London Records


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London Parishes and Registration Districts

Throughout the years there have been a number of boundary changes to London and the surrounding counties (Middlesex, Surrey and Kent). Prior to 1889, London consisted essentially of the City of London (the small area within the old city wall). Other parishes were either in Middlesex (north of the Thames) or Surrey or Kent (south of the Thames). However, for census purposes, from 1871 onwards  the Registrar-General grouped together the census returns from those parts of Middlesex, Kent, and Surrey which formed the "metropolitan" area commonly called London as a separate "census county", which later became the County of London when it was created in 1889. For further details of the boundary changes see the note on Boundary Changes for London and Surrounding Counties. In view of these boundary changes, readers are advised to consult the pages for Middlesex, Kent and Surrey if the London records do not include the information sought.

The parishes included in the Parish Records below for London are those in the City of London (within the old city wall), corresponding to the old (pre-1899) county boundaries. The census records are grouped, as far as possible, according to the definitions of the Registrar-General. So the 1841, 1851 and 1861 census records will be found in the collections for Middlesex, for parishes north of the Thames (including the City of London), and Kent or Surrey, for parishes south of the Thames. Those listed below for 1871- 1901 include registration districts within metropolitan London which were previously included in Middlesex and Surrey.


City of London - Parish Registers

City of London - Census Records

Burials in the City of London and Tower Hamlets Cemetery

Clandestine Lovelock Marriages

Although no precise location of these marriages was recorded in the source documents, all were carried out in London.