Free search of our name index

Search for a name in the name index, with options for spelling variants, year range, county or area, role and record type.

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Menu option for new search

Example

Free Search form

Description

You use the free search form to find records that could be of interest and that you may then wish to pay to see the details.

Please do not feel you have to enter something into every box, although you must enter a forename or a surname at the very least. If is better to scan through a list of entries that almost match rather than be faced with no results at all!

Here is some detailed information about the various fields:

Surname
Enter a single surname, it is possible to enter two surnames but both must occur in the surname position in every entry found. If you leave this blank you must enter a forename. You can use the question mark character (?) to substitute for any single letter and asterisk (*) to substitute for any number of consecutive characters, including none at all. You may use these two 'wild-card' characters anywhere in the surname including the beginning of the name.
Include variants
If you check this box, additional surnames thought to be similar to the one you have entered will also be included in the search. You cannot use this option if you have included ? or * in the surname.
Forenames
Enter a forename, it is possible to enter more than one forename (e.g. Mary Ann) but all must occur in the forename position in every entry found, although they may be reversed (e.g. Ann Mary). You can use the ? and * in the same way as for surnames.
Include variants
If you check this box, additional forenames thought to be similar to the ones you have entered will also be included in the search. You cannot use this option if you have included ? or * in the forenames. If you leave this box blank entries without forenames will be included in your search. Enter '-unknown-' if you specifically want to search entries without forenames. Don't forget to perform a separate search for forename initials if you suspect they may have been used.
County or area
Use this option to narrow down your search to a specific area. Some areas include other areas:
  • Birmingham - search Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.
  • Bristol - search Gloucestershire and Somerset.
  • Hampshire - search Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
  • London - London, Middlesex, Essex, Kent and Surrey.
  • Wales - search counties in Wales.
  • Yorkshire - search all three Ridings plus the City of York and Isle of Ainst y.
Selecting a country (other than England) or state will include all areas within that country, so Australia includes both Victoria and New South Wales.
Years between
If left blank a search will include all years, otherwise the search will be limited to years starting with the first year mentioned and ending with the last year given. For example you can enter the second year as '1837' to limit the search to those records before civil registration started (in England and Wales.)
Estimated births
Many census records include both place of birth and age and these are used to create additional name index entries for the estimated year and place of birth. Check the box to search these name index entries.
Others of this family
Check this box to include name index entries for others of the family. This would include mother's and father's name index entries for baptism records.
Types of record
This allows you search one section of the name index and this can be helpful if you need to narrow down the search or the system is busy. There are nine types of record.
  • 1881 Census
  • Other Census - not 1881
  • Baptisms (and Births)
  • Marriages, marriage licences, bonds and allegations
  • Burials (and Deaths)
  • Inscriptions on memorials such as gravestones
  • Probate, wills, death duty and so on
  • Civil Registration - not separated into Birth, Marriage and Death
  • Other records outside the above categories

Notes

  • Remember that few records include middle names.
  • Some surnames and forenames are very common (e.g. BROWN, SMITH, Mary and John) and you will be asked to select an area and a type of record to make the search more manageable. With common surnames, it can be a great help if you know of a sibling or other close relative with an unusual forename with a common surname (e.g. Eusebius SMITH).
  • Marriages less than 50 years ago and Baptisms less than 75 years ago have been excluded from the name index.
  • If you are faced with many records consider the using the start and end years to split your search into more manageable sections.