Happy Birthday

Today is St George's Day; Happy Birthday St George!!!!!

As I live in Cornwall and have a Cornish wife, it would seem a bit churlish of me to fly the flag of St George, today or any day. Nor do I have an English sticker on my car. Although, if we lived in England, I expect we would have a Cornish flag stuck to the back somewhere. Next to the Apple sticker I expect.

Although I am Anglo-Irish, I think of myself as English. I am rather proud of being English. We hear a lot these days about "Englishness"; mainly because our Scottish Prime Minister feels rather insecure. As he should of course. In my opinion, the main characteristics of the English are tolerance and adaptability. Traits that we have exported to the daughter nations of the English, including the United States of America. Whose constitution was written by a bunch of Englishmen!

My wife, my Cornish wife, has no problem in being Cornish, English and British. This is as it should be - they are all part of her heritage. I, on the other hand, just feel English. I know I am British as well, but increasingly, I don't feel very bothered about that part of my heritage. I think this is because if anyone can be British, then there is less point to it. In part this is because as the Scots, Welsh and so on become semi-independent, like many English, I don't feel resentful, just happy for them. Off you go, I think, been nice knowing you!

So - Happy Birthday to St George, from a typically confused Englishman.

Researching Cornish family history online

The three basic tools of Cornish family history research are the Registers of Births, Marriages & Deaths, the census returns, and the parish registers.

The indexes for Cornish BMD are to be found in the national indexing project, FreeBMD. From these you will learn which quarter an event was registered in. In many cases this information will be all you need but the web site leads you to the government agency that sells copies of the original documents. Perhaps you will only need a few vital certificates to help build your family tree, because they are quite expensive.

The census returns are available for free on FreeCEN and on the COCP web site. Nearly all the Cornish 19th century returns are now online, and all should be online by the end of this year. The COCP pages will contain all the people enumerated in Cornwall between 1841 and 1891. You can download all you want, turn the data into spreadsheets and manipulate it to your heart’s content - even read them in the bath!

The census returns start in 1841 and the BMD indexes in 1837. Further back than that you have to rely on the parish registers. In theory, these started in the early 16th century, but many of the early years have not survived. Some of these registers may appear on the national indexing project - FreeREG. However, in Cornwall we are lucky in having our own parish register project - C-PROP. This database is also free and also contains other data than just the parish registers.

C-PROP is the daughter project of the Cornish Online Parish Scheme. There are now about a dozen of these OPC schemes in England now, but the Cornish one was the first to start and the others are modeled on it. Many of the OPC have their own web sites and many of them contain transcripts of parish registers and other things. Good examples of what can be found are on the sites for St Austell and Gerrans.

The main newspaper in Cornwall today is the West Briton. The WB started early in the 19th century and there is an ongoing project to transcribe the interesting bits and place them online. In addition, the hatches, matches and dispatches are also being added to the C-PROP pile.

Finally, the whole Cornish scene is bound together by the Cornish pages of GENUKI. Anyone who is researching in the UK outside Cornwall will soon realise that the Cornish GENUKI pages are in a class of their own. There are links to the main GENUKI pages and to just about everything Cornish.

[No URL are given; all web sites can be found easily with Google]



Free Tibet!!!!!

NWOCP 1861 & 1871 update

FREE TIBET!!!!!


Hello folks

This is the current state of the NWOCP 1861 & 1871 projects.

Nth Wilts 1861

1272 Swindon being checked by Phil Pike
1274 Cricklade being transcribed by Sue Flower
1280 Castle Combe being transcribed by Marlene Bond
1285 Christian Malford being checked by Ray Muld
1286 Calne being checked by Paul Webb

Nth Wilts 1871

1881 Swindon being checked by Steve Brain
1883 Swindon being checked by Helen Ward
1884 Wootton Bassett being transcribed by Jane Brown
1891 Malmesbury West being transcribed by Nancy Frey
1895 Castle Combe being transcribed by Harry Tadd
1896 Corsham being checked by Heather Williams
1897 Corsham being checked by John Holden
1900 Christian Malford being checked by Valerie Henwood
1906 Marlborough being checked by Edmund Bristow

In addition, there are 7 pieces transcribed and ready for checking. 12 pieces of the 1861 are online as are 19 pieces of the 1871.

NWOCP 1841 update

Free Tibet!!!!

When the NWOCP started just over two years ago, the intention was to do all six sets of the 19th century Wiltshire census returns for North Wiltshire. Nth Wilts was defined as a line Calne-Marlborough and all places north. Because the 1841 was going so well, its cover was extended to the whole county. However, I have run out of steam, and the NWOCP will finish the 1841 and the Nth Wilts 61 & 71 returns and then expire!

Free Census Wiltshire will continue under the leadership of Terry Waters-Marsh, and indeed, some NWOCP transcribers have already started work on South Wiltshire 1871 pieces.

The NWOCP 1841 project is nearly complete. The following parishes are still being worked on.

Monckton Deverill Ho4e1173 being transcribed by William Glynn
Christian Malford Ho4f1173 to be transcribed by Pat Mahoney
St Michael Kington Ho4g1173 to be transcribed by Pat Mahoney
Foxley Ho4j1181 to be transcribed by Pat Mahoney
Gardson Ho4k1181 to be transcribed by Pat Mahoney
Hankerton Ho4l1181 being transcribed by Pat Mahoney
Hullavington Ho4m1181 transcribed, being checked by John Pope
Sutton Benger Ho4y1181 transcribed to be checked by John Pope

Melksham Ho4b1182 being transcribed by Shauna Wall
Poulshot Ho4e1182 to be transcribed by Shauna Wall

Mere Ho4d1183 being checked by Keith Salisbury
Mere - Woodlands Ho4e1183 to be checked by Carol Patis
Mere - Zeals Ho4f1183 to be checked by Carol Patis
Stourton Ho4g1183 to be checked by Carol Patis
WestburyHo4a1188 being transcribed by Mike Wells
Marlborough St Mary the Virgin Ho4d1189 being checked by Carol Patis

The future of the COCP

Mrs McCormick enjoying her Christmas break in Germany


Hello folks

Nothing to do with census returns!

I have just polished off another two pieces, so we now have:

Two 1871 pieces with transcribers and five with checkers. Plus 19 pieces of the 1881 with checkers. Could be less than 3 months work!

My thoughts have been turning to what I might do next. And what you might do next as well.

Many of you have been with me for several years now, one or two since the beginning of the project nearly 8 years ago. I would quite like to keep our team in being.

It has been suggested that we should take on the Cornish 1901. One chap even suggested the 1911! But I have had enough of census returns. And in any case, it will take a year or two to get the ones we have done sorted out properly. If any of you fancy running a COCP 1901 project, let me know; I will be happy to offer advice. And I am happy to try and persuade you all to help out.

I have decided that I shall return to my starting point, researching the very small Cornish village I live in plus reviving my own family history. For the Mitchell project I want to transcribe the parish registers. I shall give them, when I have done them, to the COCP sister project - C-PROP.

I wonder if any of you would care to stick with me and switch to C-PROP? The parish registers are not checked or validated, just transcribed. It is the same deal - LDS discs are provided plus the required spreadsheets. You might be able to get a parish that you are particularly interested in. You might not. C-PROP also requires data-inputters; at the moment for the Phillimore indexes, but I am sure there will be more of that. The parish registers are, I think, more interesting than the census returns and those before 1700 are harder to transcribe.

If you don't fancy this; then I am still in need of census checkers for the Nth Wiltshire project. This project is about to finish the final few parishes of the Wiltshire 1841 and then there are just a few 1861 & 71 pieces to check. Then I am out of that as well.

Of course, you might have ideas of your own and you can, therefore, just wave me goodbye and get on with it. You might have suggestions to make.

Anyway, in spite of my optimism, we still have some work to do. Plenty of time to decide on what to do next. But I thought I would let you know how I was thinking.

Rgds

Michael

Free Census & Global Warning

Of course, there is no connection between Free Census and Global Warning. As far as I know. And assuming that the globe is getting warmer. This is a picture of Ella taken a few weeks ago in Ottawa, where they have had more snow this winter than they have had since 1970/1. Ella is wondering how she can visit her grandmother - my sister.

Here is the current state of the 1871 & 1881 Cornish projects. As you can see, we are within striking distance of finishing. Two pieces are with transcribers but all the rest are being checked. If every checker finished tomorrow, we could be home and free by the end of the week. Well - not quite, but you know what I mean I am sure.

1871:

2234 Callington St Ive being checked by Maxine Cadzow
2236 Liskeard Menheniot being checked by Jeff Beaton
2240 Liskeard St Neot being checked by Donna Hazledon
2254 Padstow Little Petherick being checked by Pam Pinkerton
2289 Kea Feock being transcribed by Caroline Buckland
2296 Falmouth St Gluvias being checked by Barbara Pullar
2316 Redruth being checked by Judy Waddell
2324 Camborne. Being checked by Althea Johnson
2331 Uny Lelant Ludgvan being transcribed by Celia Wikert


1881:

2274 Altarnun being checked by Bernie Currie
2275 Nth Petherwin being checked by George Bishop
2281 St Germans being checked by John Ball
2299 Fowey being checked by Jan Lewis
2304 Mevagissey being checked by Tony Harris
2308 St Agnes being checked by Geoff Westlake
2328 Gwennap being checked by Tony Bennett
2329 Gwennap being checked by Valeri Pain
2331 Redruth Being checked by Di Thompson
2332 Redruth being checked by Marion Paul
2333 Redruth being checked by Malcolm Rule
2335 Camborne being checked by Mike Beck
2337 Phillack being checked by John Smith
2340 Uny Lelant being checked by Margaret Moxon
2341 St Ives being checked by Julia Mays
2342 St Ives being checked by Peter Veryan
2343 St Ives being checked by Roda Jelbert
2351 St Buryan being checked by Valerie Pettifer
2352 Scillies to be checked by Valeri Pettifer

How I forgot to do any census returns

"I was recently diagnosed with AAADD - Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder. This is how it manifests itself:

I decide to water my plants in the front garden. As I go to turn on the hose I look over at my car and decide it needs washing. I go to get the car keys from the entrance and then notice the delivered mail on the entrance table. I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car. I put my car keys on the table, put the junk mail in the bin under the table, and notice that the bin is full. So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the rubbish first. But then I think, I can run down to the post-box when I take out the rubbish, I may as well pay the bills first. I take my cheque book off the table, and see that there is only 1 cheque left. My other cheque book is in the computer desk, so I go inside the house to my desk where I find the can of Coke I'd been drinking. I'm going to look for my other cheque book, but first I need to push the Coke aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over. The Coke is getting warm so I decide to put it in the fridge to keep it cold. As I head toward the kitchen with the Coke, a vase of flowers on the window ledge catches my eye--they need water. I put the Coke on the window ledge and discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for all morning. I decide I’d better put them back on my computer desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers. I put the glasses back down on the window ledge, fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote. I must have left it on the kitchen table. I realize that tonight when I go to watch TV, I'll be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the living room where it belongs, but first I'll 
water the flowers. I pour some water in the flowers, but some spills on the floor. So, I set the remote back on the table, get a towel and wipe up the spill. Then I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do. At the end of the day: The flower tubs aren't watered; The car isn't washed; The bills aren't paid; There is a warm can of Coke sitting on the window ledge; The flowers in the vase don't have enough water; There is still only 1 cheque in my cheque book; I can't find the remote; I can't find my glasses; I have absolutely NO idea what I did with the car keys. Then, when I try to work out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all damn day, and I'm really tired. I realise this is a serious problem and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail. Do me a favour. Forward this message to everyone I know, because I don't remember who the hell I've sent it to."

Validation

In the original plan, Validation was the third and final stage. However, it is in fact the penultimate stage and is followed by post-validation. This note covers both.

When a corrected zip arrives back, I load it into Valdrev, and run it against the images. Unlike checking, I do not have to view every line, but only those on which Valdrev stops.

This is the Valdrev screen. Any field that is changed by the checker turns red. Checkers do NOT, therefore, need to leave me a note or a flag, just to say they have changed something.



Valdrev stops for:

1. Alerts, either inserted by the checker, or inserted by the transcriber and not resolved by the checker.

2. Records that have notes left by the transcriber or the checker, but not those contained in the transcriber’s Mynotes file. I do not see those, although Valdrev does stop.

3. County or place of birth names that do not exist as far as the geographical database GENIE is concerned.

From this you can see that if the transcriber leaves lots of notes, I get lots of stops. During validation I edit the notes left by transcribers. Usually, I delete them, but sometimes I retain them, edit them or add to them or insert new ones – as the fancy takes me! If Chapman codes for the Irish or Scottish counties have not been used, I get stops on all those. In the original plan, it was thought that the validation process would be pretty quick, with stops every hundred or so records. Like many things, this didn’t work out and stops are only too frequent.

The main problem is that the geographical database GENIE is limited in size and it doesn’t hold many perfectly good place names. In general, I pass all place names that are “as is”. I do not avail myself of the validater’s option to put in the modern or corrected names. As I go along, I create a supplementary list of place names, ones that I am happy about that are not on the database. This reduces the number of stops I get

At the end of this process, I pack for uploading; in theory, this output file could be uploaded. But in practice, we know that there are a lot of errors still in the file, invisible during validation. The file is, therefore, loaded into FCTools. This is a diagnostic tool that identifies errors and gives warnings of possible problems.

FCTools produces a list of errors and a spreadsheet. As well as making the corrections indicated by FCTools, the opportunity its taken to “eyeball” the spreadsheet. It is surprising how many minor errors jump out and hit you in the eye! Once it as good as it can be, two files are produced. The validation file is uploaded to the Online DataBase (OLDB) and to the Mormon’s Great Granite Cave in Utah. The html file is sent to our web site.

Really - it's quite easy!

The task we have set ourselves is really quite simple. We just have to transcribe as accurately as we can the words of the Enumerator.

Of course, it is all made more complicated by the requirements of Free Census, and indeed, by those of the author of this blog.

Still, in the end, it is pretty simple. Transcribe the words of the Enumerator, warts and all, into the spreadsheet. If he misspells Scholar, then so do you. If he has a 19-year old Scholar, then you will have to input (Scholar), but his words are intact.

I find that the biggest aid I have is Google (or the search engine of your choice). If the Enumerator has written down a place name unknown to the Free Census software, or me, I usually type it into Google. Of course, knowing the correct version doesn’t mean that I don’t type in the Enumerator’s version. But just knowing that there is a “real” place spelt somewhat differently is an aid to reading the words on the page.

I also use Google for personal names and occupations. Google will search our online texts; in fact we often figure in the first ten hits it reports. So, if we have already transcribed a person, or an occupation, or a place, then it will come up. There are, of course, other aids. The IGI is online for free. You can confine your search to the parish you are working on. If you are working on a Cornish piece, you can use the COCP search engine. You can browse our online texts, the enumerators often used the same route for each census, and English and Cornish place names have remained the same for centuries.

It also helps if you read what you are writing. The numbers of times I find miss-transcriptions, when the transcriber or checker has got it correct only a page or so earlier.

Finally, you have one aid I don’t have. ME! I am quite happy for people to write to me and I will take a look at the image for you and give a second opinion. I can also download an image from Ancestry and email it to you. We also have an instant messaging system up and running. Instructions on how to access that can be given and are also on this blog. You might get an answer in minutes using either of these methods. I would rather correct things as you do them than have to do them in the final stages.

The picture at at the top was sent in by a volunteer living in Tasmania - it illustrates that she has other interests than my wretched census returns!!!!

COCP 1871 update

hello folks

Things are going well on the 1871, with only 12 pieces left to do. Two pieces are with me, awaiting validation.

2234 being transcribed by Lesley Van Goeson & Lauren Patey
2236 Menheniot being checked by Jeff Beaton
2340 St Neot being checked by Donna Hazledon
2254 Little Petherwick being checked by Pam Pinkerton
2255 St Columb Major being checked by Judy Wadell
2289 Feock being transcribed by Shari Nicholls
2291 Mylor being checked by Roda Jelbert
2296 St Gluvias being checked by Barbara Pullar
2306 St Keverne being checked by Sharon Uren
2316 Redruth being transcribed by Janet Copping
2324 Camborne to be checked by Donna Hazledon
2331 Ludgvan being transcribed by Samantha Hussey


A slight pall is thrown over these excellent results by the fact that a few of you are out of contact with Kay and I. We will re-allocate pieces if we don't hear from you. If you have been working hard then it will all have been wasted.

Rgds

Michael

COCP 1881 update

Hello folks

Much to my surprise, I find that we have only 25 pieces of the 1881 left to complete. They are as follows:

2270 Stratton probably unallocated.
2271 Week St Mary being checked by Mike Hancock
2274 Altarnun being checked by Geoff Moss
2275 Nth Petherwin not allocated
2276 Launceston St Stephen being checked by David Trounce
2281 St Germans being checked by John Ball
2299 Fowey being checked by Jan Lewis
2304 Mevagissey not allocated
2308 St Agnes being checked by Geoff Westlake
2328 Gwennap being checked by Tony Bennett
2329 Gwennap being checked by Valeri Pain
2331 Redruth Being checked by Di Thompson
2332 Redruth being checked by Marion Paul
2333 Redruth pencilled in for checking by Marion Paul
2335 Camborne being checked by Mike Beck
2337 Phillack being checked by John Smith
2338 Phillack being checked by Malcolm Rule
2339 Penzance being checked by Frances Kenshole
2340 Uny Lelant being checked by Margaret Moxon
2341 St Ives being checked by Julia Mays
2342 St Ives being checked by Peter Veryan
2343 St Ives pencilled in for checking by Peter Veryan
2351 St Buryan being checked by Valerie Pettifer
2352 Scillies pencilled in for checking by Valeri Pettifer

If you don't agree with this, please drop me a line. In fact, please drop me a line anyway!

NWOCP 1861 & 1871 update

Hello folks

Here is the situation as I see it:

Phil Pike Checking rg091272 Swindon
Sue Flower Transcribing rg091274 Cricklade
Marlene Bond Transcribing rg091280 Castle Conmbe
Paul Webb Checking rg091282 Corsham
Ray Muld Checking rg091283 Chippenham
Steve Brain Checking rg101881 Swindon
Jane Brown Transcribing rg091286 Calne and/or rg101884 Wootton Bassett
Lilian Fraser Transcribing rg101909
Nancy Frey Transcribing rg101891 Malmesbury West
Heather Williams Checking rg101896 Corsham
Valerie Henwood Checking rg101900 Christian Malford
John Holden Checking rg101897 Corsham
Edmund Bristow Checking rg101906 Marlborough
Viveanne Transcribing rg101903(1)
Helen Ward Checking rg101883 Swindon
Lillian Thurston Transcribing rg101908
Harry Tadd Transcribing rg101895 Castle Combe
Peter Eastman Transcribing rg101910

If you don't agree with this - drop me a line!

NWOCP 1841 Update

Transcribers:

Peter Eastman
Ho4g1172 Langley Burrell

William Glynn
Ho4d1173 Martin
Ho4e1173 Moncton Deaverill
Ho4f1173 Christian Malford
Ho4g1173 St Michael Kington

Peter Eastman
Ho4d1174 East Knoyle

Marlenny Cunnigham
Ho4j1181 Foxley
Ho4k1181 Gardson
Ho4l1181 Hankerton
Ho4m1181 Hullavington
Ho4n1181 Kemble
Ho4o1181 Lea

Shauna Wall
Ho4b1182 Hilperton
Ho4c1182 Keevil
Ho4d1182 Melksham
Ho4e1182 Poulshot

Diann Barnett
Ho4d1186 Huish
Ho4e1186 Imber

Helen Cameron
Ho4c118 North Bradley

Mike Wells
Ho4a1188 Westbury
Ho4d1188 East Coulston
Ho4e1188 Edington
Ho4f1188 Keevil

Checkers

Carol Patis Ho41189 (a-e)
Keith Salisbury Ho41183 (d-g)
John Pope - the rest!!!!!

All of the remaining parishes are transcribed and waiting to be checked. Or are being checked.

COCP update

Hello folks

I have rather neglected this for some time now. Since the 1st January, we have completed another 17 1871 & 1881 pieces. About half of them have been uploaded. The remaining 1871 pieces are so:

2217 Week St Mary Poundstock being checked by Kay
2228 Anthony Maker being checked by Roda Jelbert(SA)
2234 Callington St Ive being transcribed by Lesley Van Goeson (Aus)
2236 Liskeard Menheniot being checked by Jeff Beaton (Aus)
2240 Liskeard St Neot being checked by Donna Hazledon (Can). To do 2324 after this.
2254 Padstow Little Petherick being checked by Pam Pinkerton. (Aus)
2255 St Columb Major being checked by Judy Wadell(Aus)
2289 Kea Feock being transcribed by Shari Nicholls (USA).
2291 Mylor being checked by Chris Uphill (Aus).
2296 Falmouth St Gluvias being checked by Barbara Pullar (NZ)
2306 St Keverne being checked by Sharon Uren (Aus)
2316 Redruth being transcribed by Ceilia Wikert(USA)
2324 Camborne. To be checked by Donna Hazledon after she finishes 2240.
2331 Uny Lelant Ludgvan being transcribed by Samantha Hussey.
2339 Penzance Paul being checked by Maxine Cadzow(Aus)
2341 Penzance. Being checked by Mike Hancock.(UK)

A couple of weeks ago I asked everyone who has not been in touch in 2008 to drop me a line. Some of you have yet to do that. Please lighten my darkness!

The project will have been running for 8 years in June this year. I mention that because an Australian name John Nance is retiring from the project for reasons of health. John was the 202nd volunteer we recruited and he started work in December 2002. He has spent most of his spare time during the last five years checking returns for COCP. Kay and I get our names up on the web site as organisers but without people like John the whole thing would be dead in the water. John's work has been consistently good - I never checked what he was doing. He was also different in that he used the IGI as a checking aid.

For the first time in a very long time I have cleared the Cornish backlog!  However, a Wiltshire 1841 piece has arrived - still it's only 11,500 records.....

Rgds Michael

Democracy - rant by blog owner!

Democracy is a funny thing. Wildly popular, but not all that common. If you want a definition, then hop over to Wikipedia. The word is Greek in origin and means, roughly, rule by the people. Of course, in Ancient Greece, people were the free men. Two thirds of the population were women or slaves, and they didn't get to vote.

Generally speaking nowadays, we think it means "one man one vote". Or "one woman one vote". But in my opinion, this needs a caveat. There has to be an alternative bunch of people who could also form a government. In the UK the government could be run over by a bus and the opposition would be there to take over. Excellent!

Why am I rabbiting on about democracy? Well, democracy in the UK has taken, and is taking, a big hit. The Scottish government in London is handing the UK over to the French government in Brussels. I am rather biased about this I am afraid. I would rather there was an English government in London and a Cornish one in Truro. I don't want to rule the French and I don't want them ruling us. I feel much the same about the Scots.

Democracy in England is not quite as old as democracy in Ancient Athens, but it has been around for a long time. The Anglo-Saxons came to power in much of England about AD600. They elected their kings. Of course, I am not suggested that this was democracy as we know it - a big sword or a large axe was pretty handy in elections. But there was no divine right to be king. This was introduced later on by the Church. What about the Normans you say. Well, they mainly just adapted their system to the Anglo-Saxon one. Most of the Anglo-Saxon system just carried with a different top layer.

So it wasn't all that long after 1066 that parliament arrived. Because the Normans (Norsemen) were also fairly democratic. Since about the 12th century, the parliamentary system moved forward, quite a few hiccups, but it did not fail us.

Now our Scottish Prime Minister is handing us over to the European Union. The EU has one man one vote to elect people to the European Parliament but they have limited powers over the real rulers, the Council of Ministers and the EU Commission. Nor are these people drawn from the parliament. The government is separate from the parliament and there is no handy alternative government around.

Nor is the government elected. Of course, the Council of Ministers are all elected - but not as such. Our Prime Minister is not elected because he is on the Council of Ministers.

My forecast for the present UK government is that they will lose the next election. They will lose it because they are not trusted. So, the handy opposition party takes over as government. But it will make NO difference. The real government, the French one in Brussels, will just sail on. They cannot be removed by the voters.

Before the present treaty comes into force, it is said that 80% of our laws are made in Brussels. EU law outranks UK law. We are about to lose our veto over another 40 or 60 (depends who you listen to) areas .

The UK will then be a province of the new European Empire. Perhaps it will all turn out alright. But if it doesn't, things might get nasty!

Occasional notes No 5 - Copyright

Our basic philosophy is that our transcripts belong to everyone and to no one. Recently, the question of copyright has reared its head again.

If you ask ten experts then you will get ten opinions. So the question of copyright in family history is shrouded in confusion but as far as I know, no one has been prosecuted for breach of copyright in the field of family history. Here is my take on the situation with regard to the UK 19th century census returns.

The Crown has copyright of the UK census returns; this is vested in The National Archives (TNA). The Crown has waived its copyright in the contents of the returns but not in the images. TNA has obviously sold licences to reproduce the images to people like ACDB and Ancestry. Anyone who has transcribed the returns holds the copyright in that transcription - it is theirs. As a collective group, COCP & NWOCP hold the copyright in the completed transcriptions, that is those that have been through our procedures. Legally or not, I hold this copyright on behalf of the volunteers of those projects. The only obligation levied on us by TNA is that we acknowledge that the copyright remains with them in the name of The Crown.

Because we post our completed transcriptions as texts on our web sites, anyone can download them. We have a copyright statement but it is primarily there to try and discourage wholesale copying for commercial purposes. As far as we know, no one has been tempted to do this. We are quite happy for people to download what they need. In addition, completed years are cut to disc and distributed to national and other institutions interested in our areas. We are only bound to supply copies to TNA and the LDS, but the discs go to about 15 institutions.

We are quite happy for people to cut and paste sections into emails or to chat forums. We only ask that you acknowledge where the information comes from.

As I said at the beginning; this is my take on the situation. I am happy with what we do and have been for the last 7 years. Other people may have different views but this outlines the position of the COCP & NWOCP projects. And that of the Warwickshire Ancestors Project 1891 returns.

Occasional notes No 4 - Header Data

Along the top of each page of the enumerator's books is a lot of interesting information. The amount and type varies from census to census; there is very little in 1841. At the start of each enumeration district, there is also a page that records a description of the district including the registration district and sub-district names plus its number. Very little of this information is recorded by Free Census.

The reason we don't record it is due to the limitations of the original programme, INCENS, written back in 1999. There wasn't, it seems, space to record everything. So, from the district description page, we record only the ED number. From the individual page we record the folio number, page number, civil parish and ecclesiastical parish. Page numbers are printed within the page frame, top right or left. Folio numbers are stamped top right on every other page, top right and usually outside the frame. Each two pages are in fact the front and back of one page. So pages without folio numbers take the number of the preceding page. If a page is blank, then leave a note against the last record of the preceding page. This procedure is also followed if a page is missing. You don't have to do this with blank pages at the end of a district.

Returning to the lead-in page. Although we don't record the district description, it is worth volunteers transcribing it, because it is often better written and gives addresses that are used later on. Having worked out what it says, take a look at a map of the district and try and match up what is written with the map. The ED numbers on this page vary a lot. They might just be 1 or 2; or 1A, 2B, or something entirely different. Up to 3 numbers and one letter can be recorded for Free Census. If there are more (some 1851 ED numbers are 1ac and so on, then just input what you can, and leave a note. Free Census also has a system of ED suffixes. These identify certain types of returns and the numbering system has been lifted from the 1861 census instructions. If you have an ED number 1A, then the "A" is replaced by the appropriate number when necessary. According to Free Census, only those returns in institutional books get the suffix numbers. The COCP disagrees with this, and we give them for all institutions. One reason for this is that the census takers themselves didn't always stick to the rules about institutional books and the returns appear in the normal books.

NWOCP 1841 update 4th October 2007

The NWOCP project for the whole county of Wiltshire for 1841 is being transcribed and checked by parish. When all the parishes in a Hundred are complete, they are all stitched together and reloaded to the NWOCP site and uploaded to Free Census.

The 1841 was enumerated by Registration District, then the returns were cut up and stuck back together into Hundreds. Hence the often confusing state of the returns.

This is the current position for the 1841 project:

1164 Alderbury complete
1165 Amesbury complete
1166 Bradford complete
1167 Branch & Dole complete
1168 Calne complete
1169 Cawden & Codsworth complete
1170 Chalk complete
1171 Chippenham 10% complete
1172 Chippenham 50% complete
1173 Nth Damerham 10% complete
1174 Dowton 70% complete
1175 Dunworth 20% complete
1176 Wroughton complete
1177 Heyesbury 15% complete
1178 Highworth 90% complete
1179 Swindon 80% complete
1180 Kinswardine complete
1181 Malmesbury 25% complete
1182 Melkesham
1183 Mere 10% complete
1184 Potterne & Cannings complete
1185 Aldbourne complete
1186 Swanborough 25% complete
1187 Warminster complete
1188 Westbury 5% complete
1189 Whitehorse 5% complete
1190 Salisbury complete

Nth Wilts OCP update

Hello folks

Where is this?

Good morning from Cornwall.

The 1841 project is going well, with some 11 of the 27 ancient Hundreds now complete and online. Of the 16 remaining; 14 have some of the parishes complete and online. Up to now, we have managed with just one checker, our web site host John Pope. We have now got 3 checkers and I would like more. If any of the transcribers would like to try their hands at checking just drop me a line. I am hoping that you will all keep at the task - who knows, we might complete the job early next year.

On the 1861; here is what I think is being done:

1269 Highworth to be transcribed by Lilian Fraser
1270 Swindon, waiting for checker
1272 Swindon, waiting for checker
1274 Cricklade being transcribed by Sue Flower
1279 Malmesbury West, waiting for checker
1280 Castle Combe, being transcribed by Marlene Bond
1281 Corsham, waiting for checker
1282 Corsham, waiting for checker
1283 Chippenham, being transcribed by Nancy Frey
1284 Chippenham, being transcribed by Jane Brown
1285 Chrstian Malford, waiting for checker
1289 Marlborough being checked by Ray Smith

We have nine pieces complete and online.

For the 1871, we have 16 pieces online.

1881 Swindon being checked by Steve Brain
1883 Swindon being checked by Helen Ward
1884 Wootton Bassett being transcribed by Lianne McDowell
1885 Wootton Bassett waiting for checker
1888 Cricklade, status uncertain
1889 Malmesbury East, waiting for checker
1890 Malmesbury East, being transcribed by Karen Hayes
1891 Malmesbury West, being transcribed by Amanda Coles
1894 Castle Combe, being transcribed by Paul Webb
1895 Castle Coombe , being transcrribed by Harry Tadd
1896 Corsham, being checked by Heather Williams
1897 Corsham, being checked by John Holden
1898 Chippenham being checked by Phil Drewe
1900 Christian Malford, being checked by Valerie Henwood
1903 Calne to be transcribed by Vivienne Reaveley
1906 Marlborough, being checked by Edmund Bristow

Please do drop me a line. In the last month or so I have re-allocated 4 pieces. I don't know what has happened to the original volunteers - for all I know they could be beavering away. If you don't want to continue, then please let me know and return the disc. All of the people who have just dropped out of sight have taken the LDS discs with them.

COCP 1881 Project update

Hello folks

Where is this?

Here is a list of what is being done to the 1881 returns and who is doing it. Any comments are welcome.

2270 Stratton being checked by Glenise Spittey
2272 Boscastle being checked by Richard Hender
2274 Alternon being checked by Geoff Moss
2278 North Hill being checked by John Ball
2282 Saltash being checked by Jan Lewis
2284 Liskeard Callington being checked by Althea Johnson
2286 Liskeard being checked by Valeri Paine
2287 Looe being checked by Maxine Cadzow
2299 Fowey being checked by David Trounce
2304 Mevagissey being checked by Helen Blamey
2309 St Agnes being checked by Geoff Westlake
2313 Kenwyn being checked by Malcolm Rule
2328 Gwennap being checked by Tony Bennett
2330 Redruth being checked by Di Thompson
2337 Phillack being checked by John Smith
2339 Uny Lelant being checked by Carol Jennings
2342 St Ives being checked by Peter Veryan
2349 being checked by Valerie Pettifer