Somerset, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1914

This collection contains images of Church of England parish registers of baptism records from various parishes in Somerset, England.

Both the British government and the church had an interest in record keeping, and a 1538 act of Parliament required ministers in the Church of England to record baptisms, marriages, and burials. In 1812, George Rose’s Act called for preprinted registers to be used for separate baptism, marriage, and burial registers as a way of standardizing records.

See the browse on the right to determine which parishes are included in this collection and the date coverage for each parish.

About Baptisms
Children were usually baptized within a few days or weeks of birth. The records generally include when the baptism took place and in what parish, child's Christian name, parents’ given names and the family surname, residence, father’s occupation, and who performed the ceremony. Sometimes you'll find additional details such as date of birth. Early records may contain less detail.

Please note that these images cannot be re-published or distributed without the permission of South West Heritage Trust.