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This site has lots of parish records and is being updated regularly:
www.freereg.org.uk/c
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Hi Sharon
Yes, it is sometimes possible to go further back than 1800 but it's a case of searching through parish records, old wills and various other archived documents. I have found from experience that some areas of the UK are easier to research than others (and it also helps if you're researching a surname that isn't too common).
I know that some districts have excellent resources, with most of the transcribed parish records being available to buy online in book/CD/fiche form - great for those of us who cannot get to the RO in person. If you check with the family history society for that district they should be able to tell you what's available.
One branch of mine originated in Wilts and I managed to purchase things like Baptisms, Marriage Licence Bonds and Allegations, Marriages, Deaths, Burials, Church Pew Rents, Wiltshire churchgoers, Hair Powder Tax lists, Apprenticeship lists, Old Wills, bastardy records, Convictions etc.
It took me a good long while of extensive research and hour upon hour spent piecing everything together - but on that branch I have gone back as far as possible with parish records - to the mid/late 1500s. So, it's definitely possible to do, if you're determined enough and have both the time, energy and funds to invest in your research.
If you're unable to visit the records office of the district pertaining to your research, I would suggest checking online to see what's available to purchase (or for free even).
The IGI parish entries can be checked for free online but these are not without errors, especially when they are just submissions by members rather than extracts from the registers, so need to be double-checked.
www.familysearch.org
Genfair is a site I use quite a bit when searching for records to purchase.
www.genfair.co.uk
There are also lots of parish records to download on a pay-per-view basis. One site I use is this:
www.familyhistoryonline.net
I normally do a £5 top-up and that lasts me ages because each record costs very little to view (as in pence rather than pounds).
For London ancestors, check out:
www.parishregister.com
The National Archives site is also another regular of mine:
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline
Another useful site is:
www.oldbaileyonline.org
(Researching your family tree is more than just names and dates so try every avenue available to you to build up a picture of your ancestors - even the naughty ones! (and we all have one or two of those LOL))
Also, if you're able to get to the library local to your area of interest, they often have archived material, such as old newspapers, that can be searched for free on fiche machines.
There is an absolute wealth of information stored in archives all over the country and online and it's basically a case of finding out what's available and where.
Don't forget that Googling can unearth things you never knew existed online - so Google Google Google!
Hope that's helped a bit - Athena
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can anyone help have gone back in time to early 1800 on most areas of my tree with census and records office can anybody give me any tips to go back further if possible thanks sharon
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