Parish records cemeteries

Parish registers - births, deaths and marriages

Copied from originals and held at other record offices:

  • East Barnet, St Mary's - 1553-1900, microfilm
  • Edgware, St. Margaret's - burials 1717-1867, baptisms 1717-1857, marriages 1717-1840, microfilm
  • Finchley St Mary's - marriages 1560 -1837, transcripts
  • Friern Barnet, Whetstone, All Saints Church, baptisms 1883 -1928, marriages 1883-1948, transcripts
  • Friern Barnet, St James, baptisms 1674-1882, burials and marriages 1674-1875, microfilm
  • Hadley, St. Mary the Virgin - burials 1603-1843, baptisms 1600-1875, marriages 1616-1875, microfilm
  • Hendon St Mary's - Burials 1653-1838, Baptisms 1653-1743, marriages 1654-1781, microfilm. Marriages 1653-1837 transcripts, burials 1653-1667, transcripts
  • Totteridge, St Andrews - burials 1570-1837, baptisms 1570-1837, marriages 1570-1836, transcripts

Births, marriages and death (BDM) certificates

You can order birth, marriage and death certificates post-civil registration date 1837 from the general register office.  Barnet Registry Office can also supply copies of BMD certificates post-1837 if registered in the borough. There are charges for search and supply of copies.

Prior to 1837, registration was at the parish church. Copies held in the collection are listed above. Originals are held at the following record offices.  A few are still held by individual churches:

London Metropolitan Archives parishes in the former county of Middlesex.

Ancestry library

Ancestry, the genealogical website, is now available at the local studies centre and in all Barnet libraries with a library membership card, providing access to:

  • indexes to births, deaths and marriages
  • London/ Middlesex parish registers
  • family history material.

Cemeteries

Many cemeteries opened outside London to accommodate burials due to the closure of overcrowded London churchyards. They were also available for local parish burials.

Monumental inscriptions

Monumental inscriptions are held for most churches. These are dedications erected in the church on tombstones and monuments of people with longstanding association with the church, large landowners and notable individuals.

Settlement examinations indexes

  • Hendon Settlement Examinations Index: 1704 to 1835
  • Finchley Settlement Examinations: January 1744 to December 1846, (microfilm)
  • Edgware Settlement Examinations: January 1822 to May 1833, (manuscript)
  • East Barnet Settlement Examinations: 1706 to 1806, (microfilm).

The 1662 Settlement Act enabled parishes to establish the former parish of residence of people moving in, and whose responsibility it was if they became destitute. They could apply for settlement in the host parish if they qualified under various criteria through marriage, occupation of property over the value of £10, engagement over one year in domestic service and apprenticeship.

This administrative procedure generated documents called settlement examinations. It enabled parishes to minimise their expense on the maintenance of the poor. It was mostly migrant labourers who did not qualify for settlement who underwent the examination process, as they were more likely to appeal for financial support in hard times.

Hendon's collection of examinations is rich in detail, giving full name, age, marital status, children's names/ages, occupation, parish of birth or previous place of settlement and incidental details.

Settlement certificates are probably the most informative documents of family history in this period.

You can search the Hendon Settlement Examinations Index 1727 to1835 by name (use FIND) to discover the date when they moved into the parish. The examination documents are available at our local studies centre for consultation.

Parish Vestry, Local Board, Urban District Council, Borough minutes

Barnet

  • Local Board minutes 1875 to 1894
  • Urban District Council minutes 1895 to 1965.

East Barnet

  • Local Board minutes 1875 to 1894
  • Urban District Council minutes 1895 to 1965.

Edgware

  • Parish Council minutes 1894 to 1931.

Finchley

  • Vestry minutes 1768 to 1874
  • Local Board minutes 1878 to 1894
  • Urban District Council/ Borough 1895 to 1965.

Friern Barnet

  • Local Board minutes 1884 to 1894
  • Urban District Council minutes 1895 to 1965.

Hadley

  • Vestry minutes 1732 to 1832.

Hendon

  • Vestry minutes 1706 to 1775, 1785 to 1913
  • Local Board minutes 1789 to 1894
  • Urban District Council/ Borough minutes 1895 to 1965.