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Manx Civil Registration
The Isle of Man is a self-governing crown dependency and not a part of the United Kingdom. Civil registrations on the Isle of Man are therefore separate to England and Wales.
In 1849 it became legal to perform marriages outwith the Established Church. Registry Offices were established in Ramsey, Castletown, Douglas and Peel. Responsbility for registration of marriages transferred from the church to civil registry in 1884 and in 1885, separate registers for each non-conforming (dissenter) premises was created. Existing records of baptisms and marriages were also transferred to the Registrar General and retroactively recognised.
Compulsory civil registration of births and deaths started in 1878, much later than England and Wales. Although there will be earlier entries in the index from voluntary registrations.
There are four registration districts for Isle of Man:
- Ramsey (Northern district) also covering Maughold, Lezayre, Andreas, Jurby, Bride & Ballaugh
- Peel (Western district) also covering German, Patrick & Michael
- Douglas (Eastern district) also covering Onchan, Braddan, Laxey & Lonan
- Castletown (Southern district) also covering Santan, Malew, Arbory & Rushen
Frequently Asked Questions
Please read through these common questions before sending a message – you may find the answer here.
Are these the actual registers? No. This is just an index to the registers. It contains the year, name, and entry number to the actual record.
Can I order a certificate from you? Sorry but no. You’ll need to contact the Civil Registry to order any certificates that you want. Their address is The Douglas Civil Registry Office, Deemsters Walk, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 3AR Telephone: 01624 687039.
I know the person I’m looking for was born in a certain year, but I can’t find them. If the month of the event is in November or December, try having a look at the following year. Births and deaths need to be registered within six weeks now, but in the early days of civil registration it could be quite a few weeks, or even months before the event is registered.
The event I’m looking for took place before civil registration – how can I find it? Manx National Heritage’s iMuseum provides an index to baptisms, marriages and burials from the Parish Registers. The Isle of Man Family History Society also has some transcribed indexes.
It has “AKA” and another name in the notes field, what does this mean? “AKA” means “also known as”. Some people may have had another first name or surname that they were commonly known by. The index will say, for example, John Smith aka Brown, so John Smith was also known as John Brown. There will also be an entry for John Brown aka Smith.
I think I’ve found the groom, but I can’t find the bride, why? For a large number of marriages, only the groom was listed. Where possible, brides have been found and matched, but there is no guarantee the index is complete.
What is the Dissenters marriage index? Those who were married in a Registry Office, catholic church, or other place of worship are known as dissenters. This will be every marriage that doesn’t take place in the established church (Church of England).
I need to know the father/mother’s name for a birth. You’ll need to order a certificate. The index doesn’t include this information.
I can’t find the person I’m looking for. Try reducing or increasing the number of search parameters. For example, Corlett is one of the most popular surnames on the Island. If you’re looking for John Corlett, there might be quite a few results – try adding in a placename or year. If after all attempts the result still eludes you, are you certain the event took place on the Island? Finally, there is always the possibility that the person was missed from the index.
What does “not cross checked” mean? All the entries in the database are double-keyed – two people transcribe each record – this is to ensure that the records are as accurate as possible. Because there are so many records you may find some with a note saying “not cross checked”. This means that only one person has transcribed this record and it hasn’t been cross checked yet.