The information below covers some of the most popular research topics that uses The Story's collections. The page also provides details of where information can be found if it is not available at The Story.

This list is not exhaustive, so do check back regularly for updates. 

 

We are not able to provide copy baptism certificates but it is possible to get a copy of a baptism register entry.

For pre-1950 registers, you are welcome to check the register yourself in our Search and Discover space. You will need to know the name of the church and the approximate date. For post-1950 registers you will need to make a booking in our collections room to view the register: Access our Collections - The Story

If you are not able to visit us, we can check a register for you and provide a copy through our Quick Search service. The search costs £9.00 for which we will search a period of one calendar year in a single register and supply a copy of the entry, if found. Please note that the £9.00 fee covers the staff time involved to carry out the search and is non-refundable, even if no entry is found.

We can provide certified copies of a register entry, for example, if you need evidence of baptism for entry to a school, marriage, or for ordination.  The cost for this service is £12.50 (£9.00 Quick Search charge, plus £3.50 for certified copy upgrade).

To request a Quick Search for a baptism entry please email collections@thestorydurham.org with the following information:

  • The full name of the church.
  • The start date for the year that you wish to be searched.
  • The full name of individual to be searched for.

A database of the registers we hold for any given church can be viewed here. Please check if we have the relevant church and year you need or email us if you have any questions.

Once you have provided all the necessary details we will send a payment request link from our online shop for the fee.

 

To order a copy of a birth certificate (for births from 1837 onwards) visit Certificate Issue on the first floor at The Story. Alternatively, you can search for a certifcate online  and apply for a copy via the registration service. Please note that charges will apply.

 

 

You can visit our Search and Discover area at The Story to view our digitised church marriage registers pre-1950, with no need to book.

A database of the registers we hold for any given church can be viewed here. 

For a copy of any marriage register entry after 1950, a certificate must be ordered via Certificate Issue on the first floor.

Alternatively, you can search online and apply for a certificate copy via the registration service. Please note that charges will apply.

 

After the Matrimonial Causes Act (1857) divorce proceedings became a civil rather than ecclesiastical matter and divorce cases were heard in local courts. The Story holds a small number of civil court registers for divorce.

Individual divorce proceedings also occasionally appear in solicitors’ and family papers.

More information can be found in the online collections search.  Please be aware that access restrictions may apply for some of these records.

For information about how to get a copy of a decree absolute or final order, visit the the gov.uk website.

 

You can visit our Search and Discover area at The Story to search our digital collections for burial registers pre-1950, with no need to book.

For pre-1950 registers, you are welcome to check the register yourself in our Search and Discover space. You will need to know the name of the church and the approximate date. For post-1950 registers you will need to make a booking in our collections room to view the register: Access our Collections - The Story. Please use our church registers database to check if the register you are interested in runs later than 1950.

For more in depth information about burial records, see our Burials guide.

To order a copy of a death certificate (for deaths from 1837 onwards) visit Certificate Issue on the first floor at The Story. Alternatively, you can search for a certificate online and apply for a copy via the registration service. Please note that charges will apply.

Although there are many copies of wills at The Story, they do not form a complete series.

Wills are preserved in many estate and family collections. You will also find them in the records of County Durham solicitors’ practices, such as  Hanby Holmes firm at Barnard Castle, and in many of our miscellaneous collections.

You can use the online Collections Search to search for any wills we might hold.

 

Wills held elsewhere

Durham University Library Archives and Special Collections holds all the surviving wills proved by the Church of England courts within the diocese of Durham up until 11 January 1858. You can search the North East Inheritance database (pre-1858 Durham Probate Records) for names which appear in wills and related archives before 1858, including digitised images of the wills themselves.

To search probate records or find a will for someone who died after 1858, please search the National Probate Records database on the gov.uk website. 

There is some useful information about wills in The National Archives research guides.

You can also check Probate Records on the GENUKI website.

 

A coroner's inquest was held if a person died from unknown, violent or unnatural causes. Unfortunately very few coroners' records survive for County Durham for the nineteenth century and the early part of the twentieth century. Some of the names of the individuals, for which coroners’ inquest files survive, appear in our online catalogue.

Coroners’ records are closed to the public for 75 years.

If you are unable to find any reference to an individual in our online database you may find details of the inquest in daily/weekly newspapers of the time. These are available to search on the computers in our Search and Discover area at The Story.

You can also search The British Library Newspaper Archive online for free at The Story.

 

For information on this topic, see our  House History guide.

 

We don’t keep school examination board certificates at The Story. Find where to go for replacement certificates at Exams, tests and assessments – Durham County Council.

 

 

For further information see the following information guides:

 

 

Use our guide to  Building Control and Planning Consent Plans to assess what records are available at The Story.

The process to locate a specific building plan is often complex. If the plans for the area of interest are listed as catalogued, please use our catalogue to see if we have a relevant plan and, if so, make a booking into our Collections Room.

If uncatalogued, please email collections@thestorydurham.org for more information on access.