Frequently Asked Questions.Throughout the life of
this website, many questions are repeatedly asked. You may find the an
answer to your query within this page. If not, please feel free to contact
us using the e-mail link at the bottom of the page.
However, please remember that we are volunteers running this website in
our spare time, so we may not be able to respond to your question straight
away. |
| Q. |
Why can't I
find... ? |
| Q. |
What areas are
covered / not covered ? |
| Q. |
How do I contact
a registrar in Lancashire? |
| Q. |
I've found a
record here which is not in the GRO records, why ? |
| Q. |
Could a batch
number be associated with each new set of data ? |
| Q. |
How can I keep
track of new additions ? |
| Q. |
Why don't you add
more information to the listings ? |
| Q. |
Can you help me
with this genealogy query ? |
| Q. |
My county wants
to produce a BMD site. Can you help ? |
| Q. |
What are the IRCs
that are mentioned on the certificate application forms ? |
| Q. |
Are there any
other BMD websites ? |
| Q. |
What is the security code mentioned on the certificate application forms ? |
| Q. |
Why is a marriage at a nonconformist church listed as "Register Office ? |
| Q. |
Why do some birth entries show mother's maiden name and some not ? |
| Q. |
Why do I find an event on FreeBMD/GRO Index but cannot find it
under the same district on your site ? |
| Q. |
How do we
contact you ? |
|
| Q. |
Why can't I find... ? |
| A. |
The index is not complete - we still have a long way to go. |
| A. |
The surname was spelt differently - try using one of the
Soundex
matching options. |
| A. |
Although registration was meant to be mandatory from 1837, it was not
until 1875 that people were fined for not doing so, hence some events
(mainly births) may not have been registered. |
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| Q. |
What areas are covered / not covered? |
| A. |
The coverage page associated with births,
marriages, & deaths list the
years indexed for each area and the areas still to be transcribed. |
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| Q. |
How do I contact a registrar in Lancashire ? |
| A. |
There are thirty-eight registration districts, each with a registrar,
which keep the records for their own areas. Addresses and other details for
those currently participating in LancashireBMD can be found in our information
pages. A full list of addresses is available on the
Manchester &
Lancashire FHS web site. |
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| Q. |
I've found a record here which is not in the GRO records, why ? |
| A. |
We work from the original records. Once every three months the records
held at the local offices were transcribed and sent down to the GRO where
they were then re-indexed. At each stage of this transcribing, copying and
re-indexeing, errors could occur. Hence the local records are always going
to be more accurate and more complete. |
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| Q. |
Could a batch number be associated with each new set of data so that I
can request the search to only return newly added records ? |
| A. |
Yes it could, this idea has been considered but has not been
implemented for several reasons:
- Space - we'd probably need a 4 digit number which would add
significantly to the cost of our web site fees due to increased disk
space requirements.
- It would add to already heavy work load that it takes to run this
site : please remember that we do this in our spare time. (unless
someone would like to fund my early retirement ... twenty years early
???)
- Speed - adding extra criteria to the search pattern would
potentially slow down the search.
- When the indexes are complete, the batch numbers would no longer
serve any purpose.
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| Q. |
How can I keep track of new additions ? |
| A. |
Our Updates
page lists all the additions by category, areas and years. |
| A. |
You can make use of the count value displayed at the bottom of the
search results. Perform your required search and if you don't immediately
find the record you are looking for, note the number of records found.
When you see that there has been an update re-run your search and see if
the count has increased, if so, you may be in luck when you examine the
records this time. |
| A. |
You can make use of the 'Output to file' option on the search form.
Perform your search, saving the results on to your hard disk. The output
file that the search creates should be readable by Wordpad and Excel (or
any other spreadsheet program). When you believe that updates have been
made, re-run the same search, again using the output to file option but
making sure that the file is saved using a different name. You now have
two files, old and new; and the aim is to compare them to spot the
differences. On Linux or UNIX, this can be performed using the standard
file compare utility: diff. On MS-Windows you will need to download
a suitable file comparison tool, such as those available from Programmer's
Heaven or from Shareware.com
where you should search for diff. As always, we cannot take any
responsibility for any program downloaded from the web and you should
always check such programs with your virus scanner before use. |
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| Q. |
Why don't you add more information to the listings, such as mother's
maiden names on the birth indexes? |
| A. |
The format of the registrar's indexes is prescribed by acts of
parliament, and we would be breaking the law if we included more
information than can be found in the local indexes. |
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| Q. |
Can you help me with a genealogy query ? |
| A. |
We are sorry but we are not able to answer questions that are not
directly related to this site and its contents. Help for general genealogy
queries may be found through the website run by the society which runs
this website, the Manchester &
Lancashire FHS |
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| Q. |
My county wishes to produce a BMD site too, can you help ? |
| A. |
Yes, all the code used to produce this site is
freely available to other
FHSs and councils and we will try to help you as much as we can. Contact
us, as detailed below. |
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| Q. |
What the IRCs that are mentioned on the certificate application forms
? |
| A. |
IRCs are International Reply Coupons. These should be available from
post offices all over the world, and when you send them overseas they can
be exchanged for stamps in the country concerned. But if your post office
has never heard of them, it is suggested that you just add £1 to the cost
of your certificate to cover return postage. |
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| Q. |
Are there any other BMD sites ? |
| A. |
A list of all known BMD sites can be found at UK BMD. If you wish to add a link to
this page, please contact us, as detailed below. |
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| Q. |
What is the Security Code mentioned on the certificate application forms ? |
| A. |
Enter the three digit security code which is printed just above the
signature panel in reverse italics on the back of your credit card. Usually it is preceded by all
or part of your credit card number |
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| Q. |
Why is a marriage at a nonconformist church listed as "Register Office"? |
| A. |
Before 1898, if a marriage was conducted at a nonconformist church, the
Registrar had to attend and bring his register. This register might contain
records of marriages many nonconformist churches as well as of civil
marriages at the Register Office. LancashireBMD only identifies the
register in which the marriage is recorded. After 1898 nonconformist
churches could appoint an "Authorised Person" and keep their own registers
but many did not do so until several years after this date. |
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| Q. |
Why do some birth entries show mother's maiden name and some not? |
| A. |
Some of the indexes were compiled for the project directly from the
original registers and it was possible to include mother's maiden names.
Additionally, in
some cases the entry "(None)" has been included where no mother's maiden
name was recorded. Other indexes were produced from the original manuscript
indexes and these do not include mother's maiden names. Unless specifically
indicated by "(None)", no inference should be drawn from the absence of the
mother's maiden name. |
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| Q. |
Why do I find an event on FreeBMD/GRO Index but cannot find it under the
same district on your site ? |
| A. |
FreeBMD/GRO Indexes show the district where the event was originally
registered. Since then, the registration district boundaries have probably
been changed and the registers transferred to a different district. UKBMD
indexes cover the registers currently held in each district. The missing
entry is (or will in future be) indexed under the district where the
register is now held. |
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| Q. |
How do we contact you ? |
| A. |
Please click here to send your comments or
queries regarding this web-site to the Webmaster |
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