When the Society was formed its area centred round Bristol and its boundaries followed the County of Avon which was created in 1974. This county was abolished on 1996 and Bristol regained its 'county' status  but the Society still uses the old Avon boundaries to define the area we cover.

The extremities of the area covered, which includes the cities of Bristol and Bath, runs in the north from Thornbury on the banks of the Severn, eastwards to Hawkesbury. Then south via Marshfield and Bathford to Hinton Charterhouse, west to Radstock and across the Mendips via Blagdon to Uphill. Click on the map below to see where our area extends, and the parishes included.

Other Family History Societies bordering our area are to the north Gloucestershire FHS, to the east Wiltshire FHS, to the south Somerset and Dorset FHS and Weston-Super-Mare FHS. Some of these Societies were formed after the Bristol and Avon FHS and to some extent boundaries overlap.  You can visit the the website of all these societies simply by clicking on their names above.

We feel that to a large extent Bristol and Bath were a natural attraction for the country areas around them and many country families moved into the cities for work etc.  In addition to this, many couples from the outlying areas came into Bristol and Bath to get married. Because of this we think our Society is the natural one to join if you have ancestors in the area we serve.

Click on the map to enlarge and see the area we cover. The map shows parishes according to Diocese.  Bristol Diocese parish records are in the Bristol Records Office, Bath & Wells Diocese parish records are in Somerset Records Office in Taunton and Gloucester Diocese Records are in the Gloucestershire Records Office in Gloucester.  However, we have records from these 'Avon' parishes of Bath & Wells and Gloucester Diocese on fiche in our Research Room in the Bristol Records Office.