Researching your family history

Where to begin

The first step is to gather all the information you can from relatives such as:

• names
• dates
• addresses

Look at documents such as:

• Wills
• family bibles
• newspaper cuttings
• any birth, death or marriage certificates already held

Draw up a basic family tree to give you an idea of the gaps that you will need to fill. Then work backwards using information known already about relatives. Census records are very useful in finding out the names of other family members.

If, for example, you know your grandmother’s date and place and birth, apply for her birth certificate and this will give you her parent’s full names including her mother’s maiden surname. Your next step would then be to search for her parent’s marriage certificate which you should find through searching the family records indexes. These indexes are available to search on various websites, some free of charge.

How far do the Register Office’s records go back?

Civil registration of births, deaths and marriages started on 1st July 1837 and so our records go back to then (please note, we only hold records for the Leicestershire area). Before July 1837, the Churches recorded baptisms, burials and marriage banns, some of which are held at the Leicestershire and Rutland Record Office in Wigston.

Where can I get help tracing my family history?

Registration staff at Leicestershire will be more than willing to help you as much as possible and there are many groups and organisations specialising in family history or genealogy that should be able to help. You could try searching on the internet, or visit your local library and there are many books written on the subject.

What information do I need to obtain an old birth, death or marriage certificate?

We will need to know the name, year and the registration district and any other information you may have.

How do I use the index search facility?

Put in a surname (that’s a mandatory field), leave out the forename, choose a year range which includes the date you suspect may be correct, click all sub-districts and see what results are produced. If there are too many results and you are unsure of the correct one, refine your search by choosing a sub-district and a forename. Alternatively, if no results are shown, try using the near and quick search options which will offer more random results. Try searching our online indexes

What do I do if the entry I am looking for hasn’t yet been transcribed?

If you are unable to supply precise information then it may take longer for us to locate the entry to which you are referring. Please complete the manual certificate application form with all the information you have. In some cases we may not be able to determine the actual entry. If you are uncertain of the date of an event we will search for a five-year period (2 years either side of your suggested date (e.g. you suggest 1885, we will search 1883 to 1887) but unfortunately, we do not have the resources for extensive searches of the indexes.

Why are the reference numbers different from the national marriage indexes?

The national indexes of marriages in England and Wales list all persons married in each quarter year from 1837 and are now kept and accessed online at the General Register Office. They show the name of the bride or groom, the surname of the spouse (from 1912 only), the name of the registration district (as it existed at the time of the marriage), and a volume and page number which is unique to the General Register Office (GRO).

Every three months since July 1837, local registrars and Church of England ministers have been required to send copies of their marriage register entries to the GRO. For various reasons, sometimes marriages were missed, or details were copied incorrectly from the register; this can usually explain differences between certificates ordered by the GRO and those obtained from local register offices. Generally speaking, registers and indexes held by the local offices are less prone to error, and should therefore be more accurate than those at the GRO.

List of locations and time periods of Birth and Death Registers held at Leicestershire Register Office 

Allexton 

• 01/04/1997 to present

Anstey

• 01/01/1920 to 30/09/1949
• 01/04/1997 to present

Barkby

• 01/07/1837 to 30/09/1949
• 01/04/1997 to present

Barkby Thorpe

• 01/07/1837 to 30/09/1949
• 01/04/1997 to present

Barrow-On-Soar

• 01/07/1837 to 30/09/1949
• 01/04/1960 to present

Beeby

• 01/07/1837 to 30/09/1949
• 01/04/1997 to present

Billesdon

• 01/04/1997 to present

Birstall

• 01/01/1920 to 30/09/1949
• 01/04/1997 to present

Blaby

• 01/04/1997 to present

Botcheston

• 01/07/1837 to 31/03/1974
• 01/04/1997 to present

Braunstone Town

• 01/04/1997 to Present

Burton Overy

• 01/04/1997 to present

Bushby

• 01/04/1997 to present

Carlton Curlieu

• 01/04/1997 to present

Cold Newton

• 01/04/1997 to present

Cosby

• 01/04/1997 to present

Cossington

• 26/10/1837 to 30/09/1949
• 01/04/1960 to present

Countesthorpe

• 01/04/1997 to present

Croft

• 01/04/1997 to present

Cropston

• 01/01/1920 to 30/09/1949
• 01/04/1997 to present

Desford

• 01/07/1837 to 31/03/1974
• 01/04/1997 to present

East Goscote

• 01/07/1837 to 30/09/1949
• 01/04/1997 to present

East Norton

• 01/04/1997 to present

Enderby

• 01/04/1997 to present

Frisby

• 01/04/1997 to present

Gaulby

• 01/04/1997 to present

Glenfield

• 01/04/1997 to present

Glen Parva

• 01/04/1997 to present

Goadby

• 01/04/1997 to present

Great Glen

• 01/04/1997 to present

Great Stretton

• 01/04/1997 to present

Groby

• 26/10/1837 to 31/03/1974
• 01/04/1997 to present

Halstead

• 01/04/1997 to present

Houghton On The Hill

• 01/04/1997 to present

Huncote

• 01/04/1997 to present

Hungarton

• 01/04/1997 to present

Illston On The Hill

• 01/04/1997 to present

Ingarsby

• 01/04/1997 to present

Keyham

• 01/04/1997 to present

Kilby

• 01/04/1997 to present

Kings Norton

• 01/04/1997 to present

Kirby Muxloe

• 01/04/1997 to present

Launde

• 01/04/1997 to present

Leicester Forest East

• 01/04/1997 to present

Little Stretton

• 01/04/1997 to present

Littlethorpe

• 01/04/1997 to present

Loddington

• 01/04/1997 to present

Lowesby
01/04/1997 to present

• Lubbesthorpe

01/04/1997 to present

Maresfield

• 01/04/1997 to present

Mountsorrel

• 23/44/1837 to 30/09/1949
• 01/04/1960 to present

Narborough

• 01/04/1997 to present

​Newton Harcourt

• 01/04/1997 to present

Newtown Linford

• 01/01/1920 to 30/09/1949
• 01/04/1997 to present

Noseley

• 01/04/1997 to present

Oadby

• 01/04/1997 to present

Owston & Newbold

• 01/04/1997 to present

Potters Marston

• 01/04/1997 to present

Queniborough

• 01/07/1837 to 30/09/1949
• 01/04/1997 to present

Quorn (Quorndon)

• 01/07/1837 to 30/09/1949
• 01/04/1960 to present

Ratby

• 01/07/1837 to 31/03/1974
• 01/04/1997 to present

Ratcliffe On The Wreake

• 01/07/1837 to 30/09/1949
• 01/04/1997 to present

Rearsby

• 01/07/1837 to 30/09/1949
• 01/04/1997 to present

Rolleston

• 01/04/1997 to present

Rothley

• 01/01/1920 to 30/09/1949
• 01/04/1997 to present

Scraptoft

• 01/04/1997 to present

Seagrave

• 01/07/1837 to 30/09/1949
• 01/04/1960 to present

Sileby

• 23/11/1837 to 30/09/1949
• 01/04/1960 to present

Skeffington

• 01/04/1997 to present

South Croxton

• 1/04/1997 to present

Stoughton

• 01/04/1997 to present

Swithland

• 23/11/1837 to 30/09/1949
• 01/04/1960 to present

Syston

• 01/07/1837 to 30/09/1949
• 01/04/1997 to present

Thrussington

• 23/11/1837 to 30/09/1949
• 01/04/1960 to present

Thurcaston

• 01/01/1920 to 30/09/1949
• 1/04/1997 to present

Thurlaston

• 01/04/1997 to present

Thurmaston

• 01/07/1837 to 30/09/1949
• 01/04/1997 to present

Thurnby

• 01/04/1997 to present

Tilton

• 01/04/1997 to present

Tugby

• 01/04/1997 to present

Ulverscroft

• 01/01/1920 to 30/09/1949
• 01/04/1997 to present

Wanlip

• 01/01/1920 to 30/09/1949
• 01/04/1997 to present

Whatborough

• 01/04/1997 to present

Whetstone

• 01/04/1997 to present

Wigston

• 01/04/1997 to present

Wistow

• 1/04/1997 to present

Withcote

• 01/04/1997 to present

Woodhouse

• 01/07/1837 to 30/09/1949
• 01/04/1960 to present

Woodhouse Eaves

• 01/07/1837 to 30/09/1949
• 01/04/1960 to present