ERO going Pay-to-Browse for online PRs etc

[findem]

Hi All,

The following is pasted from an E Bulletin from the ERO which I received:

Pay-to-Browse Launch

Essex Record Office will be launching Essex Ancestors on 30 August. This new service will offer unlimited pay-to-browse access to Essex parish registers and many wills, giving customers fuller and wider access to our holdings from the comfort of their homes. Parish register coverage will extend from at least 1538 to 1837 with the period 1837 to the present partly included at go-live date or planned imminently. Marriages within the last 50 years will be excluded, in compliance with government guidelines, however.

Parish register and will images will become available for 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 6 months or 1 year according to the user’s need or preference, but we are pleased to say that access to the images will be free in the ERO Searchroom.

We look forward to your future comments  (e mail: ero.enquiry@essex.gov.uk) and hope that this new departure will help mitigate our savings in the new financial climate.

Regards

[julianb]

Thanks, Findem, for this news 

I suppose it was inevitable that this would happen.  The big thing will be how much it will cost.  I notice it is proposed to be pay per view, and not a subscription.

JULIAN

[keldon]

I contacted the ERO for the purposes of writing a news article on this and they told me the charges would be as follows:

1 day £5.00
1 week £15.00
1 month £25.00
6 months £50.00
1 year £75.00

[louisa maud]

I think the costs are a bit on the high side to be honest

Louiosa Maud

[Clincher2]

Parish register coverage will extend from at least 1538 to 1837 with the period 1837 to the present partly included at go-live date or planned imminently. Marriages within the last 50 years will be excluded, in compliance with government guidelines, however.

If the offer is exactly as described above and the digital images are as good as can be achieved I think the prices are reasonable. Think about the travelling time and costs saved

[Diblet]

Yes I tend to agree Clincher.

It costs me a fortune in petrol and B & B to travel from Dorset to Chelmsford plus the time involved. If as you say it will cover ALL parishes and wills I think that's very reasonable and I'll be more than willing to have a years subscription.

We are very fortunate that the Essex Record Office offers a service such as SEAX at all. Most record offices jealously guard their information and have never wanted to share any images on-line free of charge.

I look forward to further progress reports..........

 

[louisa maud]

I do agree with you but I do subscribe to 2 other sites, the costs go up and up each year

It is a bit of a drive for me but I like to go to the ERO  when I can manage it, but I do understand for people who travel long distances it is well worth the money


LM

[Jebber]

Like Diblet I am  also in Dorset, so  have to weigh up the cost of travel and accommodation against the proposed charges.


I have bought many of the  PR's on microfiche, these also work out quite expensive when you need a lot of them, many of them are also much harder to read then the excellent digitised images, so for me the proposed charges will be good value in comparison.

Jebber

[Barbara F]

Thank you for posting this findem and keldon.

I have made extensive use of the PRs currently available on SEAX and was hoping more would come online.  Although I am sure to need to visit the RO again I shall certainly make use of the pay site.  It is a long way from Cornwall to Chelmsford!

Barbara