Having trouble finding that elusive record?
Looking for details of an ancestor whose trail has gone cold, a place that’s missing from the modern map? Need to find a parish register or a monumental inscription?
Our volunteers have transcribed millions of records and written reams of articles that will help you in your searches
Follow this guide and you’ll soon discover if we have the tool to break down your brick wall.
Step 1: Search the Site
Don’t underestimate the power of a simple search. It’s easy to do and could provide the answer you’re looking for!
Tips: For better results use fewer words – search will automatically do partial searches – wild card characters should not be used.
No luck?
Step 2: View our Berkshire Names Index
Most people who come here are looking for an ancestor by name.
Our Baptism, Banns, Marriage and Burial Indexes contain over 1.8 million records. The indexes contain first names, last name, year and place. If you find the name you’re looking for, you can view the full transcription by purchasing the appropriate county-wide CD from our shop. Alternatively, local transcripts can also be found in our Data Downloads which are available from the shop in PDF format and can be downloaded immediately after purchase
Need something else?
Step 3: Browse the data we hold
We have a number of other databases, covering a variety of topics
If you’re looking for something else, you can skip to Step 4
Select a tab that describes what you’re looking for and we’ll point you in the right direction.
We also have a couple of general resources that you can explore.
Berkipedia
Berkipedia is our online encyclopedia that contains a large body of useful information, most of which is also mentioned in the other tabs:
- Places
- Unions
- Churches, cemeteries & more
Research Guides
This is an assembly of various resources that might interest you, including links to public archives, newspapers and military records
There are several ways to access our digital records
Berkshire FHS Parish Records
If you know the Parish in which an event occurred, you can purchase the Parish Register CD which will contain transcriptions of baptisms, marriages and burials. Go to the shop
Berkshire FHS County-wide records
But our ancestors moved around, often where there was work available, so a more reliable source might be our County-wide CDs. Go to the shop
For more details of the CD format, see our Research Guide and to find out what might be available for a particlur location see our Churches, Cemeteries & More section
Findmypast
If you have an FMP subscription that includes UK records, Berkshire FHS has provided some digital copies to FMP.
- date limits apply online, so, for example, no baptism entries are included which are less than 100 years old.
- some Anglican parishes, many non-conformist Churches and Chapels, and many municipal cemeteries have not yet given permission for transcripts of their records to be published online.
- findmypast publishes only the key information fields, rather than all potential fields, so important information contained in a transcript may be excluded from the online version.
There are several ways to access our digital records
Berkshire FHS Parish Records
If you know the Parish in which an event occurred, you can purchase the Parish Register CD which will contain transcriptions of baptisms, marriages and burials. Go to the shop
Berkshire FHS County-wide records
But our ancestors moved around, often where there was work available, so a more reliable source might be our County-wide CDs. Go to the shop
For more details of the CD format, see our Research Guide and to find out what might be available for a particlur location see our Churches, Cemeteries & More section
Findmypast
If you have an FMP subscription that includes UK records, Berkshire FHS has provided some digital copies to FMP.
- date limits apply online, so, for example, no baptism entries are included which are less than 100 years old.
- some Anglican parishes, many non-conformist Churches and Chapels, and many municipal cemeteries have not yet given permission for transcripts of their records to be published online.
- findmypast publishes only the key information fields, rather than all potential fields, so important information contained in a transcript may be excluded from the online version.
Transcripts of almost 50 burial grounds and cemeteries are available to purchase in the shop and this number is increasing all the time.
CDs contain a plan of the cemetery so that individual graves can be located and many contain photographs of each extant monument – see product details.
Our volunteers have also located, photographed and documented over 900 War Memorials around the historic county.
There are several ways to access our digital records
Berkshire FHS Parish Records
If you know the Parish in which an event occurred, you can purchase the Parish Register CD which will contain transcriptions of baptisms, marriages and burials. Go to the shop
Berkshire FHS County-wide records
But our ancestors moved around, often where there was work available, so a more reliable source might be our County-wide CDs. Go to the shop
For more details of the CD format, see our Research Guide and to find out what might be available for a particlur location see our Churches, Cemeteries & More section
Findmypast
If you have an FMP subscription that includes UK records, Berkshire FHS has provided some digital copies to FMP.
- date limits apply online, so, for example, no baptism entries are included which are less than 100 years old.
- some Anglican parishes, many non-conformist Churches and Chapels, and many municipal cemeteries have not yet given permission for transcripts of their records to be published online.
- findmypast publishes only the key information fields, rather than all potential fields, so important information contained in a transcript may be excluded from the online version.
This section of Berkipedia includes descriptions and images of many of the villages and towns of historic Berkshire, from Aldermaston to Yattendon.
This section of Berkipedia includes maps of the Poor Law Unions of Historic Berkshire, cross reffernces to the parishes and workhouses that appear on the Society CDs
We have over 5,000 microfiches containing records from all over the UK.
Check out the catalogue here
Society volunteers have transcribed many other useful sources for family historians. These include:
- poll books
- trade directories
- early census
- probate records
- miscellaneous other listings.
Society members, when signed in, can view some of these miscellaneous other listings for free in the Berkshire Data section (under the Info menu.)
More datasets are available to purchase on CD via the shop. Search the catalogue to see the range of data which may be of interest for your own research.
Need more help? Go to step 4
Step 4: Options
Choose the option that suits you best
Independent researcher
We can supply a list of independent researchers. You negotiate and pay directly. We take no part and have no responsibility for the work or the researcher
And if none of that works …
Step 5: Send us a message
If you’ve tried all the suggestions and still need help, use the Get in touch button below to tell us what you are looking for and we’ll try to help you.