Historical certificates

Civil registration started on 1 July 1837. At that time, Southwark had 5 separate registration districts (RD):

• St Saviour
• St George The Martyr
• Newington
• St Olave
• Camberwell

Each registration district was headed by a Superintendent Registrar and subdivided geographically into sub districts (SD) for births and deaths.

Births and deaths

St Saviour RD (1837 to 1870), then part of Southwark RD

• Christchurch SD (1837 to July 1906)
• St Saviour SD (1837 to July 1906)
• Christchurch and St Saviour SD (August 1906 to March 1924)

St George the Martyr RD (1837 to 1870), then part of Southwark RD

• Kent Road SD (1837 to December 1914)
• Borough Road SD (1837 to June 1903)
• London Road SD (1837 to June 1903)
• St George the Martyr West SD (July 1903 to December 1914)
• St George the Martyr SD (January 1915 to March 1924)

Newington RD (1837 to 1870), then part of Southwark RD

• Trinity Newington SD (1837 to February 1904)
• St Paul Newington SD (1837 to February 1904)
• St Mary Newington SD (1837 to February 1904)
• Newington North SD (March 1904 to June 1925)
• Newington South SD (March 1904 to June 1925)
• Newington SD (July 1925 to June 1970)
• North Southwark SD (April 1924 to March 1965) Guys Hospital births
• Guys SD (April 1965 to December 1974) hospital births
• Southwark SD (July 1970 to December 1974)

St Olave Bermondsey RD (1837 to 1965)

• Leather Market SD (1837 to August 1894)
• St Mary Magdalene SD (1837 to August 1894)
• Leather Market SD (September 1894 to August 1898)
• St James SD (1837 to August 1898)
• St Olave and St Thomas SD (1837 to August 1859)
• St Olave SD (February 1883 to March 1916)
• Bermondsey SD (April 1916 to March 1965)
• Rotherhithe SD (1837 to March 1965) St Olave hospital births
• Bermondsey New Guys House SD (private hospital births) (June 1961 to June 1962)
• Bermondsey SD (April 1965 to June 1970)
• Guys SD (April 1965 to December 1974) hospital births
• Newington SD (to June 1970) home births
• Southwark SD (July 1970 to December 1974) home births
• Unified Registrars A and B (January 1975 to September 1991)

Camberwell RD (1837 to 1991)

• St George SD (1837 to September 1918)
• North Camberwell SD (October 1918 to December 1948)
• Camberwell SD (1837 to March 1904)
• Camberwell North SD (April 1904 to September 1918)
• Camberwell South SD (April 1904 to September 1918)
• North West Camberwell SD (October 1918 to December 1960) hospital births
• St Giles SD (January 1961 to September 1968) hospital births
• Peckham SD (1837 to March 1904)
• Peckham North SD (December 1905 to September 1918)
• Peckham South SD (December 1905 to September 1918)
• Peckham SD (October 1918 to December 1948)
• North East Camberwell SD (January 1949 to December 1960)
• Camberwell SD (January 1961 to September 1968)
• Dulwich SD (1837 to September 1918)
• East Dulwich SD (October 1918 to August 1926)
• Dulwich SD (September 1926 to September 1968) hospital births

Camberwell was unified in October 1968 with Registrars ABC.

There are annual indexes from this date to 1991, when they were all unified on 1 October 1991 with Southwark Registration District.

Marriage records

Marriages are arranged by Building for Anglican (Church of England) Churches. All other marriages before 1898, except those for Jews and Quakers (for example, nonconformists such as Baptists, Methodists, and Catholics), were registered in the presence of a Registrar and will be found in the appropriate area Register Office Marriages. However, those before 1870 registers for St Saviour, Newington and St George the Martyr Registration District have been renumbered in one series together as Southwark Register Office. 

After 1898 non-Anglican churches and chapels could apply to have their own Authorised Person and registers, but few (except for Methodists) generally did so until the 1950s and following industrial action by registrars in the 1980s.