Registration Districts

About the Registration and Census Districts

The Unions of parishes, established by the Poor Law Commissioners under the 1835 Act of Parliament, became registration districts with the introduction of civil registration of births, marriages and deaths in 1837, so superseding the medieval division of the county and even breaking with the ancient county boundaries. Only the Chesterton, Cambridge, Ely, North Witchford and Whittlesey Registration Districts lay wholly within the county; the district of Caxton contained parts of Huntingdonshire, the district of Linton contained parts of Essex, the district of Newmarket parts of Suufolk and the district of Wisbech parts of Norfolk.

Finally, several parishes on the western edge were assigned to the Huntingdonshire Registration District of St Ives, and others on the southern edge to the Hertfordshire Registration District of Royston.

Registration and Census Districts 1837-1930.

From 1837 until 1851 the registration and census districts for Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely were under the district XIV. From 1852 until 1946 this district was renumbered as 3b. These were serviced by several varied registration offices.

There are currently three Cambridgeshitre offices in operation, these are Cambridge, Ely and Fenland although some records are held in Huntingdon, Uttlesford (Essex), Bury St Edmunds and Peterborough.

The registration districts have moved around quite a bit since 1837. The Cambridgeshire registration office closed in 1974 with the local goverment reorganisation and the registers were moved to the Cambridge office.

Caxton office closed in 1935 the registers being moved to either Cambridgeshire, which closed in 1974 as previously described, or St Neots (Huntingdonshire), dependent on their location. St Neots subsequently closed in 1970 and the registers were then moved to the Huntingdon office, this area is still 3b.

Chesterton office closed in 1935 and the registers moved to Cambridgeshire, which closed in 1974 as previously described.

Linton office also closed in 1935 and the registers moved to Cambridgeshire, which closed in 1974 as previously described, or to Saffron Walden in Essex for those records falling into district 4a which subsequently closed in 1974 the registers being moved to the Uttlesford office.

Newmarket (Cambridgeshire) office closed in 1989 and the registers moved to Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk this district being 4a.

North Witchford closed in 1938 and the registers were moved to March or Wisbech. The March and Wisbech offices both closed in 1980 and the registers were subsequently moved to the Fenland office.

Whittlesey office closed in 1974 and the registers were moved to the Peterborough office but still within district 3b.

The Districts in 1921

Ordering Certificates

These points need to be borne in mind, in particular by users of civil registration and Poor Law records.

Certificates of birth, death and marriage can be obtained from the Superintendent Registrars at the following District Register Offices:

• Cambridge

Castle Lodge
Shire Hall
Cambridge
CB3 0AP
Tel +44 (0)1223 317021

• Ely

Old School House
74 Market Street
Ely
Cambridgeshire
CB7 4LS
Tel +44 (0)1353 663824

• Fenland

The Old Vicarage
Church Terrace
Wisbech
Cambridgeshire
PE13 1BW
tel +44 (0)1945

• Peterborough

'The Lawns'
33 Thorpe Road
Peterborough
Cambridgeshire
PE3 6AB
Tel +44 (0)1733 66323
fax +44 (0)1733 566049

• Huntingdon

Wykham House
Market Hill
Huntingdon
Cambridgeshire
PE18 6NR
Tel +44 (0)1480 425821

• Uttlesford (Essex)

Cambridge House
High Street
Saffron Walden
Essex
CB10 1AX
Tel +44 (0)1799 522121

• Bury St Edmunds

St Margarets
Shire Hall
Bury St Edmunds
Suffolk
IP33 1RX
Tel +44 (0)1284 763141 ext 2370

If ordering from a District Office, please note the following:

1. the cost of a certificate is currently on the Registrar's web site.

2. the St Catherine's/Myddleton House Index references are of no value;

3. for marriage certificates, the precise place of marriage must be given;

4. Civil Registration in England and Wales began on July 1st 1837.

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