10 baptism problems and how to solve them

Baptism records are some of the most important records to help with our family history research, particularly before the advent of the civil registration of births, although they can also be of assistance after this. In England and Wales, baptismal registers have been kept by churches since 1538, while the earliest surviving parish baptism entry in Scotland dates back to 1553. In some cases the records may note a date of birth, but more often than not the date given is that for the baptism only, which was usually performed a few days later. Different denominations recorded their records in many different ways, but additional information provided may include the names of the child’s parents, residence, and the names of any sponsors or godparents.

For a variety of reasons, however, baptismal records are not necessarily always straightforward to find. Here are the 10 most common problems, and how you might overcome them.

1 THE BAPTISMAL REGISTERS HAVE NOT SURVIVED

One obvious reason why baptismal registers cannot be found is that they have not survived, for example if destroyed through events such as fires, floods or war. For instance, in 1922 almost all Church of Ireland registers were lost in a fire at the Public Record Office in Dublin during the Irish Civil War, although copies for some have survived (see the Church’s website: ireland.anglican.org/about/rcb-library/list-of-parish-registers).

In England and Wales there is an alternative source to consult if baptismal registers have not survived in the form of Bishops’ Transcripts (BTs), which Church of England ministers were obliged to keep from 1598 onwards. Details of surviving registers and BTs are noted in Cecil R Humphery-Smith’s book The Phillimore Atlas and Index of Parish Registers, available in the collection ‘Great Britain, Atlas and Index of Parish Registers’ on Ancestry (ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/8830).

As well as records that did not survive through misfortune, some documents may also have been deliberately destroyed. For example, in a small number of Scottish parishes registers were seized by congregations after the passing of the Napoleonic Militia Acts in 1797 and 1802, to prevent them being used to provide evidence of age in a military conscription. Details of surviving Scottish registers can be found on the website of