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A number of GRO birth and death indexes are freely available to search online. These cover birth records from 1837 to 1934, and 1984 up to two years ago. Death records from 1837 to 1957, and 1984...
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- Track down a forebear’s death
- How to find an index reference
- Guide to death certificates
- It’s quick and easy
- Find that death
Death certificates are often overlooked in the family historian’s research, however they can unlock secrets of an ancestor’s life. They will provide details of how, where and when your forebear died, while the name of the informant could shed light on previously unknown relationships. These details will help you to find any wills or probate records that may exist and can take your research further.
The General Register Office (GRO) in Southport holds records of deaths recorded in England and Wales from 1837, as well as records for some British Nationals who died overseas.
The historical death indexes for England and Wales (those from 1837 to 1957, digitised records) are available to search free of charge via the GRO certificate online ordering service on GOV.UK. The index is searchable, for which you will need to key in certain information. Additional functionality includes phonetic/soundex searching. Also, where possible we have enhanced the indexes to include age at death where it has previously not been provided on the microfiche indexes.
Death indexes are also available to search on FreeBMD. This free-to-use website has an almost complete transcription of the indexes for England and Wales from 1837 to 1983. You can also search the indexes for a fee using commercial websites.
The indexes are also available to view in microfiche format at certain libraries (see our leaflet ‘Discover your Family History’).
Once you have found the right death record in the indexes you will need to make a note of the following:
•full name of the person on the certificate
•year and quarter in which the death was registered
Where and when died
This column should provide date of death and a location or full address. People didn’t always die at home. It may have happened in hospital or in the workhouse, which could fall into a different registration district than the one you’re expecting.
Name and surname
This is the name given to the registrar by the informant. Please note that this will be the name they were using at the time of death, not the name they were given at birth.
Age
The informant gives the deceased’s age at death to the best of their knowledge. This is not always correct.
Online
It’s quick, easy and cheaper to order a birth certificate online, just follow these 3 steps: Step 1: Visit www.gov.uk/bmdcertificates and click on ‘Start now’. Select ‘Order a certificate online now’ and register if you have not registered before (you will need an email address and will be asked to verify your account before you can start). Step 2: Select ‘Death Certificate’ and if you know the GRO index reference number, click yes. If not click no. You will need to add the year of the event (if you do not have the index reference number an additional administration fee is payable and a search will be carried out for you that covers a three-year period around the year you provide). Step 3: Once your address has been confirmed you will be asked to provide the information you have got from the index. You can order a certificate without an index reference number but you will need to give some identifying information. You will be charged more for this service to cover the extra work involved, and it will take longer for your certificate to be dispatched if using the standard service. You will need to pay by credit or debit card. You can now apply for Portable Document Format (PDF) copies of our digitised historical death records from 1837 to 1957. They are cheaper than certificates. We now have an Online View digital image service that provides a digital alternative for customers wishing to access certified copies of historic register entries in England and Wales. You will be able to apply for an individual digital image (in JPEG format) of a historic death entry from 1837 up to 1957. If you apply by phone or post you will be charged an additional administration charge to cover the extra work of processing applications not made online.
By phone
If you don’t wish to order online you can apply by telephone with a credit/debit card on 0300 123 1837. Lines are open Monday to Friday 8am – 6pm, Saturday 9am – 1pm.
By post
Application can also be made by post and forms can be obtained from GRO or downloaded via www.gov.uk/bmdcertificates.
Try these tips if you can’t find the demise of an ancestor listed in the indexes
TIP 1: After 1866, the age of the deceased is recorded in the indexes so it will help to have pinpointed their date of birth before searching for a death.
TIP 2: Not sure of the year of death? Try narrowing down your search using other records such as the census.
TIP 3: A death might not have taken place in the town or even country where they lived, so hunt further afield. Don’t forget to search the overseas death indexes.
TIP 4: If an inquest was held, the death might have been registered some time later, so widen your search.
TIP 5: The name you know your ancestor by might not be the one that appears on their death certificate. Try searching using their middle names, for example.
The GRO provides a public index that lists basic details of every death recorded in England and Wales since 1837. The index is divided into four quarters for each year. How to find an index...
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May 6, 2013 · The death index provides the name of the deceased, registration district and GRO reference number. From 1866 onwards the age of the deceased was also included. The date of birth of the deceased replaced age at death from 1969 onwards making it much easier to ensure you have the right person.
A major benefit of these indexes is that they precisely identify the bride and groom for each marriage and the church where it took place. They also frequently include the age at which a person died or the maiden name of a child’s mother for periods before these appear in the GRO indexes.
The GRO Index of births to 1934 and deaths to 1957 may be searched on the General Register Office’s website, but you have to register to use this index. Marriages are not, unfortunately, included in the GRO’s Online Index. It is now also possible to search births and deaths 1984-2020.
People also ask
What is a Death Index?
What is the difference between Birth Index and Death Index?
What are Gro birth and death indexes?
How do I find a historical Death Index?
Where can I find a gro Birth & Death Index?
Where can I find death indexes?
Birth indexes (1837-1916) include mother’s maiden name for all years, and death indexes include age at death for all years. NB the number may be the age in days or months, not years.
