Genealogy Chat

Is there any chance that all births deaths and marriage certificates will be available to view on line or is it an urban myth?

would be very nice and helpful if it is true

There is a sort of logic in putting them on line - they must be inundated with us lot constantly sending off for certs - it may work out cheaper in the long run to scan the lot! (Medway (Kent) have a lot of old certs on microfiche - I was really frustrated to find them AFTER I'd bought the one I was looking for!! Could have saved myself a few pounds.) Jill

I need loads of certs from Medway - are they stored at the archives in Strood Jill?

They will all be online in the future: 'The DoVE project involves the scanning of259 million civil registration records held by the General Register Office (GRO) and the data-capture of those records in order to create an electronic index of the scanned images. The records date from 1837 and cover all births, deaths, marriages and still births registered in England and Wales since that time. A separate project, Registration Online (RON) is implementing a system enabling much more rapid capture centrally of new registrations. From April 2007 it is therefore intended to withdraw the sale of new CD-ROM and microfiche copies of the GRO index, and the RON index data for new registrations will be made available free of charge at the Family Records Centre in London from July 2007. The DoVE index data will start to be made available online, from early 2008, greatly increasing the number of people who have access to this information. It is expected that the DoVE project will be completedby 2009' Sam x

Thanks for that information Sam, I think I will send for the main ones and leave the rest until they are all on line. Chris.

The Dove project is only an index and what it is going to provide hopefully to the public is age at death for deaths thats currently included from the January quarter of 1866 mother's maiden name for births which is currently included from September quarter of 1911 spouse’s surname for marriages which is currently included from the January quarter of 1912 I asked a similar question when I received contradicting information from a forum, and from a very reliable source I was told: The DOVE (Digitisation of Vital Events) project is a project designed to provide digitised images to replace the microfilmed images at present used to enable the GRO to provide copies of certificates. The digitising is at present underway and it is hoped to be complete in 2008. There is (at present) no intention of providing on line access to these images by the general public. Having said that the logical use of such digitised images would be to provide an on line access service such as the 1901 census where the public could access the records for a set fee. Due to the present paranoia about privacy and ID theft this could lead to a splitting of the database into two groups, current registrations and historic registrations where the public could access and download historic (over 100 years old) certificates with no restrictions and current registrations obtainable only through the GRO on official (impressed or stamped) forms. It must be stressed however that this could only happen if there was a change of law to allow it. If you need further evidence that there is no intention of providing BMD certificates online at the moment, then there is this newsletter from http://www.ffhs.org.uk/news/news070207.php in which they say 'No decision has yet been reached as to whether the certificates themselves will eventually be available online as digitized images.'

Willow I think they have shifted the goalposts on this - when the DOVE project was first announced, way back in 2001(?) the INFERENCE was that historic certs would be downloadable on line, just as they are in Scotland. It even gave a possible price - between £2 and £3.50 per cert. But their more recent press releases seem to contradict this. As the DOVE project was conceived in order to cut down on staffing at the GRO (and therefore costs) it seems rather silly to let such an opportunity go by., particularly as all Registrars now do their registrations on the computer - there are no more written registers. Downloadable certs are not certified copies and you would still have to apply in the normal way for a certified copy, so I really cannot see the problem myself. Interestingly, I emailed the GRO some months ago and asked them to clarify the position - they never replied! We must wait and see. OC

Thanks for that information OC I am going to order both my great grandmothers death certificates to-day curiosity has got the better of me as my mum says her grandmother lived with them until she was 8 that would have been 1930 however I do remember my Gran telling me that her mother died when she was young and I have found one in 1907 same name same area as where they lived in 1901 maybe my mum called her mum's stepmother Granny, as they didn't tell children things like they do now. Chris

Dont get me wrong, I will be over the moon if it is true!

Hi Willow, so will I, there are so many I would like to just look at out of curiosity like my ggrandmothers first husband who died at 33 no relation to me at all but would like to know what happened to him, I would be happy to pay a small amount to have a peep !!! Chris.