Records and Sources
1901 census of England and Wales - Searchable access to the census returns for England and Wales, civil registration records for 1837-2004, and military records. Payment site requiring vouchers or online credit card payment to view records.
1911 Census Online - Searchable access to the 1911 census for England and Wales, Channel Islands and military personnel serving overseas. This is a payment site which requires vouchers or credit card payment to view records.
Ancestry [Please use the Desktop shortcut to "Ancestry website" on Library computers for direct access] - Online access to 1841-1901 census returns for England, Wales, Scotland, Isle of Man, and Channel Islands. Civil registration for England and Wales 1837-2005. Also many international sources. Library subscription only available in Library branches and Bath Record Office.
Bath BMD - Searchable database of the indexes to the civil registration of births, marriages and deaths for the Bath Registration Office (currently covering the whole of Bath & North East Somerset). Certificates may be ordered directly from Registrar’s Office by post for a fee.
Bath Record Office - Information about the holdings and access to the Bath Record Office. Catalogue hosted by Somerset Record Office.
Bristol Record Office - Archives and records for the City and Borough of Bristol. Searchable catalogue.
British Library - Online catalogues of the British Library collections, including newspapers, manuscripts and maps.
Commonwealth War Graves Commission The Commission is responsible for the maintenance of war cemeteries and memorials around the world. This site also provides and searchable database of all the names listed on the memorials or were registered casualties from all Commonwealth countries.
COPAC - This is a union catalogue providing access to the merged online catalogues of 24 major university research libraries in the UK and Ireland plus the British Library, the National Library of Scotland, and the National Library of Wales.
Family Search Free website from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormon Church). Databases included the International Genealogical Index, the 1881 census for England and Wales and numerous personal family trees that have been submitted to the site.
Find My Past Formerly 1873online, this website is a subscription website to various records including census, civil registration, military, and passenger lists.
FreeBMD Searchable database of a project aiming to make access to the indexes of civil registration, in England and Wales, free for 1837-1983. Transcription underway, so coverage not complete.
FreeCen Searchable database of a project aiming to make access to the 1841-1891 census returns free. Transcription underway, so coverage not complete.
FreeReg Searchable database of a project aiming to make access to Parish Registers free. Transcription underway, so coverage not complete, but a listing is available of the parishes completed to date.
Gazette Gateway Online access to the archives of the London Gazette. The London Gazette was, and remains, the publication in which all medal awards and ‘mentions in dispatches’ were officially published. Also contains bankruptcy notices, death notices etc.
Georgian Newspaper Project Volunteer run project to index the Bath Chronicle from 1770 to 1799. Indexing includes adverts, listings of visitors to Bath and news stories. Copies of articles may be ordered from the Local Studies Service of the Library for a fee.
Irish Ancestors - Hosted on the website for the Irish Times, this site allows searching of indexes and other sources of Irish family history – does not provide access to original records. Provides a list of useful addresses and links to further sources. Pay-per-view paid in advance online.
National Archives - Formerly the Public Record Office, the National Archives is the main repository for government documents in England and Wales. Access to the catalogue of the archives and a very good set of Research Guides that will help you find the records you require. The Documents Online service gives you access to digital copies of originals – pay per view though searching is free. Also hosts the National Register of Archives (covering British history) and A2A (covering England), which allow you to search for locations of archival material.
Newsbank - Online archive of several newspapers – UK national, local and some overseas as well. Dates vary by title, but earliest from 1985 onwards. Subscription site also available from home with your B&NES Library card.
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography - The Library has a subscription (accessible from home with your membership card) to this database of the biographical details of prominent British citizens. This is the new edition, with many corrections and additions, and the online version is regularly updated.
Scotland's People - Comprehensive online access to Scottish genealogical records such as BMD records, Old Parish Registers and images of the Scottish census returns. Run in conjunction with GRO Scotland. Payment online for access to records.
Somerset Archives and Records Service - Access to information about the holdings of the Record Office in Taunton, including Parish Registers held on microfiche and as originals. The catalogue also contains information about the holdings in Bath Record Office.
Times Digital Archive - Searchable archive of the Times newspaper from 1785 to 1985. Subscription site accessible from home with your B&NES Library card.
UKBMD - Listings of websites with databases of births, marriages and deaths. Some, like the Bath BMD website above, are listings of Register Office holdings and some are personal or society listings. Please note that most of the links from this page will not work on the Family History computer and is here to give you information on the resources available in the wider context of the UK.
Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre - New depository of the collections from the Wiltshire local history, archaeology, and archives services, and the archives of Swindon Borough Council. Also houses the Wiltshire conservation services. Online catalogues available for archives and library materials.
WiltshireBMD - Part of the UKBMD family of sites, this project is in its early stages transcribing the civil registration indexes for Wiltshire. Work started with the Chippenham and Trowbridge district offices.