FindMyPast transcriptions - grumpy rant

[Forfarian]

I am becoming more and more disenchanted with the census transcriptions on FindMyPast. Not because they mangle the personal names like Ancestry does, but because they mangle the names of parishes/districts.

For example, in their index to the 1841 census there are hundreds (probably thousands) of people listed as being in Lanark, Lanarkshire, but when you look at the individual transcriptions the addresses are clearly in the city of Glasgow, not in the burgh or parish of Lanark, and Glasgow is not mentioned in the transcription. For example addresses in Cowcaddens or Gallowgate.

And in some years they list all the information in all the headers, so you can get multiple names of overlapping districts, defined for all sorts of different purposes, supposedly part of one address.

Then in 1861, every address I have looked at in the parish of Mortlach has been listed as in Marnoch, Mortlach, Banffshire. Marnoch is an entirely different parish. It's not even next door to Mortlach, except in the alphabetical list.

Mortlach again, in 1871. Addresses in Glenrinnes are listed as 'Mortlach, Glenrinnes, Banffshire'. As Glenrinnes in only part of Mortlach, they should be listed as 'Glenrinnes, Mortlach, Banffshire'. There are umpteen similar examples all over Scotland.

It's fine for me. I live in Scotland and I can read maps and plans and work out where places or addresses actually are. But it's unhelpful, to say the least, to confuse folk from distant places who don't know the lie of the land here. And potentially misleading.

I've tried to get FindMyPast to do something about these worst examples but I have got nowhere so far.

The only answer is: don't trust transcriptions. Always use transciptions on commercial web sites as finding aids, and check them by looking up the originals at Scotland's People.

I also wish that FindMyPast had included the parish/district, enumeration district and page numbers in their transcriptions. But if the absence of those details encourages people to look at the originals, than I suppose that omission could be regarded as a Good Thing.

[Andy J2022]

Since FindMyPast don't have the images of the Scotland 1861/1871 census it's impossible to say if what has been transcribed is accurate or not. But to be fair to them (and their transcribers) they are only supposed to write what is written of the top of the census form. So to take an example: for someone named Alexander McDonald, his entry in 1861 says he was living at Colohorn, Marnoch, Mortlach, Banffshire, Scotland. and in 1871 his address was Coldhome, Mortlach, Banffshire, Scotland. My guess is this was the same address (because he was a farmer employing 2 men and a boy so not too likely to flit around). That means that either Colohorn or Coldhome is a mis-transcription. From the 1885 Ordnance Survey map we can see that there is farm named Coldhome on the A290 to the east of Dufftown at grid reference NJ 36443 39681 (see here for its present day location on Google Earth) which suggests that the 1861 transcription is wrong about the farm name but may correctly record the parish and town/burgh details as shown on the census..

[Andy J2022]

Incidentally, I forgot to add that Alexander McDonald was still at Coldhome Farm in the next two censuses, with just Mortlach shown as his parish. In 1901 he's at Newby, Mortlach, Banffshire, Scotland aged 84 so probably retired although still shown as a farmer. Possibly again this is a mis-transcription of Newley, a larger farm about a quarter of a mile from Coldhome farm.

[Forfarian]

So to take an example: for someone named Alexander McDonald, his entry in 1861 says he was living at Colohorn, Marnoch, Mortlach, Banffshire, Scotland.

Exactly my point, thank you for the excellent illustration. He is not in Marnoch because Marnoch is not in, or even next to, Mortlach.

Yes, I know they don't have the originals to refer to, but even when I have sent them specimen originals from Mortlach that don't make any mention of Marnoch, they won't correct them.

And that will indeed be Newley, not Newby - the home in 1820 and 1841 of my great-great-great-grandparents. See https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=15.3&lat=57.44635&lon=-3.04869&layers=5&b=1

[Gateaux23]

I once saw someone on a fiindmypast Scotland census transcription with the occupation of "Boob Maker" and another who was employed as a "wanker" (hope I don't get in trouble for writing that).

I thought for a while about reporting it, but my inner 14-year old ended up finding it too amusing.

[Gateaux23]

The censuses on FindMyPast that really bug me are the ones that don't even mention the name of the hamlet, village, or town etc. They just seemingly grab the header information and leave the most vital and interesting information absent.

This morning I had an 1861 address as:-

"North Square, Old Monkland Mid Dist, Lanarkshire, Scotland"

From this you have no real idea where this family was living. You might even mistakenly assume it to be Coatbridge. Six credits later I learn that North Square is in the village of Gartsherrie.

[Forfarian]

The censuses on FindMyPast that really bug me are the ones that don't even mention the name of the hamlet, village, or town etc. They just seemingly grab the header information and leave the most vital and interesting information absent.

Quite.

Like omitting 'Glasgow' as described above.

[SMJ]

Not only in Scotland. This is a transcription of my 2xGtGf living in Bridge Street, Shrewsbury, Shropshire.

Edmund Jones / Head / Married / Male / 43 / 1818 / Journeyer Plasterer / Overton, Hampshire, England.

Should be Flintshire, Overton.

This wasted 6 months of searching effort.

[Jackiemh]

This one made me smile though -
1901 Census Walthamstow for Edwin Hull b1861 - Watch and clock robber.
I am assuming they meant jobber.
Jackie