Included here are commercial as well as official sources of information relevant to genealogical research.  

Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates

England & Wales

Certificates can be obtained by mail, fax or telephone from:

The General Register Office
PO Box 2
Southport
Merseyside PR8 2JD
England
Tel: +44 845 603 7788
Fax: +44 1704 550013
E-Mail: certificate.services@ons.gov.uk

£11.50 standard service
£27.50 priority service (dispatched next working day)

Scotland

Certificates are available by mail, fax, telephone and in person from:

The General Register Office for Scotland
New Register House
Edinburgh EH1 3YT
Scotland
Tel: +44 131 314 4411
Fax: +44 131 314 4400
E-Mail: records@gro-scotland.gov.uk

£13.00 standard service
£23.00 priority service (dispatched next working day)

Northern Ireland

Certificates are available by mail, telephone and in person from:

The General Register Office (Northern Ireland)
Oxford House
49-55 Chichester Street
Belfast BT1 4HL
Northern Ireland
Tel: +44 28 9025 2000
E-Mail:gro.nisra@dfpni.gov.uk

Records for Northern Ireland for the period 1864-1922 are also kept at:

The General Register Office
8-11 Lombard Street East
Dublin 2
Ireland
Tel: (353) (1) 635 40 00

Some records of births, marriages and deaths prior to the dates noted are held in parish registers. Useful resources for locating them include:

The National Archives, a British government web site providing easy access and links to the main UK family history sites on the web.

Divorce Decrees

England and Wales

The National Archives supplies information on divorce decrees for England and Wales.

Alternatively, enquirers can write to:

Principal Registry of the Family Division
First Avenue House
42-49 High Holborn
London WC1V 6NP
England
Tel: +44 20 7947 6000

Scotland

The General Register Office for Scotland supplies information on divorce decrees later than May 1984. For information on earlier decrees, or to request material by mail, contact:

Extractor of the Court of Session
2 Parliament Square
Edinburgh EH1 1RF
Scotland

Northern Ireland

Divorce decrees may be obtained from:

The Chief Registrar
High Court of Justice
Chichester Street
Belfast BT1 3JF
Northern Ireland

Wills

England and Wales

General information on obtaining wills is available on the Court Service website.

Enquirers interested in locating and obtaining by mail wills dated after 1858 are advised to contact the following organisation (telephone requests are not accepted):

The Postal Searches & Copies Department
York Probate Sub-Registry
Duncombe Place
York YO1 7EA
England

Those interested in researching and obtaining wills dated after 1858 in person can visit:

The Record Keeper
Principal Registry of the Family Division
First Avenue House
42-49 High Holborn
London WC1V 6NP
England
Tel: +44 20 7947 7000

In addition, most District Probate Registries have information for at least the last fifty years. A list of District Probate Registries is available on the Court Service website.

Wills dated earlier than 1859 are available from the UK National Archives.

Scotland

A general overview of Scottish wills and how to obtain them is available on the National Archives of Scotland website.

To obtain a will dated before 1985, enquirers are advised to contact:

HM General Register Office
HM General Register House
Princes Street
Edinburgh EH1 3YY
Scotland
Tel: +44 131 535 1352

Wills dated after 1985 are available from:

HM Commissary Office
27 Chambers Street
Edinburgh EH1 1LB
Scotland
Tel: +44 131 247 2850

Northern Ireland

All probated wills for Northern Ireland, 1900-1994, are available for consultation and research at:

The Public Records Office of Northern Ireland
66 Balmoral Avenue
Belfast BT9 6NY
Northern Ireland
Tel: (1232) 661621

The Public Record Office will not accept telephone or mail requests.

Wills may also be obtained by contacting:
The Probate and Matrimonial Office
Royal Courts of Justice
Chichester Street
Belfast BT1 3JF
Northern Ireland
Tel: +44 20 9023 5111

Armed Forces Service Records

Enquirers are advised that the Ministry of Defence does not normally release information from a service record to persons other than the individual concerned or their next of kin.  

Information on obtaining British Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and Royal Marines service records, medals and information is available on the Ministry of Defence website.