A parish is an ecclesiastical territorial division, the area under the spiritual control of a priest. During the 16th and 17th centuries the parish gradually superseded the manor as the main unit of local government, but this came to an end in the late 19th century with the reforms which created civil municipal and borough councils, rural and urban district councils, and parish councils.
There are 104 ancient ecclesiastical parishes in the area covered by Huntingdonshire Archives and 184 in the area covered by Cambridgeshire Archives. From the 19th century, additional parishes have been created by the Church of England in response to changing population patterns.
Parish records
Each parish generated a wide variety of records, although their survival can vary greatly from one church to another. Many local churches have deposited documents with us, including churchwardens accounts, tithe records, overseers papers, constables books and so on. Details of all these records may be found on the Access to Archives (A2A) website.
Parish records are popular sources for family and local history, and there are many books which can provide you with help in understanding them. The best overall introduction is still W.E.Tate The Parish Chest (Cambridge 1951). Those of you purely interested in the registers themselves should read Eve McLaughlin Parish Registers (FFHS 1988). View our online display The Cambridgeshire Parish Chest for some examples of local parish records.
Parish registers
Registers of baptisms, marriages and burials are among the most frequently consulted documents at Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire Archives. Parishes were ordered to keep them from 1538, but in many parishes they survive only from a later date.
Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire's registers have been transcribed and indexed by the Cambridgeshire Family History Society and the Huntingdonshire Family History Society; these transcripts are available in our searchrooms. Original registers covered by these transcripts are usually not produced, in order to protect the originals, but registers not yet transcribed are usually available for consultation.
Some registers are too fragile to be produced, but you may consult microfilm copies. Please note that no photocopies can be made of any pre-1837 register.
Please follow the links below for lists of all original parish registers currently held at Cambridgeshire Archives and Huntingdonshire Archives.