Parish register transcripts, 1664-1880

Notes

In 1824 the Diocese of Jamaica was established. In 1825 the office of Registrar of the Diocese was established. Rectors sent copies of existing registers there and sent annual transcripts thereafter. The parish register transcripts recorded baptisms, marriages and burials. Birth and death registers were mandated by law in 1843 and kept for a few years, but the law was widely ignored and was repealed after a few years. Civil registration replaced this system in 1880.

Parish histories: St. Andrew - original parish St. Ann - original parish St. Catherine - original parish Clarendon - original parish St. David - original parish, absorbed by St. Thomas in the East, 1866 St. Dorothy - separated from Clarendon, 1675; absorbed by St. Catherine, 1866 St. Elizabeth - original parish St. George - original parish, absorbed by Portland, 1866 Hanover - separated from Westmoreland, 1723 St. James - original parish St. John - original parish; absorbed by St. Catherine, 1866 Kingston - separated from St. Andrew, 1693 Manchester - created from St. Elizabeth, Clarendon and Vere, 1814 St. Mary - original parish Metcalfe - created from St. George and St. Mary, 1841; absorbed by St. Mary, 1866.

Portland - created from St. George and St. Thomas in the East, 1723 Port Royal - original parish, portion absorbed by Kingston and the rest by St. Andrew, 1866 St. Thomas in the East - original parish, portion absorbed by Portland, 1866 St. Thomas in the Vale - separated from St. Catherine 1675; reabsorbed by it, 1866 Trelawny - separated from St. James, 1770 Vere - separated from Clarendon, 1673; reabsorbed by it, 1866 Westmoreland - separated from St. Elizabeth, 1703.

The registers are arranged in five series: 1) Copy registers of individual parishes, early-ca. 1825, 2) Parish registers (transcripts compiled at the Diocesan Office), 1826-1850, 1860-1871, 3) Parish registers, new series (transcripts as in 2), 1849-1860, 4) Law 6 registers (refers to law 6 passed in 1871), 5) Birth and death registers, 1844-1851. Entries for parishes are combined in all but the first series.

There are indexes for each parish covering the first three series of registers. There is a separate but incomplete index for the period 1860-1871. There is a separate index for Law 6 registers.

Entries for the different events were carried to a succeeding register at different times. Consequently, the inclusive dates of an individual vol. may overlap with another vol. For example, the inclusive dates for a vol. may be 1822-1844, representing baptisms 1822-1833, marriages 1822-1844 and burials 1822-1840; and the inclusive dates for the next vol. 1834-1855 representing baptisms 1833-1855, marriages 1844-1855 and burials 1840-1855.

Vol. numbers indicated in the listing are those assigned by the archive.

Microfilm of originals at the Registrar General's Department, Spanish Town, Jamaica.

Jamaica, Church of England Parish Register Transcripts are available online, click here

Subjects

Locality Subjects

Film/Digital Notes