In August we began making alterations in the
Research Centre. The coat rack has been moved to
the entrance hall and in the lobby, having
repositioned the fridge and kettle, we installed
two sets of six lockers, making 12 in all. These
lockers are now to be used for personal
belongings except those papers needed for
research. A clear plastic wallet is available in
each locker into which your research papers can
be placed and at the end of your visit the empty
wallet should be returned to the locker for the
next user.
We have also made changes on the first floor.
The small Reference library, commonly called the
NBI Room, is now used for Society administration
and is no longer available to members. All the
fiche ring binders containing the IGI and other
loose fiche such as parish register indexes, are
now to be found on the bottom shelf of the census
book stack. The remaining uncomputerised
Berkshire Name Index slips, the Members’
Interests and Surname files are in the
reorganised main library.
The large census book stack now holds all
census material, ranging from 1841 to 1891,
except that in electronic form which is on the
ground floor, and the Berkshire Census films 1851-1881
stored by the film reader. All other fiche issued
in card pockets, e.g. by ourselves and West
Surrey FHS, are found in the relevant county book
stack.
Judith Morgan-Russell has been appointed
Research Centre Assistants Co-ordinator, in other
words she now arranges the rosters for the eighty
or so volunteers required each month, without
whom the Research Centre cannot open. I know she
will be pleased to welcome new Research Centre
Assistants to enlarge the pool of volunteers. To
help both new and established Research Centre
Assistants, we are now holding regular training
sessions. The computerisation of the Berkshire
Name Index is continuing apace and it is
anticipated it will be fully available
electronically by Easter. Meanwhile those slips
which have been computerised are now available
electronically.
The two autumn courses of Family History
Classes held in the Centre, run by Carolyn and
Barry Boulton were fully subscribed and bookings
for the first course of the new year, starting in
January, are coming in fast.
This is my first attempt to bring to your
attention what is being added to the library
stock. There are some 7000+ items in book, fiche,
film, and electronic forms, and about 4000 of
them do not relate to Berkshire. I am this time
highlighting Berkshire, but hope in following
issues to draw to your attention to material from
other counties and from overseas. The Reference
Library Catalogue has been revised and there is a
new printed edition, which will shortly be
available on computer.
Parish registers
North Berkshire - these have been transcribed
by the Oxfordshire FHS. They have been on sale
for a number of years. Recently we did a complete
check of what has been published and what the
library has in stock. There are still gaps where
transcriptions have not been done.
The new additions to stock are:
Abingdon Workhouse - deaths:
Aston Tirrold Presbyterian (U R C):
Compton Beauchamp:
Cholsey 1851-2001:
Cumnor 1754-1948:
Kingston Lisle:
Letcombe Bassett to 1997:
Letcombe Regis:
Littleworth:
Radley:
Shrivenham — baptisms:
Sotwell:
Stanford in the Vale:
Uffington:
Wantage Union Workhouse:
Wantage - burials 1813-1935:
Wantage - baptisms 1813-1946:
Wantage - baptisms 1538- 1704:
Wantage - baptisms, marriages and burials 1705-1813:
Watchfield.
These are in the Berkshire Parish Register
fiche files (folders). A-L and M-Z and are
shelved in the Berkshire section of the library.
Rest of Berkshire
These are new to our shelves and are the first
of our transcriptions. As the fiche are in
folders which contain other information about the
Parish, they have been put together in a pamphlet
box and are shelved in the Berkshire section of
the library.
Burghfield, St Mary the Virgin 1559-1987:
Clewer St Andrew 1607-1860:
Compton (Compton Parva) 1553-1955:
East Ilsley 1608-1884:
West Ilsley 1558-1967:
Theale 1832-1968.
Berkshire Monumental Inscriptions
These are now available in the library in
fiche form. However there are some in booklet (loose
leaf) form, which have been donated to us by the
transcribers.
Census
1841 Census: Berkshire transcripts and indexes
- new to the library:
vol 10 - Hormer, Ock Hundreds and Abingdon
vol 11 - Moreton, Wallingford and Wantage
Hundreds:
vol 12 - Faringdon, Shrivenham and Ganfield
Hundreds.
1851 Census: Berkshire index and transcripts -
these will be available in the library by
December.
1861-1871 Census: these cover Abingdon,
Faringdon and Wallingford registration districts
and are indexes only.
Census - all fiche census are arranged by
county and shelved together on the Census fiche
shelves.
We realise that the labelling is poor at
present, but we hope to rectify this shortly.
Berkshire Overseers Papers
These are in the Berkshire section in a
pamphlet box.
Books about Berkshire places
The new ones cover the following areas:
Abingdon, Ascot, Cheapside, Compton, Cookham,
Didcot, East Garston, The Hagbournes, Kintbury,
Mortimer, Newbury, Thatcham, Wallingford,
Wantage, Windsor, Wokingham and Bracknell.
