We are developing a new initiative to improve
the accessibility of information from Berkshire
records. Until now indexes and transcripts have
been sold as fiche which are not easy to read (but
cheap to produce and distribute). The drawback is
that we are all reluctant to buy publications if
no one of interest is included on them.
The Search Suite will gather together the
range of information the Society has in
electronic form. These include transcripts of
parish registers, the 1851 and 1871 censuses, the
Berkshire Burial and Marriage Indexes, Overseers
Papers, the Berkshire Name Index and less well
known documents such as police records and Birth
Briefs. The indexes to this data will be
available as self-search to visitors to our
Research Centre, or we will conduct a postal
search on your behalf. The indexes will indicate
where you can find or purchase the full
transcripts it will also show the quality of the
data in a range from ‘unknown as supplied by
a third part’ to ‘checked by Society
volunteers’.
Watch this space for more information or check
our website.
