Tag Archives: parish records

Findmypast.co.uk Publishes Westminster Parish Records Online

findmypast.co.uk, a leading UK family history website, has published online for the very first time parish records held by the City of Westminster Archives Centre. The Westminster Collection at findmypast.co.uk comprises fully searchable transcripts and scanned images of the parish registers, some of which are over 400 years old.

The 1,365,731 records launched cover the period 1538-1945 and come from over 50 Westminster churches including St Anne, Soho, St Clement Danes, St George Hanover Square, St James Westminster, St Margaret Westminster, St Martin-in-the-Fields, St Mary-le-Strand, St Paul Covent Garden.

Debra Chatfield, family historian at findmypast.co.uk, said: “The Westminster Collection is one of the largest regional parish record collections we have ever published online and contains some truly wonderful gems. Family historians, wherever they are in the world, can now search this historical goldmine and uncover the fascinating stories of their London ancestors.”

The launch marks the start of a painstaking project to preserve digitally the City of Westminster Archives Centre’s collection, and sees the first tranche of its baptisms, marriages and burials go online. The remaining records are set to go live over the coming months, along with cemetery registers, wills, rate books, settlement examinations, workhouse admission and discharge books, bastardy, orphan and apprentice records and charity documents.

Adrian Autton, Archives Manager at Westminster Archives commented: “The launch of the Westminster Collection is of huge significance making Westminster records fully accessible to a global audience. This resource will be of immense value to anyone whose ancestors lived in Westminster and to anyone wishing to study the rich heritage of this truly great city.”

The records can now be searched free of charge by visiting the Life Events (BMDs) section at findmypast.co.uk, and then selecting parish baptisms or marriages or burials. Transcripts and images can be viewed with PayAsYouGo credits, vouchers or a full subscription to findmypast.co.uk.

The new Westminster Collection at findmypast.co.uk joins a growing resource of official parish records from local archives, including Cheshire Archives & Local Studies, Manchester City Council and Plymouth and West Devon Records Office, with many more in the pipeline and due to go live in the coming months. In addition over 40 million parish records from family history societies can be found at findmypast.co.uk in partnership with the Federation of Family History Societies.

Via EPR Network
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Findmypast.co.uk To Publish Canterbury Cathedral Records Online

findmypast.co.uk, a leading UK family history website, has announced that it has been awarded a contract by Canterbury Cathedral Archives to publish historic records from the archive online. The first phase of the Canterbury Collection project will see an online version of the parish registers of the historic Archdeaconry of Canterbury, to be published in the coming weeks at findmypast.co.uk.

An estimated 270,000 images containing over a million entries will be published on the website, covering parish churches from a wide expanse of East Kent, including:
– the city of Canterbury
– the towns of Faversham, Wye and Elham
– Thanet
– towns along the east Kent coast stretching from Whitstable in the north round to Hythe in the south

The launch has been timed to coincide with the temporary closure of Canterbury Cathedral Archives for refurbishment, so that family historians and local historians can continue to enjoy access to these fascinating records until the Archives reopens in autumn 2012.

From the initial online launch in February, visitors to the findmypast.co.uk website will be able to browse through the scanned pages of the parish records to search for their ancestors. At the same time, findmypast.co.uk will start to transcribe the records, with a view to creating an index and making them fully searchable on the website later this year.

Paul Nixon, Content Licensing Manager for findmypast.co.uk, said: “We’re really looking forward to seeing these invaluable records from Canterbury Cathedral Archives go live on findmypast.co.uk, strengthening the site’s position as the natural home for UK parish records.”

Canterbury Cathedral Archivist Cressida Williams, added: “Working with findmypast has provided us with a wonderful opportunity to expand access to these records to a worldwide audience. This resource will be a great asset for anyone with an interest in the history of this part of Kent.”

The Canterbury Collection will join an impressive array of UK parish records at findmypast.co.uk, including records from Manchester Archives, Cheshire Archives, Plymouth & West Devon Record Office and Welsh Archives, in addition to over 40 million parish records from family history societies throughout the UK in partnership with the Federation of Family History Societies.

Anyone wishing to be notified when the Canterbury Collection becomes available can register online at findmypast.co.uk to receive a newsletter.

Via EPR Network
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Findmypast.co.uk Launches More New Records And Lowers Prices

Findmypast.co.uk, a leading UK family history website, has been adding to its existing collection of over 40 million parish records for England & Wales dating back to 1538.

The company has launched over 18,000 baptism, marriage and burial records from London & Kent dating from 1825-1871, covering the parishes of Greenwich and Rotherhithe.

These follow hot on the heels of 79,842 parish records from Gwent (formerly Monmouthshire), spanning the years 1634 to 1933, which were also published on the site recently. These records cover the parishes of Chepstow, Shirenewton, Bedwellty, Beaufort, Mynddislwyn and Risca. Monmouth workhouse baptisms and burials are also included. Gwent Family History Society are providing these records on findmypast.co.uk as part of an on-going project between findmypast.co.uk and the Federation of Family History Societies to publish more parish records online, making it possible to trace back ancestors long before the start of civil registration in 1837.

20,000 burial records from the St Mary parish of Lambeth for 1819-1838 were also published online at findmypast.co.uk, supplied by East Surrey Family History Society, along with 128,000 burial records for the years 1802-1846 from the East Kent Burial Index.

Findmypast.co.uk has also announced the lowering of its prices, with full, annual subscriptions to the website, which allow access to all the historical records on the site, and annual foundation subscriptions both now cheaper than ever before. Both include the complete 1911 census for England & Wales.

Paul Yates, Head of findmypast.co.uk said: “We’re committed to making family history as affordable as possible, while still ensuring that we continue to deliver a steady stream of fascinating, new family history records to our customers every month.”

Via EPR Network
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