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Would you like you like to trace your family history? Are you trying to find out more about a town or parish in Wiltshire or Swindon?
The Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre brings together the archaeology, archive, buildings record, conservation and museum advisory services together with the county local studies library.
Staff are available to answer enquiries whether in person at the centre, or via telephone letter and email.
Before making an enquiry it is worth checking the detailed guides 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 when researching your family history
Next steps in family history - a guide on resources dating from before 1837
Wiltshire Family History Society 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.
The National library of Wales is acknowledged as the principal centre for researching Welsh genealogy, and has resources and facilities for researching the history of your family
The General Register Office 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
Parish registers up to 1916 can be viewed and researched online on Ancestry (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 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 (free access available at Wiltshire Libraries)
Wiltshire community history contains information on 261 Wiltshire communities covering the whole of the Wiltshire County Council administered area of the county
Parish register lists 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 (free access available at Wiltshire Libraries)
Sources for house history 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 that can help you with your research
You can also visit the Centre in person, or visit one of the county's libraries
