Author Topic: Berkshire Parish Registers Coming Online?  (Read 14066 times)

Offline smudwhisk

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Re: Berkshire Parish Registers Coming Online?
« Reply #27 on: Saturday 15 April 17 12:44 BST (UK) »
I have No doubt we'll find out on the first Friday in May (assuming their 'once a month' follows a pattern) whether the next PRs to be released are originals or transcriptions, and I think that may establish the way of it.

Jill

Somerset and Warwickshire will be transcripts because the originals are already available on Ancestry.  Somerset were only released last year.  If the remainder are too it does make you wonder why FindMyPast are trumpeting them so much as they know well enough that people want to see the originals by preference.  The Genealogist are the same, they have announced they've uploaded Durham but as far as I can see they aren't the originals so why all the fanfare.  Yes transcripts are useful but nothing like seeing the originals because mistakes in transcripts aren't that uncommon.  I meant to go and ask at WDYTYA Live last week whether they were only transcripts but forgot.

Sadly, in light of the absolute mess FindMyPast made of Hertfordshire, I don't hold out much hope any of their original register collections will be complete anyway.  I know Ancestry are as bad but FindMyPast do like to blow their own trumpet rather and then fall flat when its looked into.  And yes I've criticised Ancestry enough, there is still 40 years missing from Enfield St Andrew, which has been missing since the collection was launched some years back.

Anyway, only time will tell, I just think everyone need to not get their hopes up too much as I suspect we'll be disappointed, although in the case of Bucks and Berks I'm happy to be proven wrong.
(KENT) Lingwell, Rayment (BUCKS) Read, Hutchins (SRY) Costin, Westbrook (DOR) Gibbs, Goreing (DUR) Green (ESX) Rudland, Malden, Rouse, Boosey (FIFE) Foulis, Russell (NFK) Johnson, Farthing, Purdy, Barsham (GLOS) Collett, Morris, Freebury, May, Kirkman (HERTS) Winchester, Linford (NORTHANTS) Bird, Brimley, Chater, Wilford, Read, Chapman, Jeys, Marston, Lumley (WILTS) Arden, Whatley, Batson, Gleed, Greenhill (SOM) Coombs, Watkins (RUT) Stafford (BERKS) Sansom, Angel, Young, Stratton, Weeks, Day

Offline jillruss

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Re: Berkshire Parish Registers Coming Online?
« Reply #28 on: Saturday 15 April 17 17:29 BST (UK) »

Anyway, only time will tell, I just think everyone need to not get their hopes up too much as I suspect we'll be disappointed, although in the case of Bucks and Berks I'm happy to be proven wrong.

That's just it, smudwhisk! You can't help but get your hopes up. I'm already making a mental list of my outstanding brickwalls in Berkshire!!  ::)
HELP!!!

 BATHSHEBA BOOTHROYD bn c. 1802 W. Yorks.

Baptism nowhere to be found. Possibly in a nonconformist church near ALMONDBURY or HUDDERSFIELD.

Offline dee-jay

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Re: Berkshire Parish Registers Coming Online?
« Reply #29 on: Monday 17 April 17 11:37 BST (UK) »
Quote from LizzieL:
I've only found a very few Berkshire burials for my family on FindMyPast and not well transcribed - my grandfather is transcribed as Helen - his name was Heber!
[/quote]

I've only ever encountered the name Heber once:  in my medical records from Royal Hants County Hospital in relation to the eminent Orthopaedic Surgeon LANGSTON.
SOM/Chard/Combe St Nicholas/Ilminster:  Dean[e]/Doble/Jeffery/Burt;  DEV/Yarcombe:  Dean/Gill/Every; 
BRK/Newbury:  Westall/Green/Lewis/Canning;  WIL/Allcannings:  Hiscock/Amor;  Froxfield:  Hobbs/Green;  HAM/Kingsclere:  Martin/Hiscock/Westall;  WAR/Marton/Bubbenhall:  Glenn/Holmes;  STS/Yoxall/Hamstall Ridware/Barton-u-Needwood:  Holmes/Dainty;  STS/Brewood/Codsall/Penkridge/Hatherton:  Dean[e]; GLA/Aberdare:  Dean/Dane

Census information: Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline jillruss

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Re: Berkshire Parish Registers Coming Online?
« Reply #30 on: Friday 28 April 17 10:52 BST (UK) »
Well, that's confused me! FindMyPast have delivered Kent PRs today - they weren't one of the 6 counties mentioned in the original article/press release, were they? (Can't find the blessed thing now to check).

These Kent ones are 'only' transcriptions, so it does not bode very well for the rest. What's that saying? Something about hope triumphing over experience? Clinging on by my finger nails.... ;D

Jill
HELP!!!

 BATHSHEBA BOOTHROYD bn c. 1802 W. Yorks.

Baptism nowhere to be found. Possibly in a nonconformist church near ALMONDBURY or HUDDERSFIELD.


Offline Iffley

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Re: Berkshire Parish Registers Coming Online?
« Reply #31 on: Thursday 25 May 17 20:23 BST (UK) »
LizzieL -
I have a couple who I suspect married in Berkshire but I don't know where. They baptised a string of children in Steventon but were not married there. The husband was not baptised in Steventon, I don't know about the wife as I don't know her maiden name. I have checked the Oxfordshire records on Ancestry and no sign of a marriage there, but a tentative baptism for the husband in Bampton, Oxon (right name / likely time frame - nothing more concrete than that). It would be very costly to buy CDs for a large number of parishes just on the off chance that I found them, whereas searching an on-line index and downloading a record (assuming I found them) for a couple of pounds worth of credits would be much better value.
If there's a likelihood they were married in either Oxfordshire or old North Berkshire, which is covered by Oxfordshire FHS, may I recommend the Oxfordshire FHS's Search Services?  Only £1.50 for a lookup in our databases!  See Surname Search Services on the left at www.ofhs.org.uk

Wendy
OFHS Helpdesk

Offline BradMajors

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Re: Berkshire Parish Registers Coming Online?
« Reply #32 on: Friday 16 June 17 19:20 BST (UK) »
BTW, The archivist is also charging 10 pounds for each digital image of a document, making any remote use of the archives impossible.   

The problem with the archivist is larger than just his opposition to making the parish registers available for research.

~~~~~~~~----------

Thank you for your reply. Berkshire parish records may well be digitised one day, but not in the foreseeable future. Sufficient demand, a provider, and the agreement of the church authorities would be needed. Berkshire’s relatively small population in the past does not make digitisation commercially attractive to potential providers.

I am sorry to disappoint you.


This is nonsense.  The LDS would be willing to go in and make copies without charging anyone.    I am willing to personally hire someone to take images and place entire parishes online and make them available for free, but there is no way I could obtain permission to do so.

Offline jillruss

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Re: Berkshire Parish Registers Coming Online?
« Reply #33 on: Saturday 17 June 17 13:01 BST (UK) »
Find My past is now promising the parish records for 6 counties within the next 6 months. They have started with Wiltshire - however, these are only transcriptions: not digital images of the original registers.

Jill

As it is, I'm starting to think the original promise was a typo and it should have read "6 counties within 6 years"! Every Friday I check the site only to be disappointed.

I agree with Brad about Berkshire Archives prices. Steeper than other Archives by a long way. I don't know what they're charging for research these days but the last time I used them (some years ago now) it was pretty high as well. I also got the impression that it wasn't so much 'research' they were offering but merely a list of anything that resembled the names you had submitted. Perhaps I'm being harsh and they really couldn't find what I was looking for!

I still say the Berks Archivist will cave if he gets an offer he can't refuse!! That's how I translate:

I am afraid that the question of sufficient demand is very difficult for us to answer.  I think you would have to contact the online providers and ask.

I am sure that at some point, someone will be interested in digitising our parish registers.  All we can say for certain at the moment is that no proposal has been made.


Cynical, moi?  ::)
HELP!!!

 BATHSHEBA BOOTHROYD bn c. 1802 W. Yorks.

Baptism nowhere to be found. Possibly in a nonconformist church near ALMONDBURY or HUDDERSFIELD.

Offline BradMajors

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Re: Berkshire Parish Registers Coming Online?
« Reply #34 on: Monday 26 June 17 20:55 BST (UK) »
Findmypast website indicates Berkshire parish records will be available online in 2017.

Offline jillruss

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Re: Berkshire Parish Registers Coming Online?
« Reply #35 on: Saturday 30 September 17 12:57 BST (UK) »
You may be interested...

A couple of days ago I emailed FindMyPast to inquire about the Berkshire records they'd promised back in April as part of this 6 counties in 6 months thing. I basically got fed up waiting and waiting, even though we'd collectively come to the conclusion that they'd probably be a disappointment when they did appear.

To be fair to FM, their reply was very quick:

"Unfortunately, we are unable to offer any specific date for release of these records at the moment. The records are from an external source and although our customer’s interest is very important to us, we do have to consider the external resource and their wishes also.

However, once we do have dates for release, we will send out a newsletter to our customers advising them of the latest, exciting developments".


I know it doesn't tell us much, time-wise, but I did wonder about the 'external source' and their 'wishes'! Berks FHS or Berks Archives?

Jill
HELP!!!

 BATHSHEBA BOOTHROYD bn c. 1802 W. Yorks.

Baptism nowhere to be found. Possibly in a nonconformist church near ALMONDBURY or HUDDERSFIELD.