Important notice for Surrey residents
Findmypast
During lockdown, family history website Findmypast is offering limited free home access to its digitised records to Surrey residents so they can continue (or indeed begin) to explore their family's history. Please note that the number of records that can be downloaded through this means is subject to an overall collective monthly limit which, once reached, will not be renewed until the following month.
If you would like to obtain access, please send an email to shs@surreycc.gov.uk with Findmypast in the subject line, and include details of your name, address (it must be a Surrey address) and your library card number or County Archives Research Network card number. We will reply with login details for you to use.
We ask for your patience as this may take a day or so to process.
Ancestry
Ancestry are providing free access at this time to the Surrey History Centre records on their site, including Surrey parish registers, electoral registers, hospital records and much more. All you need to do is visit the Ancestry website.
You will then need to sign in (button at top right). If you currently do not have an account you can create one for free via the same button.
Please note that you must always follow this link to get your free access.
- Records online on Ancestry.co.uk
- Records online on Findmypast.co.uk
- Indexes on this website
- Online catalogue
- Original records
Records online on Ancestry.co.uk
- Most of our Surrey Church of England parish registers 1538 to 1987 (baptisms to 1912, marriages to 1937 and burials to 1987) are available to search and view online on Ancestry.co.uk.
- Surrey electoral registers 1832-1962 are available to search and view online on Ancestry.co.uk.
- Surrey Land Tax Returns 1780-1832 are available to search and view online on Ancestry.co.uk.
- Surrey Jury-Qualified Freeholders and Copyholders Lists 1696-1824 are available to search and view online on Ancestry.co.uk.
- Surrey Licensed Victuallers Registers 1785-1903 are available to search and view online on Ancestry.co.uk.
- Brookwood Hospital, Woking, admission registers 1867-1900 are available to search and view online on Ancestry.co.uk.
- Holloway Sanatorium, Egham, admission registers 1885-1899 are available to search and view online on Ancestry.co.uk.
- Calendars of prisoners whose cases were heard at Surrey Quarter Sessions and Assizes 1848-1902 are available to search and view online on Ancestry.co.uk.
- Queen's Royal West Surrey and East Surrey Regiments enlistment and transfer-in registers, 1920-1947; Queen's Royal West Surrey and East Surrey Regiments World War II honours indexes; and Queen's Royal West Surrey and East Surrey Regiments and The London Regiment, 21st-24th Battalions, nominal rolls of officers, 1914-1919 are available to search and view online on Ancestry.co.uk.
Ancestry.co.uk can be used free of charge by Surrey Libraries members in all Surrey Libraries and at Surrey History Centre.
Records online on Findmypast.co.uk
- Pre 1914 school admission registers and log books from 154 schools in Surrey are available to search and view online on Findmypast.
- Surrey Recruitment Registers 1908-1933 are available to search online on Findmypast.co.uk.
- Surrey Quarter Sessions 1780-1820 are available to search online on Findmypast.co.uk.
- Surrey Military Tribunals 1915-1918 are available to search online on Findmypast.co.uk.
- The Surrey Marriage Index, created by the West Surrey Family History Society, is available to search online on Findmypast.co.uk. This is an index to marriages 1538-1837 for the ancient county of Surrey.
- Surrey Institutional Records 1788-1939 are available to search online on Findmypast.co.uk. This is a collection of some of the indexes listed below, which are free to search on this website.
- British Army, East Surrey Regiment 1899-1919 are available to search online on Findmypast.co.uk. This is a collection of some of the military records indexes, which are free to search on this website.
- British Army, Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment 1901-1918 are available to search online on Findmypast.co.uk. This is a collection of some of the military records indexes, which are free to search on this website.
Findmypast.co.uk can be used free of charge by Surrey Libraries members in all Surrey Libraries and at Surrey History Centre.
Important notice for Surrey residents
During lockdown, family history website Findmypast is offering free home access to its digitised records to Surrey residents so they can continue (or indeed begin) to explore their family's history.
If you would like to obtain access, please send an email to shs@surreycc.gov.uk with Findmypast in the subject line, and include details of your name, address (it must be a Surrey address) and your library card number or County Archives Research Network card number. We will reply with login details for you to use. We ask for your patience as this may take a day or so to process.
Records online on the Wellcome Library online catalogue
Holloway Sanatorium, Egham, case books covering admissions 1885-1926 can be viewed online free of charge via the Wellcome Library's online catalogue. Search for the reference number on the Wellcome Library's online catalogue, and click on the "view online" button. For a list of reference numbers see our Research Guide on the Exploring Surrey's Past website.
Indexes on this website
- Index of names at the manorial court of Pyrford, 1654-1675
- Military records indexes
- Criminal court and prisoner indexes
- Surrey mental hospital records
- Annual Reports of Reed's School, Cobham
- Surrey Poor Law Union minute books
- Surrey Poor Law Union vaccination registers 1872-1909
- Dorking Poor Law Union application and report books
- Richmond Poor Law Union application and report books
- Chertsey Poor Law Union admission and discharge books *
- Deaths in Surrey county gaol 1798-1878 *
- Dennis Specialist Vehicles drawings and photographs *
- Godstone Poor Law Union application and report books *
- Guildford Workhouse births 1866-1910, deaths 1887-1914 and infirmary deaths 1933-1939
- Mayford Industrial School admissions 1895-1907 *
- Patients in the St Peter's Memorial Home in Woking *
- Princess Mary Village Homes pupils 1870-1890 *
- The Royal Philanthropic School at Redhill registers of admission *
- Surrey tithe records CDs and DVDs name index can be searched online
Free to search.
* These indexes can also be searched together using the advanced search on the Exploring Surrey's Past website.
Online catalogue
Original records
The original records, on paper and parchment, are all held in Surrey History Centre in Woking where they are preserved in temperature and humidity controlled strongrooms. Through these partnerships, these precious documents have become far more accessible to researchers around the world whilst at the same time protecting and preserving the fragile originals for future generations.
Members of Surrey libraries can search the records for their Surrey ancestors free of charge in any local library in the county and subscribers to Ancestry.co.uk and Findmypast.co.uk across the world can view them in the comfort of their own home.
Visitors to Surrey History Centre have the advantage of free use of Ancestry.co.uk and Findmypast.co.uk, and in addition can consult all the other original records held by the Centre to find out more about their ancestors and the communities in which they lived. New computers at the Centre have some equipment to allow easier use by people with disabilities.