The first tranche of parish records from Wales has been made available online as part of a major new project with the Welsh County Archivists’ Group and the National Library of Wales.
Find My Past UK has made available 3,878,862 million records from the Church in Wales parish registers, which can now be searched for the first time online comprising:
- 1,418,921 baptism records covering 1538-1911;
- 950,254 marriage records covering 1539-1926;
- 340,002 marriage banns covering 1701-1926;
- 1,169,685 burial records covering 1539-2007.
These initial records cover the historic counties of Cardiganshire, Carmarthen-shire, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Glamorgan.
Over the following weeks, approximately five million more Welsh parish records from the remaining historic Welsh counties (Anglesey, Breconshire/Brecknock-shire, Caernarvonshire, Merioneth, Monmouthshire, Montgomeryshire, Pembrokeshire and Radnorshire) will be added to the website, enabling anyone to search the complete parish records from Wales online for the very first time.
Catherine Richards, County Archivist at the Powys County Archives Office and chair of the Welsh County Archivists’ Group, says: “Archive Services in Wales hold a wealth of information, and our written history reflects the rich culture and heritage of the Welsh nation. Celebrating family history has had a long tradition in Wales.
“Welsh Law made it essential for people to know how they were descended from an ancestor and the ancient patronymic system was an important way of conveying and reaffirming lineage.
“The importance of tracing Welsh roots has been revived through modern genealogy. Parish registers provide one of the primary sources for the family historian and help to bring to life Welsh ancestors from the past.”
The records are free to search. The transcripts and handwritten images of the original parish registers can be viewed on a pay-per-view basis or with a full subscription to Find My Past UK.
I gave this database a trial run and was disappointed. A marriage in Pembrey, Carmarthenshire in 1829 that I have extracted from the Parish Register is not listed and several baptisms are also missing. I would seem that it is not the complete coverage that they claim. Also as one Thomas Jones is indistinguishable from the hundreds of others an image of each entry showing more details such as occupation/abode/father/father’s occupation would help solve this problem. Therefore, for me it will have limited usefulness.
Hi Joy
Not all churches in Wales will be covered, as some have decided “not to be involved” (although I can’t imagine why not). You can see which parishes won’t be included in the database at http://www.findmypast.co.uk/content/welsh-collection/parish-registers. Pembrey is not one of the parishes mentioned, however, so I suggest you get in touch with Find My Past UK and point out the omissions.
I agree that more details would be helpful, but we’re stuck with what was recorded at the time the entries were written in the registers. You can see from the online images in the database that, unfortunately, most of the information you mention wasn’t recorded before 1813.
Best wishes
Alan