Why are parish registers only available up to a certain date and not beyond?

[baytree1970]

I'm looking at Easington parish in Oxfordshire and it seems there are no parish registers available after 1865. Similarly, in the neighbouring parish of Chalgrove, there are registers available until c.1873, then nothing. One summary I saw does seem to suggest that anything more recent than 1874 in Chalgrove is recorded in the current register. Could it be that a register still in active use today won't have been made available for indexing etc. yet? If that's the case, is it possible to see the regsiter by asking the church in question?

[KGarrad]

Certainly that's the case here in Isle of Man.
Current Registers haven't ben digitised.
Older registers were digitised up to 1883 by the Genealogical Society of Utah.

[AllanUK]

I have hit this problem as well with regard to a family that lived in a small rural community. The records that I would love to see are well over a hundred years old but the vicar is holding on to the registers as 'there is still room to enter current events'. I have even asked the vicar if I can see the registers in person (at his convenience) but I was told 'sorry not possible at the moment etc ....'

[Jebber]

There used to be a list of set charges for information from current Registers published in  the Church porch.

[jc26red]

Have you contacted Oxford History Center yet?

Here is a list of what they hold and where to find the records. There are a few parishes not digitised yet… see the link at the bottom of the pdf link

https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/sites/default/files/file/history-collections/parishregisters.pdf

[baytree1970]

Thanks for all the response.

Oxford History Centre is new to me - a fantastic resource. It confirms the parish I'm looking at, Easington, merged with neighbouring Cuxham parish in 1853, so that may explain things.

I've also been in touch with the local vicar today to ask if the current registers are available, so fingers crossed.

[jc26red]

You’re welcome.

Being rather old school and remembering trawling through the film at the archives, it’s somewhere we tend to forget about these days.

I used to go to the library at Henley, Oxfordshire to trawl through the parish records transcript books and films. My interest dates were a lot earlier though.

[KGarrad]

Not all churches gave LDS permission to copy their registers!

Manx Heritage decided to allow copying up to 1883; presumably because, at the time, it was more about 100 years in the past?
For later records I have to request the actual register.
It helps that Manx Heritage is also the Diocesan Archive
But even then some registers, from smaller parishes are still in use.

[Enumerated]

I have hit this problem as well with regard to a family that lived in a small rural community. The records that I would love to see are well over a hundred years old but the vicar is holding on to the registers as 'there is still room to enter current events'. I have even asked the vicar if I can see the registers in person (at his convenience) but I was told 'sorry not possible at the moment etc ....'

Did he give a reason? I hope it is a temporary situation and he will let you see them eventually.
When I was researching my family history I often went to churches to see the registers and never had a problem.
The only problem was when they would bring the book to me and expect me to rest it on my lap to look at it. I had to insist that it was placed on a table to avoid accidental damage. I was rather shocked that they did not take more care of the registers - they didn't even supervise me while I had them but went off and left me to it.