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Birth, Marriage and Death Indexes for the Isle of Man

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FAQ

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.

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?

There are fewer brides listed in the index compared to grooms. For some unknown reason, the person who first put the index together decided to leave out the bride names! Unfortunately there's nothing that can be done about this, except for the Civil Registry to put together a whole new index. But you can help by sharing your certificate information and helping to put together a more complete index.

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 surname 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 records 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.