Halifax St John baptisms

Each record comprises a transcript of the original register. The amount of information listed varies, but the records usually include a combination of the following information about your ancestor:

• First name(s)
• Last name
• Birth year
• Birth date
• Baptism year
• Baptism date
• Father’s first name(s)
• Mother’s first name(s)
• Mother’s maiden name
• Father’s occupation
• Church (dedication)
• Parish
• County
• Country
• Registry number
• Notes

Parish registers

In 1538, following the split with the Roman Catholic Church, it was decreed that each parish priest must keep a weekly register of baptisms, marriages, and burials. A fine was put in place for failure to comply, and from 1733, entries had to be written in English instead of Latin. Parish registers are an important resource in researching your family tree, as the census and official records of births, marriages, and deaths only go back as far as 1837, when civil registration began.

Halifax

Halifax is a Minster town, an honorific name given to certain churches in England. It lies within the metropolitan borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire. Halifax Minster is dedicated to St. John the Baptist.

Included in these records are Yorkshire and Yorkshire (West Riding). Yorkshire is a historic county in Northern England, the largest in Britain. The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of the county.