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General => The Common Room => Topic started by: Joe123 on Monday 13 June 11 17:54 BST (UK)

Title: Death Search
Post by: Joe123 on Monday 13 June 11 17:54 BST (UK)

Hi everyone,

Please could someone tell me how I can search for a death that has taken place in the last two years. Unfortunately I only have a name,date of birth & possible area,  the genealogy site I belong to only searches up to 2005!

Thanks - Joe

Title: Re: Death Search
Post by: KGarrad on Monday 13 June 11 17:59 BST (UK)

The GRO (General Register Office) has not released the indexes to 3rd parties.
You can only view these in person at:

    Manchester City Library
    Birmingham Central Library
    Bridgend Reference and Information Library
    Plymouth Central Library
    City of Westminster Archives Centre
    London Metropolitan Archives
    The British Library

This will include the provisional indexes from 2009 until June 2010.

Title: Re: Death Search
Post by: Joe123 on Monday 13 June 11 18:01 BST (UK)

Thank you  ;)

Title: Re: Death Search
Post by: dawnsh on Tuesday 14 June 11 20:12 BST (UK)

Hi Joe

I have access to the index at the London Metropolitan or City of Westminster Archives.

If you want to send me a pm with the name and date of birth (for verification purposes if the name is frequently occuring) I can check next time I'm there.

Dawn

Title: Re: Death Search
Post by: davidrigg3 on Wednesday 15 June 11 14:32 BST (UK)

Hi Dawn,

Quick question - is it an easily searchable indexed database or do you have to know the approximate date and then trawl through pages and pages of entries?

thanks,

Title: Re: Death Search
Post by: dawnsh on Wednesday 15 June 11 17:51 BST (UK)

The England & Wales indices are compiled by year, then surname and first names and a date of birth is shown.

The indices are online upto 2005 with Ancestry and 2006 with FindMyPast, from 2007 (to currently March 1/4 2011) is a manual search - the old way of doing research - year by year, fiche by fiche  ;D

Dawn

Title: Re: Death Search
Post by: davidrigg3 on Thursday 16 June 11 08:58 BST (UK)

Thanks Dawn,

I'm not especially desperate to find the particular death I'm thinking of, its a 'nice to have' kind of situation. I think I'll just wait until the records are available online somewhere.

Thanks again.

Title: Re: Death Search
Post by: CambsBurgess on Thursday 16 June 11 09:22 BST (UK)

Have you tried the local newspaper for where they were living when they died? Often there is a obit in there, and if it's that recent it might be on the newspaper's website.

Title: Re: Death Search
Post by: davidrigg3 on Thursday 16 June 11 09:27 BST (UK)

Hmm, good idea, I'll have a trawl around, although I've only got the very vague info of 'maybe 2007' so I'm not holding my breath, nor will I be too disappionted if I don't find it for a while.

Thanks,

Title: Re: Death Search
Post by: dawnsh on Thursday 16 June 11 20:26 BST (UK)

You may have a long wait for them to go online.

The GRO don't sell the fiche published after 2006 and the DOVE / D&I projects are not going anywhere fast.

http://www.parliament.uk/briefingpapers/commons/lib/research/briefings/snha-03709.pdf

and more recently updated

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/agencies-public-bodies/ips/civil-registration/modernising-civil-registration/

It will only take a couple of minutes for me to look next time I'm at the archives  ;)

Dawn