The Wiltshire Family History Society helps people research their family history in Wiltshire and connect with other people with local interests.

Onsite Collections

• Monumental Inscriptions (Tombstones) Index: Searchable database for the whole of Wiltshire. For an explanation, go to the Monumental Inscriptions page in the Research section of this web site.  Also available on FindMyPast.

• Strays Index: Shows people who have strayed from their original locations or who are outside Wiltshire but who have had connections with the county. Also see publications list. In alphabetical order by surname/forename – there are some 30,000 entries at present.  Chapman County Codes are used in this index. Also available on FindMyPast.

• Library and Correspondence Files: Includes a wide range of books and other ephemera, all indexed by surname and place in our Catalogue of Resources (on our computers but not online). We also have many filing boxes (known as our tracts) that contain family trees and other records for many Wiltshire families. The contents have come from a variety of sources, usually donations, and include single handwritten sheets, booklets, and envelopes of papers and so on.  The facility provides something of a Lucky Dip opportunity and includes some items not available elsewhere.

• Greenslade Index: Paper slip index created in the late 20^th Century of many names, principally in North Wiltshire and South Gloucestershire, including details of baptisms, marriages, burials and other information.  This massive resource duplicates much that nowadays has appeared in other databases and so is of principal value to researchers who have reached a ‘brick wall’ elsewhere.

• Nonconformist Index: Wiltshire records which were deposited in 1837. By surname for the whole county and in parishes. Some others are also held.

• Crime Records: Quarter Sessions 1722-1849 (Goodies and Baddies) Criminals and witnesses. Summary convictions 1698-1903 (Minor crimes before justices). Also available on FindMyPast.

• Parish Register Transcripts: 

  Baptisms, marriages and burials up to 1837 (after which national registration was introduced): baptisms and burials for the great majority of the parishes in the county and marriages for all parishes.  The baptisms and burial transcripts are by the Society’s own members, and the marriages transcripts are from the Nimrod Indexes.

  To identify parishes, go to the Publications section of this website and view the Publications leaflet which also indicates which of the parishes are also available on FindMyPast.  For an explanation of parish records and parish registers, go to the Parish Records page in the Research section of this website.

• Phillimore marriage indexes for Wiltshire: The Society has a full set of these volumes for Wiltshire, but note that not all the county is included.  They duplicate much information available elsewhere, including our Parish Register Transcripts and online.

• Marriage Licence Bonds for Sarum Diocese: Covering much of Wiltshire, Berkshire and Dorset and the parish of Uffculme in Devon, and also brides and grooms from other counties being married by licence within the Diocese.  For an explanation go to the Marriage Licence Bonds page in the Research section of this website.

• Apprenticeships: All surviving records for the county. Some information is also in the relevant Wiltshire Record Society Volumes held by the Society and on some websites.

• Wiltshire Friendly Society: Records of many thousands of members, from the 19^thCentury, many of whom were born before the commencement of civil registration, providing information such as birth date and parents. Go to our online Database section in the Members Area (you need to be a member to log in to see this) for an index of the Wiltshire Friendly Society records.

• Surname Index: 

  A master index of over 2.5 million names in the Society’s publications – apart from the A4 and A5 publications series – which with associated years and locations indicates the source databases in which to seek further information. It includes entries from parish registers, poor law indexes, strays, Goodies & Baddies, Friendly Society and more.  The database is only available in our Resource Centre and so is used when responding to research enquiries.

  Before sending an enquiry, please note that many of the related transcriptions have been placed by the Society onto FindMypast: to identify which parishes are included, go to the Publications section of this website and view the Publications leaflet.

Membership Costs

Costs of membership:

• Individual Membership  –  £12
• Institutional Membership –

Research Services

Volunteers from the Society will undertake research using mainly our own resources and, if appropriate, external sources.  For all research enquiries, email the Research Administrator – see our Contact Us page.

If we can help, a confirmation email will ask your permission to proceed and explain our terms and costs (normally £5.00 per hour). When permission has been received we will send you a log book number, and your enquiry will then be dealt with by one of our research team volunteers.

Our confirmation email will explain options for payment.  If you choose to pay on line, or simply wish to make a donation to support our many voluntary activities, you can use the Donation option in our Genfair online sales outlet – click here.

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