Author Topic: Burial Records  (Read 313 times)

Offline Greaves

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Burial Records
« on: Tuesday 11 May 21 12:56 BST (UK) »
I have recently been trying to trace the burials of a number of relatives. This has not been easy, since there is no real central database. Some parish registers are still not online and those that are online are spread all over the place on different websites. Searching for civic burials means is hindered by many, if not most, records not being online. It means searching online databases and contacting lots of different bodies, including local authorities, private cemetery companies, etc. Many of the websites dedicated to finding graves and burials concentrate on headstones, rather than the actual burial. Many of my relatives were too poor to merit a headstone, often ending up in common graves with no visible reminder of their passing. The only record their burial is likely to leave is the record in the burial register, which is often not easily located. Privately run cemeteries can change a fortune for conducting searches.

Of the five major life events locating a burial is in my experience far harder than finding a baptism or a BMD record. If anyone has a good method of finding burial register records I would love to hear about it. I would really welcome a more systematic approach, as opposed to my rather hit and miss method.

My real reason for this rant, however, is the response I have received from some holders of burial registers. Most bodies that haven't put their burial registers online, by far the majority, charge for a search, which is fair enough, though in some cases extortionate. But what is really bugging me is that some claim that they cannot supply a scan of the register, as this would breach Data Protection regulations. For instance, a response from Rushmoor Council Bereavement Services states that: "Unfortunately due to Data protection we cannot scan our registers."

Now how can this be true, when we all know that suppliers such as Deceased Online willingly provide scans of such registers, albeit for a price. If you purchase a scan from Deceased Online, or indeed many other suppliers, you do not find other entries on the same page blacked out. I do not understand this inconsistency. Are burial registers in the public domain albeit for a price or are they protected under Data Protection legislation?

Offline PaulineJ

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Re: Burial Records
« Reply #1 on: Tuesday 11 May 21 14:10 BST (UK) »
On deceased online (for instance) the part of a recent entry relating to "who arranged burial" is redacted. What era are you looking at when you say the entirety of a page of the register?

What you generally pay for is the convenience of online access, and churches/chapels don't have to release the register at all. Which is why most records for deceased online are local authority..
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Offline Greaves

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Re: Burial Records
« Reply #2 on: Tuesday 11 May 21 14:13 BST (UK) »
I have been looking for burials from c1800 to c1950. Some of the ones where I have been refused a scan are outside the 100 year rule. It just seems inconsistent. I am just seeking some clarification of the rules.

Offline Kiltpin

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Re: Burial Records
« Reply #3 on: Tuesday 11 May 21 14:14 BST (UK) »
My understanding is that they are not protected under Data Protection legislation. It is the old legal adage "You can't slander the dead." 

It strikes me that they just don't want the bother of doing it.

Regards 

Chas
Whannell - Eaton - Jackson
India - Scotland - Australia


Offline Jebber

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Re: Burial Records
« Reply #4 on: Tuesday 11 May 21 15:27 BST (UK) »
I don't know why we should expect all such information to be available online, such records were not made for the benefit of family historians. I am thankful that so much has become available, by the digitising of records by commercial sites, and by the generosity of volunteers transcribing and photographing etc.

Go back about fifteen years, the only way to access burial and other  Parish Records was by visiting the County Archives, or applying to each church. The churches had a standard list of charges, usually seen in the church porch. Visiting Archives invariably meant incurring travel costs, not to mention the cost of overnight stays, if one had to travel long distances.

The increase in interest in Family History research, is owed significantly  to Ancestry and their advertising, giving a false impression about how simple research is. It is no wonder requests for searches and information are met with charges. In my area,  requests to the local authority for burial information used to be free, and came with a plan of the Cemetery showing the position or the grave. Unsurprisingly, increased demand brought with it charges, Council tax payers could not be expected to bear the cost.

As for Data Protection, a lot of people do not fully understand it, then tend to err on the side of caution  and withhold more than us necessary.
CHOULES All ,  COKER Harwich Essex & Rochester Kent 
COLE Gt. Oakley, & Lt. Oakley, Essex.
DUNCAN Kent
EVERITT Colchester,  Dovercourt & Harwich Essex
GULLIVER/GULLOFER Fifehead Magdalen Dorset
HORSCROFT Kent.
KING Sturminster Newton, Dorset. MONK Odiham Ham.
SCOTT Wrabness, Essex
WILKINS Stour Provost, Dorset.
WICKHAM All in North Essex.
WICKHAM Medway Towns, Kent from 1880
WICKHAM, Ipswich, Suffolk.

Offline rosie99

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Re: Burial Records
« Reply #5 on: Tuesday 11 May 21 16:20 BST (UK) »
I wonder why they even need to give an excuse for not providing a burial scan for family history research. I doubt that many councils would find it a money earner and worth spending their council tax payers money to set up, especially in recent times when so many other essential services are being cut.
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