Jersey Church Records

Europe Channel Islands  Jersey

In Jersey the word parish has two rather different meanings. There is the ecclesiastical parish, much as there is in England, but alongside it there is the civil parish, governed by the Constable, complete with its own honorary police force and municipal administrative functions.

The civil and ecclesiastical parish authorities are closely linked - under Jersey law the civil parish is responsible for the upkeep of the external structure of the parish church, and the parish Rector is ex officio a member of the municipality.

Parish Registers
Update: Transcripts to most of the parish registers up to 1842 available here:

http://jerripedia.org/ Jerripedia: Includes indexes to all available baptisms, marriages and burials to 1842, and l910 in St Helier, plus BMD from 1842. Free access

'''http://jerripediabmd.net/ Jerripedia database: Includes all available baptisms, marriages and burials to 1842, and now also includes the index to BMD from 1842 to c1915. Free access'''

http://catalogue.jerseyheritage.org/ The Jersey Archive website has online images of the Channel Island Family History Society transcripts of BMBs and some post-1842 BMBs. Transcriptions of baptism records for the St Helier Town Church from 1842 - 1909 created by Archive volunteers are also available to view online.  

'''Please be aware that the early records for the parish of St John are partly missing. The original records were lost and the CIFHS transcript was copied from the original records a few decades ago. However before the original records went missing an early transcript was made in the late 1800s, known as the Messervy Transcript and this can be viewed in person at Jersey Archive'''

Parish registers described here relate to the ecclesiastical parish. Civil registration, introduced to Jersey in 1842, is at bottom the responsibility of the civil parish, although each civil parish registrar submits their records to the Superintendent Registrar in St Helier.

The historic parish registers were deposited with the Jersey Archive and transcripts were made by the CIFHS - these are available on open shelving for research. They cover the following periods:


 * Grouville - Baptisms 1584-1842, Marriages 1598-1842, Burials 1593-1842
 * St Brelade - 1560-1882
 * St Clement - 1623-1842
 * St Helier - 1596-1842. In addition baptism registers covering the period from 1842-1909 have been transcribed and the records can be located via the Jersey OPAC.
 * St John - 1583-1842 - early records only available by ordering the Messervy Transcript at Jersey Archive
 * St Lawrence - 1654-1842
 * St Martin - 1593-1960
 * St Mary - 1648-1842
 * St Ouen - 1634-1842
 * St Peter - 1626-1842
 * St Saviour - 1541-1842
 * Trinity - Baptisms 1624-1842, Marriages 1612-1899, Burials 1612-1842

Registers after 1842 are generally held at Office of the Superintendent Registrar, 10 Royal Square, St. Helier, Jersey, JE2 4WA. It is free to look at the records and it is open from 9 am - 12.30 pm although if there is a wedding in progess you may have to leave for 20 minutes or so. You can email marriageenquiries@gov.je - even if nothing to do with marriages! The staff are very helpful and can do searches for you for a set fee.

District Churches
In addition to the ecclesiastical parishes, a number of district churches were built from the mid-19th century onwards, the majority of them in St Helier. At first the registration of baptisms and burials was organised through the registers at the Town Church, but in due course nearly all of them gained the right to manage their own registrations. (However, to this day the large urban church of St Paul in New Street registers its baptisms, marriages and burials through the Town Church).

Two of the district churches have districts which straddle more than one parish - Gouray church district is split between St Martin and Grouville, while St Luke is split between St Saviour, St Helier and St Clement. Records from these churches were originally managed through St Martin and St Saviour respectively)

The only district church that has thus far made its registers of baptisms and burials available for transcription is Gouray - transcripts are held at Jersey Archive.

The Superintendent Registrar holds copies of marriages from the registers at the following district churches:


 * All Saints (1852-)
 * Gouray (1901-)
 * St Andrew (1855-)
 * St James (1904-)
 * St Luke (1852-)
 * St Mark (1917-)
 * St Simon