What are burial records?

There are different types of burial records, they are held in many different locations and there is no comprehensive index to them

The main types of burial records are records compiled by religious groups and records kept by cemeteries and crematoria 

Most burials before the 1850s were recorded in the registers of Anglican parish churches. Further details of these are in the separate Parish registers section

Some non-conformist chapels had their own burial grounds and therefore their own records. Roman Catholics and Jews often had their own burial grounds and records too

After the 1850s many burials took place in private and local authority cemeteries in addition to parish churchyards

Burial records tell you where and when a burial took place. Usually they give the name, age and date of burial of the deceased. They may also give the person's profession, address and date of death.

A related source of information is the recording of  inscriptions on gravestones such as the transcription projects undertaken by local family history societies

You can read more detailed information about burial records, including non-conformist, Roman Catholic and Jewish records, in the National Archives Research Guide 'Burial indexes' and in the 'Religious records' section of FamilyRecords.gov.uk

The Genuki site also gives further information in its broader sections on 'Church records' and 'Jewish records'

Return to Burial records for more information