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General => The Common Room => Topic started by: slowbookworm on Wednesday 07 July 10 19:44 BST (UK)

Title: Can modern Parish records go online?
Post by: slowbookworm on Wednesday 07 July 10 19:44 BST (UK)
Hi
My Dad is taking some of the Baptism, Marriage and Burial records from his Parish church to the local records office tomorrow. The records go from the 1800 to present (Takes a long time to fill a book in a small villiage parish!).
He has photographed every page and would like to put the photos on-line for those who can't get to the records office once he has checked this is OK with the Church. I know that normally more recent records are not put on in-line, does anyone know if there are rules about this and what age of Parish records can be put on a website?

Thanks
SBW
Title: Re: Can modern Parish records go online?
Post by: Geoff-E on Wednesday 07 July 10 19:56 BST (UK)
Perhaps the last paragraph of the first post here is relevant (if correct)  http://www.wirksworth.org.uk/B01-COPY.htm
Title: Re: Can modern Parish records go online?
Post by: Mort29 on Wednesday 07 July 10 20:00 BST (UK)
Find out how the 'Online Parish Clerks' around the counties operate within the law.
Title: Re: Can modern Parish records go online?
Post by: slowbookworm on Wednesday 07 July 10 21:18 BST (UK)
Thanks for your help. Hopefully my dad is keeping within the law making the copies as the main purpose is to keep copies in the church as they are needed there. Looks like they will need to be transcribed if they are to go on-line.
Title: Re: Can modern Parish records go online?
Post by: newburychap on Wednesday 07 July 10 23:40 BST (UK)
If the church ie the rector/vicar and PCC are happy for the records to go online then there are no copyright issues to worry about as they hold the copyright. 

The main issues are those of privacy - I don't think these are enforceable in law but there is general agreement that some period is left between the creation of the records and their appearance online. For instance Scottish records released by GROS are not put online for 100 years (births), 75 (marriages) and 50 (deaths). On the other hand many PR transcripts available on CD include very recent events.
Title: Re: Can modern Parish records go online?
Post by: Rah1980 on Thursday 08 July 10 02:36 BST (UK)
Hiya,

I transcribe for free reg http://www.freereg.org.uk/ and I am sure they would love to transcribe the parish records for your Dad, and be able to upload the records to their site (those which are allowed obviously) there the records would be free to access for all to use them. Just a thought  ;D

Sarah
Title: Re: Can modern Parish records go online?
Post by: noseyoap on Thursday 08 July 10 12:18 BST (UK)
I also transcribe for FreeReg and have got to baptism records for 1950 plus, I was a bit worried about whether I could do them but was told that these records are available to all and sundry at the local archives, church, Library ect on microfiche so I will carry on.
Title: Re: Can modern Parish records go online?
Post by: Leah-WW on Thursday 08 July 10 20:12 BST (UK)
Sorry to 'hijack' your post, but to the people who transcribe for FreeReg - do you have to have a fiche reader, or are the records available in electronic (e.g. PDF) format as they were provided to us as transcribers for FreeCen?
Title: Re: Can modern Parish records go online?
Post by: Rah1980 on Thursday 08 July 10 20:51 BST (UK)
No so far most the ones I have 'transcribed' are on a spreadsheet and I just enter them into the computer software, I should imagine some transcribers might transcribe through microfiche, but certainly not everybody, depends what you prefer I think and what they have available for transcription.

Sarah
Title: Re: Can modern Parish records go online?
Post by: noseyoap on Thursday 08 July 10 21:38 BST (UK)
I transcribe with a microfiche and reader and a friend double checks.
Title: Re: Can modern Parish records go online?
Post by: teaurn on Thursday 08 July 10 21:45 BST (UK)
Hi Slowbookworm

I was looking for someone on freereg today and saw a baptism for one person who was baptised in Sept 1991 listed both parents and the name of the road they lived in. The person who was baptised isn't  twenty years old yet but is an adult

T
Title: Re: Can modern Parish records go online?
Post by: Siamese Girl on Thursday 08 July 10 23:05 BST (UK)
Images of the parish registers in the Medway area of Kent are free to view online http://cityark.medway.gov.uk/ and entries from 20/30 years ago are viewable.

Carole