Wiltshire family history

• Staff are available to answer enquiries whether in person at the centre, or via telephone letter and email
• Direct enquiries to the research/help desk team can be sent to: archives@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window) 

Enquiries normally relate to:

• Family history
• History of a house or piece of land
• History of a community
• Research into a particular subject or topic

Before making an enquiry it is worth checking the detailed guides (opens new window) on the History Centre website to see if your question has already been answered online.

A paid research service is available for prolonged searches, if you are unable to visit the Centre in person.  

• Find some advice on the first steps to take (opens new window) when researching your family history
• Next steps (opens new window) in family history - a guide on resources dating from before 1837
• Wiltshire Family History Society (opens new window) encourages and supports the activities of family historians with interests in Wiltshire families

The Copy Certificate Team at the Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre holds:

• Birth
• Marriage
• Civil partnership
• Deaths records, dating back to 1837

You can order certificates of these events, which hold clues to your family history.

You can contact them at certificates@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window)

Swindon Collection of local studies and family history (opens new window) has resources which can help you research your family history.

The History Centre and your local library in Wiltshire provide free access to Ancestry.co.uk  (opens new window)

• The National Archives (opens new window) is the UK government's official archive, containing over 1,000 years of history
• Scotland's people (opens new window) is the official Scottish genealogy resource
• The National library of Wales (opens new window) is acknowledged as the principal centre for researching Welsh genealogy, and has resources and facilities for researching the history of your family
• The Public Records Office for Northern Ireland (opens new window) (PRONI) is the official archive for Northern Ireland and holds sources for family history research
• The National Archives of Ireland  (opens new window) holds many of the records which are relevant to Irish genealogy and local history
• The General Register Office (opens new window) holds birth, adoption, marriage, civil partnership and deaths records, some dating back to 1837. You can order certificates of these events, which hold clues to your family history

You can order:

• Birth
• Marriage
• Death
• Civil partnership
• Adoption certificates

online from the copy certificate team. Contact them at certificates@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window)

The Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre also hold indexes to:

• Civil registration births
• Marriages
• Deaths

You can obtain a copy certificate for a birth, marriage or death that was registered in Wiltshire (excluding Swindon).

• Burial records and death records are held in Parish Registers (opens new window)
• The Wiltshire Family History Society offer transcripts of baptisms and burials (opens new window) for some parishes through their website.
• Parish registers up to 1916 can be viewed and researched online on Ancestry (opens new window) (free access available at Wiltshire Libraries) 

• Cemetery records are held by individual cemeteries
• The History Centre also holds some historical records

• The Wiltshire and Swindon archive catalogue (opens new window) gives access to wills and other probate records of the diocese of Salisbury which used to cover not only Wiltshire but also Berkshire (under certain circumstances) and parts of Dorset and Devon
• The collection of 105,000 historic wills dating from 1540 to 1858 held at the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre are available to search and view online at Ancestry (opens new window) (free access available at Wiltshire Libraries) 

• Wiltshire community history (opens new window) contains information on 261 Wiltshire communities covering the whole of the Wiltshire County Council administered area of the county
• Parish register lists  (opens new window) a summary of the list of parish registers held by the Wiltshire and Swindon Archives
• Parish registers up to 1916 are available to view online at Ancestry (opens new window) (free access available at Wiltshire Libraries) 

• WSHC: Sources for house history (opens new window) a beginner's guide indicating locally available sources for the history of your house

• Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre holds an number of online catalogues (opens new window) that can help you with your research
• You can also visit the Centre in person, or visit one of the county's libraries