Genealogy Chat

I have had a number of copy certs over the past couple of years..............all were ordered on line; all came in A4 envelopes. However, my own marriage cert was handed to me on the day by the registrar in a 9 x 4 envelope............ Reg

I've ordered over 60 various certificates online and never had one folded. All have been posted in A4 flats and have arrived within 5 working days (a batch of 6 arrived after 2 days in a hard back A4). 2 more arrived today which were ordered online last Sunday evening so the GRO seem to be getting most out OK, I have found the more info you give them the quicker they are. Hope they done let us access copies and print info direct online will certainly speed things up even more.

OC You are not dreaming it. I also read that 'one day' we would be able to download certificates ourselves. I can't remember where I saw it - probably in a FH magazine - but it seemed reasonably certain, and reasonably soon. Enough to make me think I might wait a bit for certificate ordering. After all, if they were born/married/died 100 years ago its not going to change or go away! Anne

Janet I agree - if the GRO do NOT make historic certificates downloadable on line, then they are missing (A) A money-making opportunity. (B) The opportunity to REDUCE their overall costs, i.e. they will not need to employ as many clerks, etc. OC

Like OC, I can't remember where I read this - but, according to an article I read, as a result of the digitalisation each index of civil reg would be redone. So, from 1837, the new birth index would include mmn, marriages would be cross-ref with spouse surname and the death index would give age at death. My immediate reaction was that the cost involved would be recouped from libraries etc (IF they can afford to update) from viewing the index on line and that there may be an increase in the cost of certs, as less risk of making errors when ordering. I had not read anywhere about the possibility of downloading, but if this were to happen, I think it would actually increase revenue - people wouldn't worry as much about wrong hits (you could have 2 goes for the price of a current cert ) and we would possibly buy more certs in total, if the price of each one was cheaper. We would probably download for a wider range of ancestors, as it would give an immediate response to a query. Jay

Clive I have just attempted to email the GRO but my message was blocked!! Would anyone else like to have a go, asking for clarification of this rumour? (That certs will be downloadable, once the DOVE project is finished) Thanks! OC

I phoned the Scunthorpe RO for a cert at 2:30pm last Friday. It arrived first thing in the post on Monday morning. They didn't even charge me for the postage. Not a bad service considering I live in Gibraltar! Terry on the Rock

I've never had mine delivered from the GRO in a small envelope. Had two today and came in an A4 envelope. Ordered them online. How can some be some one way and some another surely they have a standard proceedure!! Linda

Clive I don't now remember where I got the information from, but I will have a scuffle round. And then probably kill myself if the DOVE project doesnt go on line! I have a DISTINCT memory though, of the price being £3.50 for downloadable certs...off to look. OC

Who says we will be able to get uncertificated copies online for £3.50? This is a cut & paste from GRO today. Note the very last sentence. The General Register Office (GRO) has entered into partnership with Siemens Business Services to scan, digitise images and data capture an index of all birth death and marriage records from 1837 to the present day. The project known as Digitisation of Vital Events (DoVE) will provide GRO with a modern system of registration information and help to streamline the certificate production process. The process The GRO records held on microfilm will be taken to the Siemens Document Scanning Centre in Nottinghamshire and a digital image created in the UK. These images will be encrypted and sent electronically to the Siemens Process Operation in India for data capture. The original records, which are entries in registers held in the local register offices around the country will remain in the UK. Some fields will be data captured by operators based in India, fully supported by sophisticated computer techniques including character recognition software and look up tables of English and Welsh names and place names. There will be strict security and audit controls built into the process including physical security of data and vetting of staff. Once these fields and images have been subjected to rigorous data quality and validation checks, the images and data will be returned to the UK for further validation and quality assurance before acceptance testing is undertaken by GRO staff based in Southport. Once GRO has accepted the digitised records, all images and data records held on off-shore computers will be deleted. What happens next? The scanning of the microfilm records will commence during November 2005 with the first delivery of images for quality assurance by GRO in December 2005. The digitisation of Birth and Death records will occur throughout 2006/7 with Marriage and Still Birth records captured 2007/8. It is anticipated that the project will be completed in the summer of 2008 but regular bulletins on digitisation of records will be provided on the GRO website to keep customers updated on the progress of the project. The digitised images will change the way the GRO access records and produce certificates. This, however, will not change the current processes for ordering certificates from GRO both during and following the digitisation project.

The only certificate I've received folded was a death certificate for my ggrandfather who died in WW1. The rest have always been in A4 envelopes. Sue

I would like to compliment the GRO, the two Certificates I ordered arrived in only five days to Australia, were in A4 envelopes, jolly efficient I thought and good value seeing as they were sent airmail for the same price. Katrina Australia

I must say I have NEVER had a problem with GRO, my certs have never been folded into a small envelope and only by the postman who doesn't crease them as such just bends them for the letterbox. If you've ever had a refund on a cert you would know that i think its 3 or 4 pounds is actually for doing the lookup for you and the remainder is postage etc. If my order has been split they send a note in the first part saying it will be split and hey, they don't charge you extra because they've split it. You should feel lucky if you CAN actually go to the office itself to collect them, lots of us don't have that luxury and are just happy to be able to order them online! And if you are in UK at least you don't have exchange rates! My last 3 certs all cost different amounts! LOL

Thats great news cant wait, it has probably informed alot of other people as well as myself. thank U

Patricia Yep, that's right! It should have been online this year, but they have had snags with digitalising some of the old stuff. It applies to (from memory) Birth certs more than 100 years ago. Death cers more than 50 years ago Marriage certs - any up to two years ago. Of course, none of these will be certificated copies, so the question of identity theft does not arise. I mostly use local RO wherever possible - you get a much better, quicker and more flexible service - and you are nearer to the original. Local ROs also have copies of certs that never got to the GRO. OC

all the certificates i have had always been in A4 may be i have been lucky?.

is that right we will be able to download our own certs, are we getting technology in this country, thought all our goverment money was spent on war, Well i for one will get the flags out on that day, till then i will pesonally specify what i want, as for extra delay 2 weeks, people dont expect normal service,

And of course it's not just training - it's all the extra photocopying equipment etc they need - one photocopier can only do X amount of copies in 24 hours. It IS annoying if you particularly do NOT want folds and creases, but I seem to remember that the answer referred to above said that if you order by post, you can specify an A4 envelope with stiffened card. Your order will be dealt with by hand, which may mean some delay. I look forward to the day, 2008, isn't it? when we can download the certificates, for £3.50! OC

Even if you ask the postman nicely to be careful when putting certs through your letterbox, we have no control of the treatment they are getting in transit. When you consider what mail goes through in a sorting office.

I agree with OC - it has come up before and no, it doesn't bother me too much either that certs come folded. As far as dealing with upsurges in requests, in fairness to the GRO after the first series of Who do you think, they DID sit up and take notice, their process was streamlined and they took on a considerable number of additional staff - unfortunately, you can't just pop down to the local job centre and take on anyone who happents to be hanging about. Then there is training and familiarisation as well and this takes time. I notice on the website there is a warning about possible delays as a result of the current tv series.