Burials and Cemeteries

The Gainsborough Heritage Centre holds records of burials and information relating to local cemeteries that can be located within the research library. The library holds a people's database that is accessible to search to locate information within the archive. The information the Centre holds can therefore assist with family history locating a burial to a cemetery church yard. 

The records consist of Gainsborough's parish records from 1564 - 1809 for Baptisms, Marriages and Burials. There are also transcripts of Birth, Deaths and Marriages from 1882 - 1989 as well as an array of records and photographs of headstones from North Warren Cemetery. 

Further Information:

Therefore, this will enhance family history searches as you will be able to visit a gravestone or locate further information from the Church in question. A gravestone can give you accurate birth and death dates as well as maiden names or can reveal other information such as an occupation, names of siblings or even include a quote.

Once you have found a grave marker with a surname that links to you your next step would be to enquire at the church to see if they have copies of records you can view. In many churches they hold the traditional bound books that births, deaths and marriages are/were recorded within as well as a card index which can be searched. Information held in this type of system varies but it can uncover family information that could unlock a huge aspect of your family tree. Not all churches hold their parish records so visits to either the Gainsborough Heritage Centre, local libraries or the Lincolnshire Archives will assist with your search. 
 
In Lincolnshire the Churches held Open Churches festivals and it is worth visiting and discussing your research with staff at these Open Churches Days as they will have their records available to view and also you may find they hold a map of the churchyard so you can find other relations. They will also assist on the day to locate any family members within the graveyards. 
 
The local Council also produce a booklet that tells you which Churches are open and also can tell you what information you can view when you get to the particular Church. The Centre currently has copies of the Open Churches booklet for 12, 13, 19 and 20 May 2018. 
 
The Centre has a partnership with the Friends of the General Cemetery at Gainsborough who have occasional open days at the Cemetery Chapel and more information can be found on their website.