While the earliest possible date for parish registers is 1538, most do not survive earlier than 1598 after which they were required to be kept on parchment.

Many births, baptisms and marriages are indexed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints' International Genealogical Index (IGI). The National Archives has the 1992 version of this available on microfiche.

You can also search the IGI online using FamilySearch.

The British Isles Vital Record Index, also published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, contains some 12.3 million names extracted from church registers. This is available on CD-ROM at The National Archives.

The National Archives does not have Church of England parish registers. They are usually kept in the appropriate county record office.

The relevant county pages on the GENUKI website may help you find the locations of original registers, copies and indexes.

You can also ask at your local library for The Phillimore Atlas and Index of Parish Registers, by C Humphery Smith, (Phillimore 2003). This lists the location of registers and whether copies or transcripts exist.