Burial and Death Records in the UK

A burial record is a any type of record or certificate that states the date and place an individual was buried. These records are available from 1538 onwards, and are recorded in Parish Registers.

A death record is a certificate that states the date and place an individual died. These records are available from 1837 onwards as published by the GRO. You can also order a copy of a death certificate if you need to, which can show you full information about the birth.

Using Burial & Death Records in your Genealogical Research

Information on burial/death records can be useful as you can use the names as a starting point to begin tracing the ancestors on the record back another generation. You may want to know:

• If an ancestor was alive in a certain period
• How they died (perhaps there is a family history of illness?)
• Where they were buried
• Their date and place of birth (have they lived in one place all their life?)

We have provided a case study on this website so you can see just how easy it is to find a death record, and some links to related information that may be helpful to you.