Birth, Marriage, Death and Burial

Births, Marriages and Deaths

The official birth, marriage and death registers from July 1837 onwards are kept by the General Register Office. Copies of certificates can be ordered directly from them online. We do however hold a few non-ecclesiastical birth and death records, including registers kept by workhouses and asylums. Also see church and religion for baptism and  marriage records.

Burial Records

We hold copies of some municipal cemetery records and burial indexes for certain  churchyards. The originals are mainly held by the administrators of the cemeteries. Often there are no maps or plans showing the location of graves in churchyards, but monumental inscriptions can be helpful both for finding a grave and in providing information about a family. See church and religion for other burial records.

Coroner's Records

We hold records from the Bedfordshire Coroner which can be searched through our catalogue under reference CO. Please be aware that these records are likely to be subject to a 75 year closure period at the discretion of the coroner.