RootsChat.Com
Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Topic started by: diplodicus on Saturday 16 September 17 06:56 BST (UK)
-
I am certain that this is a question that has been asked many times but ...
Is there any way to access Scottish BMD and census info without disappearing down the 'pay-per-view' rabbit hole to bankruptcy?
I simply cannot afford to rack up the PPV charges on the Scotlands People web site.
I will be visiting Scotland later this year.
Many thanks.
-
If you think Scotlands People's charges are high - try ordering certificates in New Zealand, or buying online in some Australian states - they cost ten times the Scotlands People charge.
-
Depending on the years and area Freecen have quite good coverage of the census
Also there's family Search for BMD before 1875
But these both offer only transcriptions and not the actual certificates or census but do help to narrow down possibilities and rule out others
Scotlands People is the only place that has the Scottish BMD and for £10 you can download 6 certificates which I think is quite resonable
-
Family Search have some Scottish records, including census transcripts, and Ancestry has transcripts of all but the 1911 census. As Wendy said, Freecen has some census transcripts, but only the 1841 is complete for Scotland.
-
Johnf04 is correct about the relative pricing, but you can't necessarily compare NZ and Scottish records just in terms of price.
The free birth indexes in NZ have always included both parents forenames, so you're less likely to order the wrong one in NZ. The indices in Scotland after Civil Registration commenced in the 1850s don't have parents' names, but you might get lucky with a transcription on FamilySearch.
Deaths in Scotland prior to about 1880 are MUCH better than NZ because they include the names of the parents of the deceased. Marriages too. New Zealand introduced this in about 1880.
If you're after parish records prior to the mid-1850s you often can see the image at a LDS Family History library/site.
It all depends on the specifics of the information you're looking for.
-
JUst beat me to it hurworth!
Was just going to say that if you get back before 1855, there are loads of actual Scottish Parish Register images on familysearch - they have digitised the old microfilms. You have to go through the 'Catalogue' function on Search. Mostly only viewable at a LDS library as hurworth says.
I have found it invaluable to look up dozens of people , which otherwise I wouldn't have been able to do it I had had to pay for every image on SP.
-
You can buy a day pass at the Scotlands People Centre, in Edinburgh - you can search and view images, but not download them.
https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/visit-us/scotlandspeople-centre
-
Thank you all for your advice and guidance. It is very helpful.
I agree that £10 for 6 certificates is very reasonable. However, it was the searching, sifting and eliminating that gobbled up the credits.
I'll definitely be spending an additional day in Edinburgh when next I travel northwards.
Diolch yn fawr iawn.
-
Diplodicus it is now free to search and look at the indexes you may need to purchase credits to be able to do this but it doesn't cost any credits until you download a certificate the prices are now 6 credits per certificate or census instead of the 1 credit to search and 5 to download
-
Diplodicus ,
The Scotlands People Centre in Edinburgh is not the only venue where you can purchase all day access to the computer records.
https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/local-family-history-centres
I have used Burns Monument Centre in Kilmarnock and I have a friend who uses the Mitchell Library in Glasgow. Obviously it depends where your visit to Scotland takes you, but I thought it worth posting the link.
Looby :)