date of the marriage and the parish of origin or residence of both parties. Post 1842 the registers of the parishes are all written in a standard format and record further details including the age, status, place of residence, place of birth, occupation, name of father and father’s occupation.
Jersey Church of England Deaths and Burials 1813-1940
Burials usually took place within a few days of death and records before civil registration in 1842 typically record just the name of the deceased and the burial date.
Following the introduction of civil registration in 1842 some parish began to use preprinted and standardised registers and include further information such as date of death, name of parents in the case of a child, residence, age, occupation, cause of death and officiating minister. Some parishes however still continued with the old registers and therefore there is less information recorded.