GRO indexes on gro.gov.uk !

[Sloe Gin]

Cost is higher than Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland but I guess as the cost to get to 2012 was over £8 million for Birth records 1837 to 1934 & Death records 1837 to 1957 and estimated cost to complete digitisation of remaining records and marriages was £25-30m [from Reply#179's link] so likely it is being passed on. We can only hope some revenue will indeed be set aside for marriages.

Oh yes, but I think in a case like this they would quite possibly raise more money by making them cheaper, as more people will order more.  I am far more likely to spend £12 if I would be getting four certs rather than two.

Put another way - I will still hesitate to spend £12 on two certificates.  I would not hesitate at all if I was getting four for £12.

The new GRO feature may be a help if you still live in the smallest hope an ancestor birth was registered but grossly mistranscribed. Maybe I should try the local registrar for the Witham district.

Definitely!  They have the original documents.

[JayG]

Just spotted this which explains why some of you haven't had your emails

There are currently delays with the email verification process. We are aware of this and currently working to resolve this issue. 

Cheers
Jay

[Jon_ni]

I do tend to agree, Baroness Scott of Needham Market originally suggested £3 when she was proposing the legislation to permit digital images for Geneological purposes, somehow it doubled in the intervening 2 years. But £6 it is by law it is, take it or leave it - and as I've got paper copies already for all direct line grand, gg ggg parents I wont be rushing to spend the £6 on many of their siblings either. On the other hand if I hadn't I would, as spent the £9.25. I read they estimate the cost of £3 for time printing, sticking in an envelope etc so really they have just deducted that.

I did order more images in Northern Ireland at £2.50 ea for family members but there census records do not exist pre 1901 and the parish records are not online. Had they been £6 I would have ordered less - but likely similar overall total expenditure. Last 2 deaths I got were both wrong.

[coombs]

Cost is higher than Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland but I guess as the cost to get to 2012 was over £8 million for Birth records 1837 to 1934 & Death records 1837 to 1957 and estimated cost to complete digitisation of remaining records and marriages was £25-30m [from Reply#179's link] so likely it is being passed on. We can only hope some revenue will indeed be set aside for marriages.

Oh yes, but I think in a case like this they would quite possibly raise more money by making them cheaper, as more people will order more.  I am far more likely to spend £12 if I would be getting four certs rather than two.

Put another way - I will still hesitate to spend £12 on two certificates.  I would not hesitate at all if I was getting four for £12.

The new GRO feature may be a help if you still live in the smallest hope an ancestor birth was registered but grossly mistranscribed. Maybe I should try the local registrar for the Witham district.

Definitely!  They have the original documents.

Yes, as we know from the book "A Comedy of Errors" about missing entries in the GRO index, entries that can be found in the local relevant record offices. Of course if they do not have anything then it may be the birth was just not registered as it was prior to the 1874 tightening of the rules.

[clairec666]

Re: missing or mistranscribed entries.

I've barely found any errors so far. I've found one with the surname mis-spelled (even though it was correct on FreeBMD), a couple have mother's maiden name as "Brown" when I think it should be "Brawn" (possibly bad handwriting?), and one remains elusive.

With FreeBMD, you can always find a mistranscribed entry if you persist - e.g. with wildcards or by entering a district and quarter but not a surname - and if the transcription was wrong you could submit a correction. It's proving harder with the new GRO indexes, but as I said, not many errors so I'm happy!

[mike175]

Just spotted this which explains why some of you haven't had your emails

There are currently delays with the email verification process. We are aware of this and currently working to resolve this issue. 

Cheers
Jay

Success!!

 Just had 9 emails with my Verification Codes . . . 

[Andrew Tarr]

I've come up with similar 'missing' entries Andrew, I suspect that they have been transcribed differently to the original indexes (e.g. as per FreeBMD).

I guess you've tried various (dramatically) different ways of spelling Spouncer and still come up with nothing?

Nick - no, I didn't try enough variants to find the missing two, as Rosie did.  As no wildcards are available, and it takes so much longer to get a 'similar' search, I just moved on as I already had the info.  I was just a bit puzzled that the printed index (as used by FreeBMD) got them right - I guess because that was compiled when indexers were more accustomed to reading copperplate.

[Guy Etchells]

I would imagine online organisations that use secondary login or back up questions. ie " Mothers maiden name" will now have to have a rethink on their security questions"  or bring to their attention of  dangers that already exists. 

No reputable organisation should use such imbecilic questions in any security scenario.
It has been know since at least 1970 to my knowledge that (UK) banks were warned that names (including mother's maiden name, pets names, film stars, favorite chocolate bars etc etc. were security risks.
Not only were they security risks they provided a false sense of security for their customers and as a result any (UK) bank relying on such questions for security purposes was 100% liable for any and all losses.
Cheers
Guy

[clairec666]

I would imagine online organisations that use secondary login or back up questions. ie " Mothers maiden name" will now have to have a rethink on their security questions"  or bring to their attention of  dangers that already exists. 

Mother's maiden names have been available online post-1911 anyway, so the new indexes aren't likely to make much difference - only a handful of people whose births are on the new GRO search are still alive today anyway.