This week, FindMyPast announced that it had added Norfolk’s BTs and Electoral Registers to the site as part of its ‘FindMyPast Friday’ update.
Taken from their release –
Norfolk Bishop’s Transcripts Baptisms 1685-1941
Norfolk Bishop’s transcripts contain over 647,000 records. Each entry includes an image of the original document and a transcript of the vital details. The amount of information found in the transcript will depend on the age and condition of the original document although most will include your ancestor’s name, baptism year, baptism place and the names of their parent’s. Images may reveal additional information such as your ancestor’s birth date, father’s occupation and the name of the officiating minister.
Norfolk Bishop’s Transcripts Marriages 1685-1941
Norfolk Bishop’s Transcripts Marriages contains Over 157,000 records. Each record includes a transcript that will reveal your ancestor’s birth year, date of marriage, place of marriage and the name of their spouse as well as an image of the original document. Images may reveal further information about your ancestor’s marriage, such as the couple’s occupations, fathers’ names, and the names of any witnesses.
Norfolk Bishop’s Transcripts Burials 1685-1941
Search over 434,000 Bishop’s transcripts of Norfolk burials to discover your ancestor’s final resting place. Transcripts will also reveal when they died and their age at death. Images of original documents may reveal additional information such as the name of the minister who performed the ceremony, your ancestor’s date of death and, occasionally, their cause of death.
Norfolk Electoral Registers 1832-1915
Norfolk Electoral Registers 1832-1915 contains over 4.5 million records. Each entry includes an image of the original register and a transcript of the facts listed. Transcripts will list your ancestor’s name, the place they registered, the district and the year they were registered. Images will provide additional information such as you’re their address and the type of property they owned or rented.
My own note –
Bishop’s Transcripts are a fantastic resource for checking up on parish register entries that are illegible, or where registers are damaged, for example. However, like so many other sources – they are not complete! Still, it is extremely useful to have these available with transcripts and they will no doubt be instrumental in knocking down some brickwalls where BTs had not previously been checked (or, dare I say, making some guessed ‘answers’ suddenly appear wrong!)
Electoral registers have traditionally been tricky to search, especially where organised by address, so these too will be a useful addition for researchers. As always, it will be worth ensuring the district you’re after, for the year you need it, is accessible. Keep in mind too, that not everyone has always been eligible to vote and the period digitised saw great changes in suffrage.
Enjoy!
