Northeast Inheritance database and funding by the Heritage Lottery Fund

[allystree]

The Durham and Northumberland probate records, 1527-1857, reference of which can be found at the Durham University site. The Northeast Inheritance database can be found on the site but I would like to see the original digital images.
The homepage of the NEI database states the project is "funded by a £274,500 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. This grant of £274,500 is matched by contributions from Durham University and by the English Record Collections Society, amounting to a further £141,250". And "Access to both the catalogue and the digital images will be free and available worldwide"  on the Genealogical Society of Utah's website.
I have sent emails to both the pages' maintainers (no replies at all- and last updated Dec 2010) and the GSU (who say they don't know what I'm talking about..)  I have recently found references to the wills on the FamilySearch site but they are only available on film and I need to pay to access them at one of their Family History centres or affiliates here in Australia. The cost is reasonable but I would also have to drive an hour each way to access them only in business hours- not a good option I think when it is stated they would be freely available online.
I am wondering if any of the funding was given to the GSU to make them freely available online, and if so when will that happen?
What do you think?

[Tickettyboo]

I'd very much doubt that the Lottery funding would have gone to the GSU. The way I read it, it was to fund the work to compile the database that is now online and searchable.

The images will appear on Family Search in the fullness of time, the GSU have an enormous collection of images from all over the globe and its going to take years to get them all online. Their priorities don't always coincide with our particular interests.

Its frustrating, I know, I'd love to have online access to them, but we can only wait.

In the meantime, if you find what you are looking for in the database you can order a copy from the University Library.  http://familyrecords.dur.ac.uk/nei/data/copy.php  I am sure if you email them they will tell you the cost for postage to Australia and advise on methods of payment from overseas.

Not as convenient as having them online, but it may turn out to be a cheaper option than paying to order a film into the Family History Centre and the travel to and from there. Its definitely a cheaper option for you than visiting to see them in person :-)

Boo

[jon541]

I have had an email on this subject from the Assistant Keeper at Durham University Library within the last couple of days.  He tells me that the GSU representative in this country continues to make encouraging noises about getting the images mounted on FamilySearch and linkable from the catalogue.  Reading between the lines of his reply, I got the impression that he himself has grown rather sceptical about these positive noises being translated into action ...

He has also undertaken to add an updated comment to the project progress page (the last was about 3 years ago).

I'm sure Tickettyboo is right about the Lottery funding going towards the restoration and cataloguing effort rather than being intended to subsidise the GSU contribution.  It is difficult to get too shirty though about that contribution when the eventual aim is to provide all of this long-awaited information online and for free. That said, I sympathise fully with allystree's frustration having personally had to spend a considerable amount on copies in the intervening period (90% of my ancestors are North Easterners). 

[allystree]

Thank you for your comments. I am particularly pleased to see someone has received an update about the project and the intention of at least updating the information online. I have ordered copies of wills from the database in the past, costly and it takes sooo long to get the mail. Like jon541 there are many wills I would like to see. I think I'll order the films from GSU because then I will be able to peruse all the siblings wills, cousins, aunts, and uncles as well as those of my direct ancestors from a number of different families.