Availability of Parish Registers

[Andrew Tarr]

Andrew - I think you're confusing a "private" email address which you are entitled to keep to yourself with a public record (BMD certificate or Census entry) which by its nature should be open to everyone. I can't object to a stranger viewing a record which was made as a matter of law

No, there's no confusion; and of course we are often referring to people long dead.  But the fact that a record was made as a matter of law does not automatically make it public.  Many people are still unwilling to reveal or discuss ancestral details, so probably don't like others ferreting even if they are legally permitted to.

[CarolA3]

     I suppose it has worked, but only recently has it been so easy for 'anyone' to get copies.  I imagine the providers needed to get a return on their investment and restrictions were inconvenient.

Not sure why you're saying 'only recently'.  As I understand it, copies have been available to anyone who can pay the statutory fee since civil registration began in 1837.

When you say 'providers', are you referring to GRO?  They are part of a UK government department, and can only charge enough to cover their costs.  There is no profit element and no 'investment' on which to get a return.  Access to BMD certificates is unrestricted (except for some recent ones) because that's the law.

Carol

[Andrew Tarr]

Not sure why you're saying 'only recently'.  As I understand it, copies have been available to anyone who can pay the statutory fee since civil registration began in 1837.

Carol, I carefully said 'so easy for ...'.  It used to be quite a hassle, as I'm sure you know.  I suppose the change is a bit like our young generation spending half their lives plugged into Facebook or tablets?

The investment I referred to was the effort needed to transcribe and index everything, which must have cost, even if some of it was done in the sub-continent, I believe?

[Old Bristolian]

No, the indexing has been going on since 1837 and is automatic - either I've misunderstood you, or you have no concept of how the GRO works

Steve

[BumbleB]

Firstly my apologies for butting in on this topic at a very late stage    And I can see that the focus has moved over time.

However, do we basically have the case of:

I MUST have access to everything possible about MY particular family
vs
How dare YOU think that YOU can access ANY information about MY family?

Not sure you can have it both ways?   

[KGarrad]

The investment I referred to was the effort needed to transcribe and index everything, which must have cost, even if some of it was done in the sub-continent, I believe?

FreeBMD has transcribed the GRO Indexes with mainly UK-based volunteers.
Personally it's always my first port of call for BMDs!

Ancestry then bought the transcriptions from FreeBMD.
Maybe FindMyPast and GenesReunited did also?

[BumbleB]

Ancestry have only used the FreeBMD transcriptions up to 1915    And FreeBMD DO accept corrections - I know, I've had to correct a number of my transcriptions    Whether these are taken on by Ancestry, I don't know.  FreeBMD uses voluntary transcribers from all over the world - my Co-Ordinator lives in Melbourne, Australia (I met up with him in 2010).

Don't know where FindMyPast and GR get there entries from, but assume it's the same place as they're connected to each other.

[dawnsh]

Find My Past started life as 1837Online which started to transcribe the indexes in 2001.

http://www.findmypast.co.uk/content/company-history

[Andrew Tarr]

No, the indexing has been going on since 1837 and is automatic - either I've misunderstood you, or you have no concept of how the GRO works

I'm sorry if I have not implied strongly enough that electronics and the internet have completely altered the accessibility of the information.  I don't believe the GRO was electronically advanced in the Victorian era - the visible evidence suggests a lot of quill pens.