Channel Islands

Channel Islands census research

Census records for the Channel Islands are included with those for England and Wales. This means they’ve been taken every ten years since 1801, with the exception of 1941. The first census to record every person living in each household was held in 1841. The amount of information recorded increased from that year, with details such as family relationships, occupations and birthdates and places gradually introduced. You can use these census records to establish links in your family tree, and build a picture of how your ancestors’ lives changed over time.

All the available English census returns from 1841 to 1901, including the Channel Islands, are available to search on Ancestry, with images of the original records. Simply enter your ancestors’ names along with any other details you know, and search our collections.

Channel Islands vital records

• Parish Registers – Across the UK, the best records for looking into your ancestors’ vital events are the registers of christenings, marriages, and burials kept by the individual churches. Unfortunately, surviving parish registers are very few for the Channel Islands. Most are still held by the local parishes, so you’ll need to travel to the relevant island to see them. The History Centres run by the Church of Latter Day Saints have microfilm versions of some of these registers. The Church has also indexed many as part of the International Genealogical Index.

• Civil registration – The State was slow to begin central civil registration in the Channel Islands. Registration of births and deaths began in Guernsey in 1840, in Jersey in 1842, and on Sark and Alderney in 1925. Marriages were added in 1842 in Jersey, and 1919 on the remaining islands.

  Unfortunately, there’s no way to search the indexes to these registers online. Instead, you need to either visit or contact the governing body. For Jersey, this is the Superintendent Registrar, while for Guernsey it’s HM Greffier. See the GENUKI Guernsey page for more information.

Channel Islands research routes

If you’re looking into Channel Island roots, these are the best places to visit. Also bear in mind that local collections and expertise are particularly important on the islands, so think about visiting regional offices and libraries.

• Superintendent Registrar – Jersey : Holds Jersey’s birth, marriage, and death records from 1842. If you want staff to do research for you, you’ll need to pay a fee.
• H.M. Greffier, Guernsey: This is the place to go for Guernsey’s BMD records. See the GENUKI Guernsey page for more information.
• Jersey Archive: You can look for your ancestors among a host of documents, including military, immigration and criminal records, at this official repository. The Archive can also make copies of birth, marriage, and death entries from registers before 1842.
• Société Jersiaise : The Society’s Library is a goldmine of genealogical resources, including published and unpublished family trees.
• La Société Guernesiaise: The Society maintains a research room at Guernsey House, which holds parish registers, memorial inscriptions, obituaries, family files, and more. See the Family History page for more information.
• Priaulx Library: Focused on Guernsey history and culture, the Library has a large family history and genealogy collection. Staff will conduct research on your behalf for a fee.
• Channel Islands Family History Society: The Society’s collection is housed at the Jersey Archive.
• Channel Islands GENUKI page: This huge genealogical reference site has sections dedicated to Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney and Sark, with extensive details of top resources and records.