New Parish Records for London's Docklands

Important information for visitors

Until summer 2025, there is a new visitor route at the National Maritime Museum while we carry out essential improvements to the Museum's roof. Most galleries will still be open as normal, and special exhibitions are currently free for all visitors. However, the Great Map and AHOY! will be closed for the duration of the works. Find out more.

Essential Information

Location	National Maritime Museum

08 Apr 2009

March saw Find My Past add 44,000 new baptisms for London's Docklands to their Parish Records collection.

The new records have been released in partnership with Dockland's Ancestors and are a must for any researcher trying to trace their east London roots. Spanning the time frame 1770 through to 1880, the parishes and the years that are covered by the records are:

St Dunstan, Stepney 1770-1798
St Mary, Whitechapel 1758-1774
St Anne, Limehouse 1854-1877
Christ Church, Stepney 1842-1860
All Saints, Mile End 1840-1880

A typical record will show the precise date of birth and baptism and record the church that the baptism took place in. It also gives details of the parents including where they lived and their occupations. This can provide invaluable information when trying to build a picture of how a typical working week was spent. Knowing the occupation of a parent can help the researcher bond with their ancestors on a more personal level.

As the records centre on the Docklands area you will find that occupations covered include watermen and lightermen, stevedores and dock labourers, clerks, carmen, customs officials and crane drivers.

It is free to search the records online so why not start your search today? As with most records online if you wish to view the full record you will have to pay a fee.

Mary (Information Assistant)