England, Cambridgeshire Bishop's Transcripts - FamilySearch Historical Records

England

Cambridgeshire

Access the Records
England, Cambridgeshire Bishop's Transcripts, 1538-1983 CID1465708 {{{CID2}}} {{{CID3}}} {{{CID4}}} {{{CID5}}} {{{CID6}}} {{{CID7}}} {{{CID8}}} {{{CID9}}}
This article describes a collection of records at FamilySearch.org.
Cambridgeshire, England
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Location of Cambridgeshire, England
Location of England
Record Description
Record Type	Bishop's Transcripts
Collection years	1538-1983
FamilySearch Resources
Cambridgeshire Guided Research
England Record Finder
Cambridgeshire, England Genealogy
Cambridgeshire Parishes
England Church Records
England Bishop's Transcripts - FamilySearch Historical Records
Related Websites
Cambridgeshire Association for Local History
English Ancestors Bishop's Transcripts
FindMyPast Blog To Every Book Its Copy - Parish records and Bishop's Transcripts
Cambridgeshire Archives and Local Studies
Archive
Cambridge University Library, England

What is in This Collection?

The collection contains an index to and images of baptismal, marriage, and burial records for the county of Cambridge for the years 1599-1860. The collection was originally filmed at the Cambridge University Library.

Bishop’s transcripts contain much of the same information as parish registers, and serve as a replacement when a parish register has been damaged or unavailable. Bishop's transcripts may provide additional information than the original registers. For additional information about image restrictions, please see the Restrictions for Viewing Images in FamilySearch Historical Record Collections page.

Image Visibility

Whenever possible FamilySearch makes images and indexes available for all users. However, rights to view these data are limited by contract and subject to change. Because of this there may be limitations on where and how images and indexes are available or who can see them. Please be aware some collections consist only of partial information indexed from the records and do not contain any images.

For additional information about image restrictions see Restrictions for Viewing Images in FamilySearch Historical Record Collections.

What Can These Records Tell Me?

The following information may be found in these records:

Birth

• Name of the child
• Date and place of birth
• Gender
• Names of parents

Baptism

• Name of the child
• Date and place of baptism
• Names of parents

Marriage

• Name of the bride and groom
• Date and place of marriage
• Marital status
• Age
• Estimated birth years
• Names of parents

Death

• Name of the deceased
• Date and place of death
• Gender
• Age
• Estimated birth year

Burial

• Name of the deceased
• Date and place of burial
• Age
• Estimated birth year

Collection Contents

For additional details about these records and help using them see England Bishop's Transcripts - FamilySearch Historical Records

Digital Folder Number List

This collection was published as a DGS browse collection. A table listing each DGS number and its contents can be found at England, Cambridgeshire Bishop's Transcripts, Digital Folder Number List - FamilySearch Historical Records.

How Do I Search This Collection?

Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:

• Name of the person
• Approximate date of the event

Search the Index

Search by name by visiting the Collection Details Page.

1. Fill in the search boxes in the Search Collection section with the information you know
2. Click Search to show possible matches

View the Images

To view images in this collection:

1. Look at the England, Cambridgeshire Bishop's Transcripts, Digital Folder Number List (FamilySearch Historical Records) article to determine the folder/film number for the images you want to see
2. Go to the Browse Page
3. Select the Film number to view the images

How Do I Analyze the Results?

Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

• Add any new information to your records
• Use the information which you have found to estimate ages in other life events. For example, use a christening date to approximate a marriage date, or a burial record to calculate an estimated year of birth
• Once you have found a christening or a burial church record, you may want to search for birth and death in civil records (1837 and later)
• Use the information you have found to find the person and families in census records
• Continue to search the index to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives. Note that family members often appear on an individual's records, such as in the role of witnesses to a marriage

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

• When looking for an individual with a common name, look at all the search results before deciding which is the correct person
• If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname
• Be careful using the listed age on a marriage record to estimate a birth year. Rather than listing actual ages, clerks often wrote in 21 as the age of both the bride and groom to show that they each were of legal age
• Search the records of nearby locations
  • Lincolnshire to the north
  • Norfolk and Suffolk to the east
  • Essex and Hertfordshire to the south
  • Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the east
• Check for other names. An individual might have been listed under a middle name, a nickname, or an abbreviation of their given name
• Spelling was not standardized for much of the period of this collection, so names were often spelled as scribes heard them. Try searching based on how the name may have been pronounced
• Vary the search terms. For example, expand the date range or search by either the given name or surname to return a broader list of results
• The individual might not have records in the Church of England at all, but rather might have belonged to a nonconformist denomination
• When you search baptismal records, remember that it was not unusual for a child to be baptized weeks or even months after birth
• Note that marriages often took place in the parish where the bride resided

Research Helps

The following articles will help you in your research for your family in Cambridgeshire.

• Cambridgeshire Guided Research
• England Record Finder
• England Research Tips and Strategies

Citing This Collection

Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used..

Collection Citation: The citation for this collection can be found on the Collection Details Page in the section Citing this Collection.

Record Citation: When looking at a record, the citation can be viewed by clicking the drop-down arrow next to Document Information.

Image Citation: When looking at an image, the citation is found on the Information tab at the bottom left of the screen.

How Can I Contribute to the FamilySearch Wiki?

We welcome user additions to FamilySearch Historical Records wiki articles. We are looking for additional information that will help readers understand the topic and better use the available records. We also need translations for collection titles and images in articles about records written in languages other than English. For specific needs, please visit WikiProject FamilySearch Historical Records/Guidelines for Articles. Please follow these guidelines as you make changes. Thank you for any contributions you may provide.