It seems to have been a long time coming!
The General Register Office (GRO) for England and Wales has just announced that family history researchers can now get instant-access images of birth records from 1837-1922 and deaths from 1837-1887.
Civil birth and death registration records from selected years are now available as instant-access digital images via the GRO's website at: https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/login.asp
Civil registration in this part of the UK began in 1837 for Births, Marriages and Deaths (BMDs) and until now researchers could not get an instant-access digital image.
Family history researchers have previously had to make do with ordering records as either a print record for £11, or as a PDF for £7. At this price you would need the GRO index references and then have a wait of up to four working days for orders to be despatched.
However, the GRO has now launched a scheme for births from 1837 to 1922 and deaths from 1837 to 1887 to be available as digital images (JPEGS). The online service is the cheapest and simplest way of placing an order but you do still need to order with the GRO index reference number. Their website says that it takes around 10 minutes and you’ll need a debit or credit card and the JPEG cost £2.50.
In the June 2023 issue of Discover Your Ancestors periodical you can read the following excellent articles:
- What do we think they’ll discover? Who Do You Think You Are? is back on TV this month. Andrew Chapman introduces the new series
- The fasting girl: Stephen Wade looks at the phenomenon of the Welsh fasting girl, Sarah Jacob, whose story dominated the press for much of 1869
- Meet Kitch: unflappable Spitfire pilot: In 1980 Nick Thorne met a man on a yacht in the English Channel. Thanks to online RAF records, here is his story
- On the trail of George Orwell: Richard Willis follows the life and adventures of this giant of letters, born 120 years ago
- Making the censuses crystal clear: We explore how the latest technology can improve your research
- The forgotten rural martyrs: 150 years ago this month, 16 women – two of them with babies – were imprisoned. Keith Laybourn commemorates the Ascott Martyrs
- History in the details: Picturing fashion c.1710
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- 12 monthly issues of the Periodical
- Access to 500,000,000 birth, marriage and death records
- Free data: Titanic passenger list
- Free ebook: Liverpool Street Map c.1890
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The May 2023 edition of Discover Your Ancestors Periodical is out!
In this issue:
A roof over one's head: Denise Bates unpacks the world of property rentals, tenants' rights and moving house in the past
For the love of God: Caroline Roope explores the work and adventures of 19th century missionaries
The duties of a Victorian registrar: As family historians we rely on the work of past registrars of marriages, births and deaths, but we know little of their work. Daniel Hewitt tells their story
'Murderer' in the margins: Nick Thorne uses the latest enhanced census images to help trace the Eltham Murder victim and the accused, both recorded under the same roof
Hats off to Harold! In February Keith Gregson wrote about a chest full of surprises. An ancient piano stool also caught his eye...
History in the details: Picturing fashion c.1700
Sign up today for only £24.99 and receive the following:
- 12 monthly issues of the Periodical
- Access to 500,000,000 birth, marriage and death records
- Free data: Titanic passenger list
- Free ebook: Devon 1844 Pigot's Directory
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In the April 2023 issue of Discover Your Ancestors:
Easter uprisings: Rachel Bates explores some entertaining Easter customs of yesteryear
Your merchant navy photographs: Simon Wills presents a useful pictorial guide to the details that can aid research into maritime forebears
Master and commander: Lynsey Ford pays tribute to the resilience and human endurance of an Elizabethan ancestor
The quartermaster and the iceberg: Nick Thorne finds a Titanic survivor in the records
Completing the set: Keith Gregson reports on how groundbreaking online tools have breathed new life into his family history studies
History in the details: Materials – feathers
Sign up today for only £24.99 and receive the following:
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- Access to 500,000,000 birth, marriage and death records
- Free data: Titanic passenger list
- Free ebook: Navy List 1904 - January
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The February 2023 edition of Discover Your Ancestors periodical has been published.
See: https://discoveryourancestors.co.uk/current-issue/
In this magazine:
Lonely hearts from history: As Valentine's Day returns, Jayne Shrimpton shows that small ads and dating services are not a new phenomenon...
The price of life: Denise Bates explores the horrors of a mining disaster 150 years ago and the consequences for local families
Who owned that building? Nick Thorne takes a walk of discovery through historic Eton, checking historical records on the move
A chest full of surprises: Keith Gregson reports on an interesting and unusual source for learning about family life in the mid-20th century
Speaking of the unspeakable: Andrew Chapman discovers that two famous literary names both attended the same public execution
History in the details: Materials – fur (part 2)
Sign up today for only £24.99 and receive the following:
- 12 monthly issues of the Periodical
- Access to 500,000,000 birth, marriage and death records
- Free data: Titanic passenger list
- Free ebook: London 1823 Pigot's Directory
Subscribe today: https://discoveryourancestors.co.uk/subscribe/
In this January 2023 issue of the Discover Your Ancestors Online Periodical:
Reading the past: Rachel Bates introduces the subject of palaeography, with a guide to reading secretary hand in particular
Revisiting Bowton's Yard: Denise Bates investigates where fact and fiction meet in this well-known working-class ballad
The disappearance of Florence Harris: Nell Darby tells a sad story of hardship and mental illness in Edwardian England
Suffragette and socialist: Lorraine Schofield tells the story of an extraordinary ordinary wife and mother, Hannah Mitchell
Cautionary tales: Nick Thorne recounts a series of unfortunate events in the life of a literary man
History in the details: Materials – fur (part 1)
Sign up today for only £24.99 and receive the following:
- 12 monthly issues of the Periodical
- Access to 500,000,000 birth, marriage and death records
- Free data: Titanic passenger list
- Free ebook: Norfolk 1817 Poll Book
https://discoveryourancestors.co.uk/subscribe/
Using The National Archives' Discovery Catalogue | Webinar
Join Sarah Castagnetti, Visual Collections Team Manager at The National Archives (TNA) to learn top tips for using Discovery, The National Archives' online catalogue which allows you to download 100 free records a month. You will come away with all of the tools needed to make the most of the catalogue for your research, whether you are a new user or an experienced researcher.
This webinar will be delivered by Sarah Castagnetti, Visual Collections Team Manager at TNA.
Saturday 14 January at 10:30
Tickets from Eventbrite:
In the latest issue of the Discover Your Ancestors online magazine there is lots for family and social historians to read:
The biscuit kings: Nicola Lisle traces the remarkable history of biscuit manufacturer Huntley & Palmers in its bicentenary year
Etched into history: A box in the loft opened up a window into the world of glass etching for Denise Bates
Pierside problems: Wales is home to several piers – but some have seen tragedy, writes Nell Darby, despite their association with summer pleasures...
Breaking the pattern: Anna Maxwell Martin's recent episode of Who Do You Think You Are? shows how families can transcend their tough origins. Andrew Chapman delves into some of these using online records for Scotland
Times of transition: A real-life account of a workhouse inmate who may have inspired Dickens
History in the details: Materials – silk (part 2)
Sign up today for only £24.99 and receive the following:
- 12 monthly issues of the Periodical
- Access to 500,000,000 birth, marriage and death records
- Free data: Titanic passenger list
- Free ebook: Navy List 1884 - December
https://discoveryourancestors.co.uk/
In the December 2021 issue of the online periodical:
Passengers at sea: Simon Wills explores what it was like to take a long voyage across the oceans as a passenger, whether for leisure or in search of a new life
Family photographs at Christmas: Photo expert Jayne Shrimpton looks at how advances and trends in photography were reflected in seasonal celebrations
The women of Mumbles Head: In 1883, a storm ravaged the coastline of South Wales, and claimed several lives. If it hadn't been for the actions of two sisters, it could have claimed more... Nell Darby tells their story
Social mobility in the 19th century: Denise Bates investigates how people could cross the divides of class and status in Victorian times
A seafaring surgeon and a rural rioter: Nick Thorne follows Ed Balls' journey through his roots
History in the details: Materials – linen (part 4)
Sign up today for only £24.99 and receive the following:
- 12 monthly issues of the Periodical
- Access to 500,000,000 birth, marriage and death records
- Free data: Titanic passenger list
- Free ebook: York, 1868 Poll Book
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