Glossary of common family history terms

Note that the definitions given below relate to England and unless specifically mentioned they may not apply in Scotland, Ireland or Wales.



Administration.............................The management and disposal of a person’s estate in accordance with the terms of a will or with the authority of a court of law where a person died without making a legally valid will.

Ancestry.........................................A commercial online family history database

Anglican Church...........................Alternative name for the Church of England.

Apprentice.....................................Someone who learns a craft, trade, art or profession from another to whom he is bound by indenture or legal agreement for a prescribed period (typically 7 years).

Attestation Papers.........................Documents completed when someone enlisted in the armed forces.The papers give details such as date and place of birth, occupation, religion, next of kin and previous military service. The person enlisting swore an oath of allegiance to the Sovereign.





Baptism...........................................A church ceremony initiating and receiving a person into a church. The ceremony involves the pouring or sprinkling of water or the full immersion of the person being baptized. In the Church of England most baptisms are of infants or children but adult baptisms will also be found in parish registers.

Banns...............................................The announcement in a Church of England church of an intended marriage. Banns Registers usually only state the name of the two people intending to marry, which parish they live in and the date the banns were called. While most parish registers have survived, most Registers of Banns have not.

Base Born.........................................Illegitimate. Also used to describe someone of humble birth.

Batch Numbers................................IGI batch numbers can be used to find baptism and marriage records on FamilySearch.

Bishops’ Transcripts.......................Contemporary copies of parish registers. They were compiled annually and sent to the diocesan Bishop.

Black Sheep......................................Wayward or disreputable members of a family

Book Number (census)....................Enumeration Book numbers are only used in the 1841 census and need to be quoted when citing an 1841 census reference. A Book number is usually abbreviated as bk.





Census...............................................An official count of a population. It usually includes the collection of personal information which is used to compile a variety of statistical information.

Census Reference.............................A minimum amount of information is required to enable others to find a particular entry in census returns. Census references for individual censuses should give the following information:

1841: Class number; piece number; book number; folio number; page number.

1851 – 1901: Class no.; piece no.; folio no.; page no.

1911: Class no.; piece no (PN).; schedule no. (SN).

Chapman Code................................A system of three letter abbreviations that identifies countries, counties, regions and islands in the UK and Ireland.

Christening......................................The Christian ceremony of baptising and naming a child.

Church of England..........................The official state church of England. Also known as the Established or Anglican Church. Its parish records date from the 16th century and are a major source of information for family historians.

Church of Jesus Christ,of Latter-day Saints....see LDS

Civil Parish......................................The smallest administrative area of local government and civil administration. A civil parish sometimes covers a different area from that of an ecclesiastical parish with the same name.

Civil Registration............................In 1837 the General Register Office was created to ensure that all births, marriages and deaths were recorded and appropriate certificates issued. Registration in England and Wales began on 1st July 1837. In Scotland, civil registration began on 1st January 1855. In Ireland it began on 1st January 1864 (although registration of non-Roman Catholic marriages had already begun on 1st April 1845).

Class Number (census)....................Each census from 1841 to 1911 has a Class Number which, apart from those for 1841 and 1851, individually identifies each census. The Class numbers for currently available censuses are:

HO 107 - 1841 and 1851

RG9 - 1861

RG10 - 1871

RG11 - 1881

RG12 - 1891

RG13 - 1901

RG14 - 1911

Commonwealth War Graves Commission..The CWGC records details of Commonwealth war dead and maintains cemeteries, burial plots and memorials in some 153 countries.

Coroner’s Inquest..............................A legal enquiry or investigation by a Coroner’s Court into the cause of death of a person or persons who appear to have died violently or accidently.





Diocese...............................................The area under the pastoral care of a Bishop.

Dissenter............................................Someone whose religious beliefs do not conform to thedoctrine, customs or practices of an established church. A person opposed to state interference in religious matters. See also Nonconformist.







Ecclesiastical.....................................To do with the church.

Electoral Register/Roll.....................An official list of those entitled to vote in elections.

Enumeration Book...........................An Enumerator’s Book contains a description of the location of households in an Enumeration District as well as the census information recorded for each of those households.

Enumerication District....................The area which was assigned to a census enumerator who then collected information about each household in that area. The information was recorded in an Enumeration Book.

Established Church..........................Alternative name for the Church of England.

Estate.................................................The assets, debts and liabilities of a deceased person.

Executor.............................................Someone appointed in a will to administer a person’s estate after their death.





Family History Centre.....................Family History Centres (FHC) are run by the LDS and make available a wide range of resources to help people research their genealogy and family history, particularly through the internet and the microfilm loan programme. FHCs (also sometimes called FamilySearch Centres) are free of charge to visit and are open to anyone with an interest in genealogical research.

FamilySearch....................................On line databases of the LDS giving access to hundreds of millions of records and digital images of baptism, marriage, burial and other family history related records. Coverage is worldwide and access to the databases is free of charge.

Folio Number (census)......................A Folio number uniquely identifies a single sheet in a census Piece. It is a number stamped in the top right hand corner of each sheet of a Piece. Because census sheets are folded, the Folio number only appears on each alternate Page. Folio numbers must not be confused with Page numbers which appear on every page in a Piece.

Free BMD...........................................An online index of births, marriages and deaths in England and Wales.

Free CEN............................................An online index of UK census data.

Free REG............................................An online index of UK baptism, marriage and burial records from both parish and non-conformist registers.

Full Age...............................................At least 21 years old.





GEDCOM............................................GEnealogical Data COMmunication. The GEDCOM standard allows genealogical data files to be transferred between different genealogy software packages.

General Register Office..................... General Register Office for England and Wales oversees civil registration in those countries and maintains the national archive of all births, marriages and deaths dating back to 1st July 1837.

.............................................................. General Register Office for Scotland [since 2011 known as National Records of Scotland] is responsible for Scotland’s national archives including records of births, marriages and deaths.

.............................................................. General Register Office Northern Ireland (GRONI) holds indexes for births, marriages and deaths registered in Northern Ireland since at least 1864.

GENUKI...............................................Online Genealogical Information Service for the UK & Ireland.

GOONS.................................................Guild of One-Name Studies. ‘The world's leading organisation for one-name studies’.

Gentleman.............................................Used to describe a socially respectable man, often one who has no particular occupation or profession.





Half Brother/Half Sister......................Children who have only one parent in common





IGI..........................................................International Genealogical Index: An index of the Temple Ordinances of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In some cases it is based on bulk extracted records from parish registers but not always. It also contains bulk extractions from third party databases and patron submissions. It is not an index of parish registers even though family historians do tend to use it as such. Originally on microfiche, then on CD-ROMs, IGI indexed records are now available as part of FamilySearch online databases.

Illegitimate.............................................A child of parents who are not legally married

Indenture................................................A contract for a given length of time (typically 7 years) which binds an apprentice to work for a master who undertakes to teach him a craft, trade, art or profession.

Inquest....................................................A legal enquiry process to determine matters of fact.

Intestate.......................................... .......Not having made a legally valid will.

Issue........................................................Child or children. A descendant or descendants.





Kew.........................................................Informal name for The National Archives, Kew, London.





LDS........................................................The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, members of which are known as Mormons. The church’s teachings mean that it is extensively involved in family history and genealogical research.

Letters of Administration.....................Documents issued by a court of law to allow someone to proceed with the management and disposal of a person’s estate particularly where that person has died without making a legally valid will.

London Metropolitan Archives............The LMA is the largest local authority record office in the UK and is responsible for looking after archives and other resources relating to all aspects of London’s history.





Manorial Records..................................Manorial records are documents which were generated by the internal administration of a manor. There are many different types of manorial record ranging in date from the 12th century until the 1920s. They are important because they often contain personal information not just about the rich and powerful, but also about ordinary people.

Mark........................................................A character or symbol, usually a cross, which is used instead of a signature, often, but not always, by those who cannot write their own name.

Marriage Licence...................................A document giving authority for two people to marry. In the Church of England a licence could be issued to a couple who, for whatever reason, did not wish to have their banns read in church. Common reasons for this were because it was quicker and more discreet. For some people it was also thought to confer social prestige.

Minor (‘Under age’)..............................From the start of Civil Registration in 1837 until 1929 a male was a minor if he was between 14 and 20 years old. A female was a minor if between 12 and 20. In 1929 the lower age limit was raised to 16 for both males and females.

Monumental Inscriptions......................These include inscriptions found on gravestones and other memorials in churchyards, burial grounds, cemeteries as well as inside churches and chapels.





Naming Patterns....................................The custom of naming children after particular relatives within a family e.g. naming a first son after his father’s father, a second son after his mother’s father, and naming a first born daughter after her mother’s mother.

Naming patterns often vary between countries and in different regions of those countries.

National Archives..................................The TNA in Kew, London, is the government's national archive for England, Wales and the United Kingdom. Many of its records are relevant to family history and an increasing number are being made available online.

National Burial Index............................An index to burial records in England and Wales.

National Probate Calendar....................see Principal Probate Registry

née............................................................A married woman’s name before her first marriage.

Nonconformist........................................Someone who does not conform to the doctrine, customs or practices of an established church. In England and Wales it is often used to describe any Protestant who refused/refuses to recognise the supremacy of the Church of England. Also sometimes called Dissenters.





One Name Study......................................Research relating to a particular surname (often including its variants) and the people who have that surname.

One Place Study.......................................Research relating to a particular place (often a village or small town), its history and the people who lived there.





Parish.......................................................A prescribed area within a diocese, usually overseen by its own vicar or rector. See also Civil Parish.

Parish Registers......................................Registers of baptisms, marriages and burials in Church of England parishes.

Penny, Pence (currency)........................There were 240 pennies in a pound and 12 pennies in a shilling. Plural: pence. Abbreviation: d

Piece Number (census).......................... Enumeration books were bound together and the resulting volumes were called ‘Census Pieces’. Each Piece has its own unique identifying number.

Poll Book................................................ A published register of votes cast in an official election before the 1872 Ballot Act, after which ballots were held in secret.

Poor Law(s).............................................Laws relating to the support of poor people at public expense. Usually it also means the various ways the system operated to put those laws into effect. “In Britain the relief and employment of the poor was originally the responsibility of the parish; this responsibility passed over to the workhouses in 1834. In the early 20th century the Poor Law was replaced by schemes of social security.” [Oxford English Dictionary].

Pound (currency)...................................There were 240 pennies in a pound and 12 shillings in a pound. Abbreviation: £

PRONI....................................................Public Record Office of Northern Ireland

Probate..................................................(1) The legal process for establishing the validity of a will. (2) The officially verified copy of a will certifying that the will is valid (has been proved) and granting authority for the executors to proceed with the administration of the deceased person’s estate.

Proved.....................................................A will whose validity has been established by a court of law.

Principal Probate Registry...................The Principal Probate Registry keeps a copy of every will proved, aswell as copies of letters of administration. The index to these records is popularly known as the National Probate Calendar, much of which is available online via Ancestry.

Copies of Wills and Administrations from 1858 can be obtained from the Probate Service.

Public Record Office.............................Until 2003 the PRO was the national archive service of the United Kingdom. Its functions are now performed by The National Archives in Kew, London.





Received into the Church.....................This phrase has several meanings but when found in Church of England baptism registers it normally means that the person (usually a child) is being introduced formally and publicly to the congregation as a member of the church having previously been privately baptised.

Record Office.........................................Record Offices collect and preserve historical records of all kinds relating to the area they serve. They make the records available for study and research and promote the value and importance of the resources they have in their care.

Registration District..............................A Registration District is an administrative region which exists for the purpose of the civil registration of births, marriages and deaths. They were established in 1837 and there has been considerable revision of the areas they serve over the years. A useful list of Registration Districts will be found on the GENUKI website. Registration Districts have also been used for the collation of census information.

Relict.......................................................Widow. Occasionally it can also mean a surviving spouse of either sex.

ROOTS-L...............................................The original internet genealogy mailing list established in 1987.

RootsWeb................................................RootsWeb is a free genealogy community that uses online forums, mailing lists, and other resources to help people research their family history.





Schedule..................................................A census schedule was completed for each household in an Enumeration District and each household was given a separate schedule number. An individual address may have several schedule numbers depending on the number of households living at that address.

ScotlandsPeople......................................An online database of official Scottish genealogical records including births, marriages and deaths, parish registers and censuses.

Shilling (currency)..................................Equivalent to 12 pennies. A coin of the same name. There were 20 shillings in a pound. Abbreviation: s

sic.............................................................As written (Latin). Often used when the original word or phrase is, or appears to be, different from that which would normally be expected.

Son-in-law...............................................Not always the husband of a daughter, but could also mean adopted son. Similarly, Daughter-in-law.

SOUNDEX..............................................A system which groups together surnames which sound similar but which are spelled differently

Spinster...................................................Unmarried woman

Stray........................................................Usually defined as a person who is recorded in a parish, county or country other than that in which they were born.



Uxor.........................................................Wife (Latin)





Vital Records...........................................Government records, including certificates, relating to births, deaths, marriages and divorce.





Will..........................................................A document which includes a formal declaration of how a person wishes their estate to be disposed of after their death.







(Compiled by Malcolm Lewis)