The moment we’ve all been waiting for is finally here!
After a long wait, Ancestry has released the Berkshire Parish Records.
The official launch has not been announced yet, because adding and indexing massive data sets takes time and needs checking. It’s hard to keep a lid on these things and the news has escaped through unofficial channels. For now, search results may be patchy while Ancestry put the finishing touches to the indexes, and access to some or all of the images is limited.
You’ve been able to find Berkshire parish register transcriptions on Findmypast and through our data CDs and downloads for many years – all produced by our team of experienced voluntary transcribers. Now you will be able to see facsimiles of the original registers without having to visit the Royal Berkshire Archive. There’s something almost visceral about seeing the hand of the actual scribe in the original source from centuries ago, so this news will be welcomed by many.
Our 1.9 million+ and growing transcriptions aren’t going anywhere. They will remain available as a source of carefully-checked human transcriptions; and we transcribe the whole record, including marginal information such as officiating ministers, witnesses etc where it exists. We will continue to transcribe even though we appear to have been leapfrogged by Ancestry. You may wonder why?
Neighbouring societies who have been through the ‘Ancestrification’ process report that use of the Society’s transcriptions hold up because they allow users to locate someone through the superior indexing inherent in FHS transcriptions. This gives them more information to help find the correct register page on Ancestry. It’s a win win!
Family History Society transcriptions are a classic application of the fast-cheap-accurate trilemma – sometimes referred to as the iron triangle. You can only pick two. You can have it fast and accurate but it won’t be cheap – you can have it fast and cheap but it won’t be accurate – you can have it accurate and cheap but it won’t be fast. We are proud to be the last combination. It remains to be seen where Ancestry sits on the triangle.
So, prepare to delve into you Berkshire ancestors’ past. If you only have a few records to chase and don’t want to take out an expensive subscription, Ancestry offers a Pay-as-you-go service at £9.99 for 12 records. Of course, if you live close to our Family Research Centre you can enjoy FREE access to the new records.
We’ll keep you updated on the official launch date.
