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Archives and Special Collections: Family History Sources: Catholic Missions

About the Records

The Catholic Family History Society Mission Register Transcripts collection contains typed transcripts, photocopies and digitised images of the registers of Roman Catholic missions in England and Wales. These include births and baptisms, confirmations and First Communions, admission records to Catholic institutions, marriages, conversions, deaths and burials, memorial and monumental inscriptions, wills, and other printed material.

The transcripts cover missions in most counties of England and are particularly strong for the London and Middlesex area.

The transcripts date chiefly from the 18th to 20th centuries, though more recent transcripts are closed for 110 years.

Family History Information

The transcripts cover key life events of Catholics within England and Wales.

The catalogue of the transcripts is arranged by volume number in accordance with the original arrangement of the files and lists the missions and specific registers for each mission (baptisms, marriages etc). It does not include names.

Availability online (digital images)

These collections have not been digitised, so that only the catalogues are currently available online.

If you would like to purchase digital copies of specific items from any of our collections, please get in touch.

If you are a member of teaching staff at Durham University and would like to use material from Archives and Special Collections within your lectures or seminars, we may be able to scan or photograph items for this purpose.  Please contact us as early as possible with any teaching digitisation requests.

See also our guide to Digitised Collections Online for further information on our digital resources.

Access to original sources

The collections mentioned above are located at Ushaw Library.  Access to collections at Ushaw is by advance arrangement only on the following days:

  • Thursday and Friday, 10am-4pm (with lunchtime closure)

Appointments are required for all visits, please use the enquiry form to book.  Appointments need to be made at least three weeks in advance, so that materials can be ready for your visit.  We will need to know the full list of document references or shelfmarks of the items you wish to consult before we can confirm your booking. If you are unsure of how to do this or need assistance please contact us and we will be happy to help.

See separate web page for further information on Ushaw Library.