Britons overseas

Beginning as traders and explorers, the British settled and colonised many overseas lands. War also brought land by conquest or acquisition as the victor over other European or native powers. As well as in British colonies and territories, merchants, businessmen and traders lived and worked in foreign states. Many British communities flourished in Europe and in the overseas territories of other countries.

Birth, Marriage and Death Registration

Former British Dominions and Colonies passed their own vital registration laws and maintained their own civil registration systems. In foreign countries births, marriages and deaths of British subjects would usually be registered with British consulates, legations or embassies. From 1849, British consuls and legations were required to send returns to the Registrar General in London.

The General Register Office, Office for National Statistics, keeps all the statutory returns with microfiche copies in the Open Reading Room here at The National Archives. The original registers from which the statutory returns were made have, in some cases, been deposited in The National Archives by the Foreign Office and can be found in various FO series. The General Register Office indexes at The National Archives can be used to find entries in these registers.

In addition to these records, there are also non-statutory returns deposited originally by the Bishop of London with the Registrar General, which are now in The National Archives in five RG series. Miscellaneous Foreign Returns RG 32, Foreign Registers and Returns RG 33, Miscellaneous Foreign Marriages RG 34, Miscellaneous Foreign Deaths RG 35, and Registers and Returns of Births, Marriages and Death in Protectorates, etc in RG 36. Indexes to these are in series RG 43, available on microfilm at The National Archives.

Other records of baptisms, marriages and burials in Anglican churches and chapels abroad or transcripts of the registers were forwarded to London, to the Bishop of London´s Registry (the Bishop of London having an ecclesiastical jurisdiction overseas). Many of these registers or transcripts are now held in the Guildhall Library. Records of baptisms, marriages and burials in India were returned to the civil authorities and are now held in the Asia, Pacific and Africa Collections, British Library, http://www.bl.uk/collections/orientalandindian.html.

There are no overall indexes to these records, and few begin before the 19th century. They can supply detail on where individuals were at a given date, and what they were doing, enabling you to trace other local sources for further information.

Births, Marriages, and Deaths at Sea

Registration of Births, Marriages and Deaths at sea were recorded from July 1837, and should be looked for in the Marine Registers of the General Register Office. Registers of deaths of emigrants at sea from 1847 to 1869 can be found in Colonial Office records CO 386/169-172.

Following the Merchant Shipping Act 1854, registers of births, marriages and deaths are recorded using information from ships´ official logs in Registrar-General´s series BT 158. From 1854 to 1883, births, marriages and deaths are recorded, just births and deaths from 1883 to 1887, and deaths only from 1888 to 1890. There is also a register of births of British Nationals at sea from 1875 to 1891 in BT 160, and deaths of British Nationals at sea from 1875 to 1888 in BT 159. Registers of births, marriages and deaths at sea from 1891 to 1972 are in BT 334.