BerksFHS
Berkshire Name Search

Berkshire Name Search

The Berkshire Name Search allows information from various Society records to be searched and accessed.  A search of the master index, the Berkshire Miscellaneous Index, will show the number of entries of that name in the individual datasets (indexes). You can then request the full details available: these are full transcriptions of the 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.

The following datasets are in the Berkshire Name Search:

Berkshire 1851 Census. This is a complete checked transcription. Printouts can be provided of either the schedule (whole household) or the page. It is also available to purchase on fiche or CD ROM.

Berkshire 1871 Census. All districts have been transcribed and some have been checked. Printouts can be provided of the complete transcriptions of a schedule or page.

Berkshire 1861 Census. Transcribing was not completed and the BNS includes over 50,000 names (out of a total 190-200,000).  All entries are for places west of Reading - modern West Berks and Vale of the White Horse - and also some parts of Hants, Wilts and Oxon where these were enumerated in Berkshire registration districts.

Berkshire Burial Index.  Includes over 460,000 burials (at January 2007). See details of the parishes and periods included. Printouts can be provided of name, age, parish and date with an indication if more information is in the register. The fifth edition of our burial was published in December 2006 and the next version is expected late in 2007.

Berkshire Marriage Index (pre-1837). See details of the parishes and periods included. Early entries have only names of bride and groom, but later ones include if 'from other parishes' and whether 'by licence'. Witnesses not included.

Berkshire Miscellaneous Index. This dataset is based on an earlier Name Index of about 100,000 'slips' of Berkshire names found in a variety of documents. It includes records that were extracted and submitted by individuals. The Strays Index and names from some family histories have also been incorporated. The information available depends on the record. 

BFHS Research Centre Library Catalogue can be searched by key words.

Records to be added in the future include Parish Registers, Monumental Inscriptions, Overseers Papers, Birth Briefs (viz members Pedigree or Ancestor charts), Berkshire Police Records and Political Records (such as Electoral Rolls and Poll Books). Extra entries will be added to incomplete datasets. 

If you note the date of your search, only later additions will be included and charged for in future searches.

Berkshire Name Search and the Charges

You can:

§ request a Postal Search to:

Berkshire Name Search
BerksFHS Research Centre,
Yeomanry House, 131 Castle Hill, READING, RG1 7TJ, United Kingdom

§ do your own search at the Research Centre in Reading or

§ visit the BerksFHS stand at Family History Fairs

Postal search charges are

(a) £2 per surname to search the master Berkshire Name Index and be advised on the number of entries in each dataset.  This search will not provide information from the records.

and/or

(b) £2 per surname per database or £5 for all the databases currently available. Both will give full details for up to a maximum of 25 entries. We will advise the extra cost if more entries. The £5 charge for multiple datasets may be increased when more datasets are available.

Please enclose an A4 sized Self Addressed Envelope with stamps (or IRC) or give us your e-mail address for the results to be sent to you by eMail.

Please note the date of your search so that future searches need only cover and charge for additions to the Berkshire Name Search since your previous search.

Please contactfor more details or to get an estimate of the cost of your search.

updated 31 July 2007