I have been doing English research since the early nineteen-nineties and have learned lots of useful tricks and techniques that are unique to English research.  In March of 2019, I decided to try and record these in a blog that would benefit others searching for English ancestors.

To a large extent, what I am going to cover also applies to Wales but not to Scotland or Northern Ireland where records were handled differently.  For example, civil registration started in England and Wales in mid-1837 whereas Scotland didn't start until 1855 and Ireland in 1845.

English records are freely available through volunteer societies, FamilySearch, specialty websites and the General Register Office providing a wealth of information for genealogists to find and there is more available through the pay-per-view services.  I will try to cover all of these.