Berkshire Name Search
Berkshire Name Search is a master index of around two million names
These are drawn from original records of the pre-1974 Royal County of Berkshire.
Berkshire Name Search (BNS) allows information from various society records to be searched and accessed. A search of the master index, Berkshire Miscellaneous Index, will show the number of entries of that name in individual datasets (indexes). You can then request the details available: these are full transcriptions of census entries and lesser transcriptions for burial and marriage indexes. The reliability of the records is indicated and ranges from records from third parties to those checked against original records.
Versions of the following datasets are in Berkshire Name Search:
Berkshire Marriages (mainly pre-1837 records) - see details of the parishes and periods included. Early entries give basic details only - names of bride and groom, date and place - but later ones include if 'from other parishes' and whether 'by licence'. Witnesses are not included in this particular BNS dataset. This particular dataset is a version of (but not identical with) the Berkshire Marriages First Edition CD published in February 2011.
A Second Edition of Berkshire Marriages was published in February 2012. This CD - containing details of 450,000 people and with 20 new parishes added is currently the most complete data collection available.
Berkshire Burials (dating from 16th to the 21st centuries for the pre-1974 county) - includes over 720,000 burial records. Printouts can be supplied to include name, age, parish and date with an indication if more information is contained in the register entry. This particular dataset is a version of (but not identical with) the Berkshire Burials CD published by the society in November 2010. (The most recent 10th Edition Berkshire Burials CD with over 773,000 transcriptions was published in December 2011. You can find more about this publication here )
Berkshire Baptisms – to date there are too few fully cmpleted transcriptions of baptismal records to justify a separate database (but watch this space!)
Berkshire 1851 Census - this is a complete and fully checked transcription dataset. Printouts can be provided of either the schedule (whole household) or the page from the enumerator's return. It is also available to purchase from the shop
Berkshire 1861 Census - this dataset contains 25 to 30 per cent (over 50,000 names) from a total of about 200,000. All entries are for those towns and villages west of Reading - modern West Berkshire and the Vale of the White Horse - and also some parts of Hampshire, Wiltshire and Oxfordshire (as pre-1974 counties) where these areas adjacent to Berkshire were enumerated within the Berkshire civil registration districts to which they were assigned.
Berkshire 1871 Census - this dataset covers all registration districts and some of these entries have been checked. As indicated above, printouts can be provided for the complete household or as the page from the enumerator's return.
Berkshire Miscellaneous Index - a dataset based on an earlier Name Index of about 100,000 Berkshire names from a variety of surviving documents. It includes details of records that have been extracted and submitted by individuals. The Strays Index and names from some family histories have also been included in it. The information content will reflect the record type.
NOTE: The Berkshire Family History Society Research Centre Library Catalogue can also be browsed online and (from April 2012) can also be searched directly - There are over 7,000 items in the catalogue - many of these relate to counties other than Berkshire.
More datasets will be added to the Berkshire Name Search. Among candidate datasets for inclusion are additional parish register transcriptions, monumental inscriptions, Poor Law records, family trees submitted by members, and electoral records, such as electoral rolls and poll books.
Because Berkshire Name Search is a dynamic dataset you should note the date of any search request, to enable future searches of later additions to the master index. This will help to keep search charges to a minimum.
Berkshire Name Search
How to request a search and search charges
You will find full details here
You can also make your own searches of Berkshire Name Search at the society's Research Centre in Reading (next to Berkshire Record Office)
And at most regional family history events (such as the Bracknell Family History Fair held on the last Sunday in January and Who Do You Think You Are? Live at Olympia) you can request a search on the computers at the Berkshire Family History Society stand.
You can also contact Berkshire Name Search at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more details and to get an estimate of the likely cost of your proposed search.
page reviewed and revised 2o April 2012
