Berkshire Parish Registers Coming Online?

[smudwhisk]

Last I heard (a few years back) the Diocese is still against its PRs being filmed and published (they are happy for ROs to fim them for internal use), and this now includes Berkshire.  The three Archivists (Berks, Oxon and Bucks) have made efforts in the past to resolve this issue but, evidently it hasn't happened yet.

From what I've been told it isn't so much the Diocese that is against digitisation but the decision was left to the Diocesan Archivisit.  The Diocesan Archivist being Berkshire Records Office's Archivist (as it is the Diocesan Record Office) and it is he who is against digitisation (as was his predecessor when he was the deputy).  Now this came from a reliable source so I don't have any reason to doubt it.

[CarolA3]

Oxfordshire were certainly ahead of the game in transcribing, mainly because the Diocese wouldn't allow the Mormons to film their registers (I've never worked out how they managed to film the Berks registers since its the same diocese) and hence transcription was the only way to get the information out there.

Apparently the Mormons turned up in Berkshire many years ago and persuaded some CofE parishes to let them film their PRs.  When the then Bishop of Oxford found out, he was not best pleased (!) and all of his clergy were instructed not to allow any further access.  This has royally messed things up for researchers who can't get to the Oxfordshire History Centre where PRs are deposited.

OFHS transcripts are available to buy on CD but, as has been said, we really need to see the original images.  Evidently times have changed, as OFHS have signed a contract with Ancestry who are supposed to be putting the PR images online.  When this might happen is anybody's guess - Ancestry have had the OFHS scans for over a year (18 months? 2 years?) but they refuse to discuss timescales.

Unfortunately, even if Ancestry 'release' the images tomorrow, they won't help Berkshire researchers because the former North Berkshire parishes that are now in Oxfordshire (Vale of White Horse district) aren't included - because their PRs were deposited in Reading and OFHS can't scan them!  So it's a visit to Reading for those who can, and CDs of transcripts for those who can't

This is probably not what anyone wanted to hear, but it's the situation as I understand it.

Carol

P.S.  Some North Berkshire BTs are held at the Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre in Chippenham.  They're extremely helpful.

[newburychap]

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!

Looking at coverage of the new CD for Berkshire baptisms, it seems to have less than Familysearch  for some parishes. Its coverage of West Challow St lawrence is only from 1607 - 1638 ( 45 baptisms). Familysearch has baptisms up to 1812. How would FS get this information, which it seems the FHS doesn't have?

No transcription is perfect - at least two people agreed that Heber was Helen!

FS filmed the PRs - which are all available to the FHS - it just takes time to transcribe and check the transcriptions.

The Baptism CD is the latest of the Berks PR projects - and Oxfordshire parishes like West Challow will be low on the priority list (you can always buy a transcript from OFHS), but the coverage will improve over time. Ultimately everything the BRO has will be transcribed.

[smudwhisk]

OFHS transcripts are available to buy on CD but, as has been said, we really need to see the original images.  Evidently times have changed, as OFHS have signed a contract with Ancestry who are supposed to be putting the PR images online.  When this might happen is anybody's guess - Ancestry have had the OFHS scans for over a year (18 months? 2 years?) but they refuse to discuss timescales.

From what I have read the OFHS contract with Ancestry was only signed last Summer so they haven't had the images for 18-24 months, less than 12 months.  I've also seen on the grapevine (via the preview pages for OFHS's current journal on their website) that they may well be making an appearance around October time, but we shall have to wait and see.

But, as has already been said, these don't include the former north Berkshire parishes.

[CarolA3]

From what I have read the OFHS contract with Ancestry was only signed last Summer so they haven't had the images for 18-24 months, less than 12 months.  I've also seen on the grapevine (via the preview pages for OFHS's current journal on their website) that they may well be making an appearance around October time, but we shall have to wait and see.

I'm a member of OFHS and therefore receive their journal which is dated April, August, and December but is usually distributed earlier.  The August 2015 edition mentions the Ancestry contract and has a photo of the (then) chairman and the secretary signing the document.

The April 2015 edition states that the deadline for the August issue would be 15 May 2015.  I think it's reasonable to assume that the signing took place some time before that date, although as far as I'm aware we haven't been told exactly when it was.  It could have been months earlier as the process was 'under wraps' while the details were being sorted out, and that's why I put the longer periods in brackets with question marks.  I should have cited my sources!

As I'm away from home I haven't seen the April 2016 edition yet, so thank you for pointing me to the OFHS website.  There's also a related thread on the Oxfordshire board where Wendy of OFHS has today mentioned a possible release in October.

Regards,
Carol

[SmallTownGirl]

I've just had a reply from the Berkshire Records Office, and it's every bit as bad as I feared 

"
Thank you for your email.

There are no plans to digitise Berkshire Parish Records. The Berkshire Family History Society (www.berksfhs.org.uk) has published transcripts of many, though I appreciate that this is not the same as looking at originals.

I am sorry not to be of more help.

Yours sincerely
Jeremy Taylor
Archivist
"

STG (going off into a corner to sob        )

[smudwhisk]

Thanks STG, doesn't surprise me unfortunately.  Until the Archivist has a change of heart, I doubt anything will happen.

[jillruss]

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.

Berkshire is supposed to be one of the remaining five counties, making me mildly excited at the prospect. Contrary to previous posts on this thread, there are quite a few gaps in online coverage I've discovered over the past several years.

 FindMyPast already have transcriptions of the Berks FHS burials and marriages CDs - the former being all but complete: the latter not quite. Their baptism CD has only just started to scratch the surface and a lot of the entries are very 'modern'.

So, I'm hoping that this means FindMyPast's contribution will be digitalised images. However, I'm wondering - why the seismic shift? I thought the Berkshire archivists were deeply entrenched in their refusal to make the PRs available online?

Am I hoping for too much here? Can anyone enlighten me?

Jill

[smudwhisk]

It wouldn't surprise me if they were just more of the Berkshire FHS transcripts rather than digitised images.  The Wiltshire PRs released last Friday were only transcripts and the press release mentions Warwickshire and Somerset too, the originals of which are on Ancestry so again are most likely FHS transcripts. 

Now I hope I'm wrong but I definitely wouldn't get up too much hope for copies of the originals, especially in light of the attitude of the RO Archivist to digitising records.  I hope he's changed his mind but we'll just have to be patient and wait and see, unless someone has some insider information.  I agree though that Berkshire FHS coverage is very patchy even now, although I believe they have released some more recently.

That said, if the Buckinghamshire PRs mentioned in the same press release were from the FHS (rather than the Buckinghamshire Genealogical Society), then I'd be happy with those (would prefer of course images of the originals) as they have pretty much transcribed the whole county.