records from Cheshire records office

[JDGen]

Hi French,

Just a thought, if you have a scanner post the section of the certificate you can't read on the common room forum - you will probably get some help there.

Glad they've finally arrived...

Jean

[Chrissy13]

Hi French, 

You wrote

"It's a pity that the Wigan office doesn't accept payment by card as, living abroad I can't send a check.

Well I am in NZ and use the GRO site (takes my credit card)

www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/login.asp

It costs seven pounds per certificate and I pay online.  They are really quick too - it took less than 10days last time I ordered but has been as long as 3 weeks.

[frenchdressing]

Hi Tulip,
I use the GRO too because I have to and I usually get the certificates 6/7 days later posted to France.
From what I'd read on here and from what I've now seen first hand, the certifcates from the Cheshire Records Office (and I presume from other records offices such as Wigan) are clearer and look more like the originals.

What I object to is the fact that the GRO sometimes sends out certificates that are hard to read because they are photocopied or scanned with blotches, the writing is too pale to decipher adresses etc. I must admit that the people in the GRO are charming and try to be helpful on the telephone but I get a bit upset when I've waited a while for a certificate, paid £7 and I can't read what's on it correctly. If a records office can send out a clear certificate why can't the GRO?

Hope you're enjoying summer in NZ.

Regards.

French

[Chrissy13]

Hi French,

That's really interesting - I didn't know that you would receive better quality ones from Cheshire. 

Tell me, if you're not able to use a credit card, how do you pay, living in France.  (Just wondering so I can do the same!)

[frenchdressing]

Hi Tulip,
The certs. I got from Cheshire records office were handwritten and so very easy to read. I had asked for checking points and got the right ones. I also got one from Wigan records office when I was in England as I could pay cash and that too was copied by hand from their registers.
Otherwise, like you I have to rely on the GRO. I think more and more local registery offices are accepting credit cards, it's just getting lucky. Quite a lot in Lancashire do but not in the area that I'm interested in.
Probably some people who've been doing genealogy for some time are better at reading 19th century writing than I am.

Have a nice day, or should I say goodnight?

French

[millymcb]

I ordered a Will online from the Cheshire Records Office... it took about a month to come.   I visited there for the first time a couple of weeks ago and was surprised how busy it was... the staff were lovely and very helpful but they did have a lot of visitors to help out.   They were non-stop all day.  Not the image of the quite little record office some people might expect.

Hats off to these hard-working staff is what I say. 

 

[erin21]

Hi Jean,They're clear and easy to read unlike the one I got from the GRO also this morning. It's a marriage cert. that I needed to find out the father's name of the bride and I can't read it (the father's name , that is). So, I'm no nearer to going back in time. It could be James, Samuel.

Did the marriage take place in Chester in a church there?

Erin

[frenchdressing]

Erin,
 After showing the cert. to several people I think that the name on iit s Daniel and there is a Daniel Lowe on the parish records but illegible entries for names and addresses has been quite common I'm afraid.
Now when I need a cert. from Cheshire I get it from the Chester records office.

regards

French

[Chrissy13]

I wonder if anyone has bothered to complain about it......it's really not fair that they are virtually illegible sometimes.  It's probably just one 'slack alice' at GRO that they don't realise they have in their midst.

Or we could send them this thread?