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Subscription to British Origins gives you access to rich and unique British genealogy records online.

We offer a treasure-trove of research aids to genealogy records and images that are physically stored in many different places so you'll find information that isn't available anywhere else on the internet.

Subscription includes access to:

• access to over 70 million names covering 1209-1948
• the new National Wills Index, which is fast becoming the primary online resource for pre-1858 English probate material
• the British Origins Image Library, our collection of wonderful photographs, maps and historical publications that show a rare glimpse of daily life in Britain prior to the 20th Century.
• Search by Place to get authentic map images and place name history from the England and Wales Gazetteer
• and a free British genealogy guide.

The articles below explain how each record in the British Origins collection can help your research. They're packed with detailed information, tips and techniques on how to read, use and navigate your way though the data.


SoG dataset   Hard copies available

Census records & census substitutes England & Wales Censuses 1841, 1861, 1871   Full indexes to digitised images of the complete 1841, 1861 and 1871 England & Wales census records. Our census indexes are recognised as the most accurate and complete available. Association Oath Rolls 1696   Transcriptions of the Association Oath Rolls for the City of London Livery Companies contains the names of over 21,500 members of 77 livery companies. Marriage records Boyds Marriage Index  1538-1840 Compiled from English parish marriage registers, Bishop's Transcripts and marriage licences between 1538 and 1840. Records are now available for every English county. Over 7 million names are available online. Supplement to Boyd's Marriage Index. An on-going project, this includes marriages, particularly from the London area, which have never been indexed previously. St Andrew Holborn Marriage Index  1754-1812 One of the biggest parishes in London spanning London and Middlesex. The period 1754-1812, comprises 18,724 marriages and about 92,000 names. Hard copies available. Marriage Licence Allegations Index  1694-1850 Index to documents sworn by one of the prospective parties to the effect that there was no impediment to the marriage and where the marriage could take place. Contains over 670,000 names identifying couples, particularly Londoners, who intended to marry. Hard copies available. Dorset Marriage Index  1538-1856 Over 150,000 marriages transcribed by Somerset & Dorset Family History Society from parish registers, Bishops Transcripts, and non-conformist circuit registers. Online records are of the actual marriages and over half a million names are searchable, including witnesses. Apprenticeship records London Apprenticeship Abstracts  1442-1850   Children from all over Britain became apprenticed to London Livery Companies. The rich records are an exceptional resource of genealogical information. Over 165,000 abstracts with an index of nearly half a million names. Apprentices of Great Britain  1710-1774 Abstracts from tax records kept by the Inland Revenue. They are of exceptional value to the family history researcher. About 350,000 indentures are included, from all over Great Britain. Court records London Consistory Court Depositions Index  1700-1713   The Consistory Court of London was the main court dealing with matrimonial disputes. Cases involve divorce and separation, breach of promise, arguments over estates and probate, defamation, and "criminous conversation". Inheritance Disputes Index  1574-1714   Available for the first time, and exclusively on British Origins, a comprehensive index to over 26,000 lawsuits instituted in the Chancery Court of England relating to inheritance of money or real estate. Charles I Chancery Index  1625-49   An index to all 82,000 cases tried in the Court of Chancery between 1625 and 1649. Chancery records often reveal personal, business and family relationships in more detail than almost any other source. Burial records London Burials Index  1538-1853 Combining Boyd's London Burials, Cliff Webb's London City Burials and St Leonard Shoreditch Burials, over 300,000 burials are included. Records include the last name, first name, age, year of death and the burial ground. Militia records Militia Attestations Index   1886-1910 Over 110,000 of these documents are indexed, from regiments all over the British Isles. They were filled in at the time of recruitment and, containing much personal data, can be very fruitful source of genealogical data. Hard copies can be ordered online. Passenger Lists British & Irish Passenger Lists  1890 Probably the most complete and accurate transcriptions of the 1890 passenger lists for sailings from British & Irish ports to the USA and Canada. The names of nearly 200,000 passengers are included. General records and images Boyd's Inhabitants of London and Boyd's Family Units  1270-1927 Over 500,000 names. One of the Society of Genealogists' most valuable holdings, this index is a key source for researchers into families not only from London but all over the world. Poor Law Records  1742-1868 Poor law records for the City of London have been made available as the first in this series, covering the parish of St Botolph Aldgate; the index contains nearly 12,000 names. Teachers' Registrations  1870-1948 The Teachers' Registrations give details of nearly 100,000 people who taught in England and Wales between 1870 and 1948; more than half of those are women. Trinity House Calendars  1787-1854 Petitions for charitable aid by disabled seamen or their widows, provides access to an extraordinary amount of genealogical information. Hard copies of originals can be ordered online. Somerset & Dorset Notes and Queries  1890-1980 Free text search across nearly 10,000 pages. Subjects include family trees, parish registers, wills, inventories, property records, emigration, militia, shipping, civil war, the Monmouth Rebellion and much, much more. England & Wales Gazetteer  published 1895   Over 25,000 entries plus maps of every county and plans of major cities. The entire text is fully searchable so you can find entries for specific places and any appearance in the text of the place you are interested in. England & Wales Gazetteer Maps & Plans   1895  All counties   The county maps, coloured to show the political divisions, show natural features - mountains, rivers lakes and estuaries - and main roads, railways and canals. There is also a map of the whole of England and Wales, showing county boundaries. British Origins Library   9 collections, 18th & 19th centuries   Many rare and interesting images and pictures depicting life in Britain in the 18th and 19th Centuries. Offerings include Children's Employment Commission Part II (1842), Domesday Book for Middlesex (published 1862), Wonderful London, England & Wales Gazetteer Maps (1895), Costumes in England (18th Century), Coaching Days and Ways (1893), Something for Everyone (1861), The Universal Pocket Companion (1741) and the Pictorial Description of Great Britain & Ireland (1846). All include high quality images and illustrations.