The internet has transformed genealogy research, making millions of historical records available at the click of a button. From free archives and government databases to subscription websites with extensive collections, there are countless online resources to help trace your family history.
The following list highlights some of the most useful genealogy websites, explaining what each offers and how it can support your research. Whether you’re searching for birth, marriage, and death records, census returns, military service records, newspapers, probate records, or local history, these websites provide valuable tools for discovering your ancestors and preserving your family’s story.
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| Website | Cost | Area | Desciption |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ancestry (UK) | Starts at £10.99 monthly to £99.99 for 6 months | Worldwide | The world’s largest history site and offers billions of records. Take advantage of the 14 free trial and always check for any discount codes before subscribing |
| Find my Past | Starts at £9.99 up to £169.99 annual charge | Britain (UK) | Holds billions of online collections and users can build their family tree. Take advantage of the 7 day free trial and always check for discount codes. |
| Free BMD | Free | England and Wales | Birth, Marriage and Deaths / Searchable index of the Civil Registration index |
| Online Parish Clerks for the County of Lancashire | Free | Lancashire, England | Parish registers, Church and Village histories / Transcribed records which may be subject to error, but a valuable source of information |
| LancashireBMD | Free | Lancashire, England | Birth, Marriage and Deaths / Searchable index records (not yet complete) |
| Britain from Above | Free | Britain (UK) | Photographs / A unique aerial photographic archive, includes the largest number of air photographs of Britain taken before 1939 |
| Durham Images Site | Free | Durham, England | Parish, Cemetery, Electoral registers and Maps / Transcribed parish records, maps and Bede School Memorabilia |
| CumbriaBMD | Free | Cumbria, England | Birth, Marriage and Deaths / Searchable index records (not yet complete) |
| Durham Records Online | £96 annual subscription / 4 credits for £4.50 upwards | Durham, England | Parish and Census records / Free to search website, but you need to purchase credits to view full transcribed record. No original documents are available to view. |
| Lancashire Archives and Local History | Free | Lancashire, England | Church records, Photographs, Council records and more / Searchable records and able to visit office at Preston, Lancashire. (Some services are charged for) |
| Genealogy Guys Podcast & Genealogy Connection | Free | Worldwide | Podcast with George G Morgan and Drew Smith |
| National Library of Australia | Free | Australia | Guides and Resources / Use the Library’s catalogue to find what you need and see if it is available online. |
| Lost Tribe of Everton & Scottie Road | Free | Everton, Lancashire, England | ABC of Streets, News, Memories and Stories / Great source of stories, memories and photographs of Everton and surrounding areas |
| Durham Mining Museum | Free | Durham, England and surrounding areas | Mining records / Mining company details covering the North East of England, including accident reports, maps and workers |
| streetmuseum.co.uk | Free | Salford, Lancashire | A_Z of Lost Streets and Photographs / A collection of photographs, films and oral histories from lost streets of Salford |
| Australian Cemeteries Index | Free | Australia | Cemetery and Headstone Photographs / Quality images of inscriptions and indexes of headstones in approx 6300 cemeteries. |
| Free UK Genealogy | Free | Britain (UK) | Birth, Marriage, Deaths, Census and Parish records / Transcriptions of BMD, census and parish records, with links each site – FreeBMD, FreeCEN and FreeREG |
| Railway Work, Life & Death | Free | Britain and Ireland | Railway Records 1855 – 1939 / About work and accidents on Britain and Ireland’s railways from the mid-19th century until the Second World War, plus the wider social, cultural and political history |
| Lancaster & District Family History Group | £15 annual membership | Lancaster and District, Lancashire, England | Local history group, offering newsletters and regular meetings |
| YorkshireBMD | Free | Yorkshire, England | Birth, Marriage and Deaths / Searchable index records (not yet complete) |
| CheshierBMD | Free | Cheshire, England | Birth, Marriage and Deaths / Searchable index records (not yet complete) |
| ShropshireBMD | Free | Shropshire, England | Birth, Marriage and Deaths / Searchable index records (not yet complete) |
| StaffordshireBMD | Free | Staffordshire, England | Birth, Marriage and Deaths / Searchable index records (not yet complete) |
| North Wales BMD | Free | Wales | Birth, Marriage and Deaths / Searchable index records (not yet complete) |
| Old Maps Online | Free | Worldwide | Explore maps from around the world |
| Irish Genealogy Toolkit | Free | Ireland | A guide to help researching your Irish ancestors and heritage |
| National Archives Ireland | Free | Ireland | Includes the 1926 Census (other census reports limited), court and police records |
| Commonwealth War Graves | Free | Worldwide | Cemeteries, monuments and individual graves at over 23,000 locations for service personnel who died during the First and Second World Wars |
| Find A Grave | Free | Worldwide | Entries often list birth and death dates and nearby family (transcribed information not always correct) |
| Scotlands People | Free to search, credits available to purchase | Scotland | Birth, Marriage, Death and Census records (Free to search) |