Family History

Detail from the family tree of Egerton of Egerton
(Wilton Archive Ref E4/26/1)

Searchers can consult a number of very useful sources at GMCRO. The best one to start with is the Civil Registration Indexes. These are indexes of births, marriages and deaths covering the whole of England and Wales, which GMCRO holds for the years 1837-2006.

Please note that we do not have certificates of any kind. These are obtainable from the local register offices

Other national indexes include the grants of probate 1857-1956, the International Genealogical Index (IGI), and the 1881 Census index on CD. We also have the Census Returns between 1841-1901 on CD for Lancashire. The 1901 Census for Cheshire and the 1891 returns for Yorkshire.

Pages in this section describe the use of these records. There is also a section on Using Archives for family history.

Please note that GMCRO does not hold the parish registers or census returns for Manchester. For details of these important sources, go to the web-site of Manchester Archives and Local Studies