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523 resources · 13 types · Curated for UK & Irish research

Genealogy resources for Wales

The Welsh county archives, the family history societies, and the records, newspapers and indexes specific to Welsh research.

View the directory by nation, or all at once

A resource that covers more than one nation appears under each of them. Each view has its own web address, so you can bookmark or share it.

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When the research is done

Turn your research into a framed six-generation circular chart

Every chart is hand-set from your own tree and printed on archival paper at 16 inches, with a choice of 72 heritage designs. Available as a complete or an incomplete six-generation lineage, single or couple: the ancestors you have found are drawn, and any you have not found yet are left as open space.

See the 72 designs Design your chart

Prefer a spreadsheet? Subscribers to The Genealogy Times, our monthly newsletter, can download the whole directory as an Excel file. Subscribe and download it.

Resources

Free records & indexes 3

  • FreeBMD

    Volunteer transcription of the England & Wales civil registration (GRO) birth, marriage and death indexes 1837 onward.

    Free UK records England & Wales Free
    freebmd.org.uk

  • Historical Directories (Univ. of Leicester)

    Digitised trade and local directories for England & Wales 1750-1919.

    Free UK records England & Wales Free
    leicester.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16445coll4

  • North Wales BMD

    North Wales register office BMD index.

    Local BMD / OPC index North Wales Free
    northwalesbmd.org.uk

Archives & record offices 17

  • Anglesey Archives

    Ynys Mon archive service, Llangefni.

    County archive (Wales) Anglesey Free
    ynysmon.llyw.cymru

  • Archives Wales

    Portal and catalogue search for all Welsh archive services.

    County archive (Wales) Wales Free
    archives.wales

  • Carmarthenshire Archives

    Carmarthenshire county archive, Carmarthen.

    County archive (Wales) Carmarthenshire Free
    carmarthenshire.gov.wales

  • Ceredigion Archives

    Cardiganshire archive, Aberystwyth; free online transcripts.

    County archive (Wales) Ceredigion Free
    archifdy-ceredigion.org.uk

  • Conwy Archives

    Conwy county archive, Llandudno.

    County archive (Wales) Conwy Free
    conwy.gov.uk/en/Resident/Libraries-Museums-and-Archives/Archives/Archives.aspx

  • General Register Office (GRO)

    Order England & Wales birth, marriage and death certificates; free online index with mother's maiden name and PDF copies.

    National archives England & Wales Pay per certificate
    gro.gov.uk/gro/content

  • Glamorgan Archives

    Cardiff-based archive for Cardiff, Vale, RCT, Merthyr, Caerphilly and Bridgend.

    County archive (Wales) Glamorgan Free
    glamarchives.gov.uk

  • Gwent Archives

    Monmouthshire/Gwent archive, Ebbw Vale.

    County archive (Wales) Gwent / Monmouthshire Free
    gwentarchives.gov.uk

  • Gwynedd Archives

    Caernarfon and Meirionnydd (Dolgellau) record offices.

    County archive (Wales) Gwynedd Free
    gwynedd.llyw.cymru

  • National Library of Wales

    Welsh wills, newspapers (Welsh Newspapers Online), journals and photographs.

    National archives Wales Free
    library.wales

  • North East Wales Archives (NEWA)

    Combined Flintshire and Wrexham/Denbighshire archives, Hawarden and Ruthin.

    County archive (Wales) Flintshire / Denbighshire / Wrexham Free
    newa.wales

  • Pembrokeshire Archives

    Pembrokeshire county archive, Haverfordwest.

    County archive (Wales) Pembrokeshire Free
    pembrokeshire.gov.uk/libraries-and-culture

  • Powys Archives

    Powys county archive, Llandrindod Wells (Brecknock, Radnor, Montgomery).

    County archive (Wales) Powys Free
    en.powys.gov.uk/archives

  • Welsh Chapels (Coflein / Capeli)

    RCAHMW national monuments record incl. chapels and houses.

    County archive (Wales) Wales Free
    coflein.gov.uk/en

  • Welsh Mariners Index

    Index of 23,500 Welsh merchant mariners 1800-1945.

    County archive (Wales) Wales Free
    welshmariners.org.uk

  • Welsh Newspapers Online

    Free full-text Welsh newspapers 1804-1919.

    National archives Wales Free
    newspapers.library.wales

  • West Glamorgan Archive Service

    Swansea and Neath Port Talbot archives.

    County archive (Wales) West Glamorgan Free
    swansea.gov.uk/westglamorganarchives

Family history societies 8

  • Cardiganshire FHS

    Ceredigion society with online indexes.

    Family history society (Wales) Ceredigion Membership
    cgnfhs.org.uk

  • Clwyd FHS

    Flintshire and Denbighshire society.

    Family history society (Wales) Clwyd Membership
    clwydfhs.org.uk

  • Dyfed FHS

    Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Cardiganshire society.

    Family history society (Wales) Dyfed Membership
    dyfedfhs.org.uk

  • Glamorgan FHS

    South Wales society with extensive indexes.

    Family history society (Wales) Glamorgan Membership
    glamfhs.org.uk

  • Gwent FHS

    Monmouthshire society.

    Family history society (Wales) Gwent Membership
    gwentfhs.org.uk

  • Gwynedd FHS

    North-west Wales society.

    Family history society (Wales) Gwynedd / Anglesey Membership
    chtgwyneddfhs.cymru/en/home

  • Montgomeryshire Genealogical Society

    Montgomeryshire society.

    Family history society (Wales) Powys Membership
    montgensoc.org

  • Powys FHS

    Brecknock, Radnor and Montgomery society.

    Family history society (Wales) Powys Membership
    powysfhs.org.uk

Research tools 4

Nothing matches those filters. Clear them or try another nation above.

Common questions: Wales

Where are Welsh parish registers and wills held?

The National Library of Wales holds the pre-1858 wills and many parish registers, and the county archives listed here hold the rest. Welsh newspapers before 1919 are free on the National Library's newspaper site.

How do I cope with Welsh patronymic surnames?

Before about 1800 many Welsh families used the father's first name as a surname, so a family can change surname every generation. Fixed places, chapels and nonconformist registers matter more than surnames, which is why the county archives and the family history societies are the best starting points.

Which Welsh resources are free?

The Welsh newspapers and journals at the National Library, FreeBMD, FreeREG and the society indexes are free. The county archive catalogues are free to search, with charges for copies.

About this directory

The list was compiled in September 2026 for people researching British and Irish ancestry, which is most of the people who order a chart from us. The regional layer is the point: every county record office, the local birth, marriage and death indexes, the online parish clerk projects and the county societies, which the big general lists leave out.

Cost labels are a rough guide only. Many archives are free to search but charge for copies, and society membership usually unlocks members-only indexes. Check the site itself before relying on a label.

Council archive addresses change often. Links are checked automatically, but if you find one that has moved or a resource we have missed, tell us and we will fix it.

Prefer a spreadsheet? Subscribers to The Genealogy Times, our monthly newsletter, can download the whole directory as an Excel file. Subscribe and download it.

Before you order a chart

A six-generation circular chart has room for 63 ancestors, but it does not need all of them: an incomplete lineage is drawn honestly, with the gaps left open. You choose a design and order first; we ask for your GEDCOM file or our simple spreadsheet afterwards, and nothing is printed until you have approved a proof.

How ordering works

Turn the research into a piece of fine art

Each chart is hand-set from your data, printed on archival paper at 16 inches, with your choice of heritage motifs. Complete or incomplete, single or couple.

Design your chart

Returns & Refunds Policy

Returns Policy Overview

Every product (digital files, unframed prints, or framed prints) available on this site is custom-made to order. To ensure the highest quality and fastest delivery, physical orders are fulfilled by regional print partners (LUMAPRINTS in the US, Artovo in the UK/EU). Because each piece is produced specifically for you upon ordering and data submission, our returns policy is tailored to bespoke manufacturing.

1. Damaged or Defective Items

If your physical order is damaged in transit or contains a manufacturing defect (such as a misprint or structural issue), you are entitled to a free replacement or a full refund.

  • Reporting Timeframe: Please report within 30 days of receiving your item.
  • How to Report: Email contact@markdmillican.co.uk with your order number and photographs of the damaged product and packaging.
  • Resolution: Free replacement expedited at no cost or a full refund to your original payment method.

2. Change of Mind / Buyer's Remorse

Because each design is custom-manufactured exclusively using your unique family data, we do not hold inventory. Therefore, we cannot accept returns or offer refunds for "change of mind" once an order is finalised and approved.

3. Order Cancellations & The Proofing Process

  • Data Pending (Full Refund): Cancel before submitting your GEDCOM or CSV data for a 100% full refund.
  • Proofing Stage (Partial Refund): If you cancel during the proofing stage before final print approval, a £45 processing fee is retained to cover design work, and the rest is refunded.
  • Final Approval (No Refund): Once final proof approval is submitted, printing begins immediately and orders cannot be cancelled or refunded.

4. Lost or Missing Packages

If tracking shows no updates or indicates your package has been delivered but is missing, allow 48 hours and check with neighbours or your local delivery office before contacting us for a replacement claim.

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