Search the India Office Records for baptisms, marriages and burials

picture of a repatriated little girl
From an India Office Records file relating to the repatriation of Austrians and Germans during WWI, Oct 1915-Nov 1915

For a fee we can search the India Office Records Ecclesiastical Returns for you. We also provide training for family historians to use the India Office Records.

You can search the India Office Records for baptisms, marriages and burials in Find My Past’s British in India Collection. You can get full access to Find My Past in the British Library's Reading Rooms.

Our reference team can conduct a search for you. The India Office Records Ecclesiastical Returns are copy registers of births/baptisms, marriages and burials of European and Eurasian Christians in India, Burma and territories controlled from India. We estimate that 20-30% of the returns are missing so it is possible that a search will not be successful. We can provide certified copies.

The fees for Ecclesiastical searches and certificates are:

  • £30 per search
  • £18 per certified copy

Applications for Ecclesiastical Records Search  (PDF file)

If you can't visit to the Asian & African Studies Reading Room, you may want a research agent to pursue enquiries for you. A list can be supplied on request.

Family history training

Every month the British Library runs free training courses on using the India Office Records for family history research. Further information is available on our Free Discovery and 1-2-1 sessions page.

Contact

Asian and African Studies enquiries
The British Library
96 Euston Road
London NW1 2DB
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 7412 7873
Fax: +44 (0)20 7412 7641
Reference Enquiry Team