Bishop's transcripts for Newbury

[tmerrell]

Has there been anything made available online of the Bishop's transcripts from Newbury of the baptisms, marriages, and burials for St. Nicholas?

[tmerrell]

Are there any resources for the Berkshire Record office online?

[arthurk]

I'm sure the Berkshire RO would be able to advise you, but according to a book that I have ("Bishops' Transcripts and Marriage Licences, Bonds and Allegations - A Guide to their Location and Indexes" by Jeremy Gibson), the BTs themselves are in the Wiltshire RO (pre-1836) or the Oxfordshire RO (post-1836). This is because Berkshire was originally in the Diocese of Salisbury, and then transferred to the Diocese of Oxford.

Arthur

[tmerrell]

That is good to know before I commissioned a search there.

[Mutley]

What a lovely church.
http://www.berkshirehistory.com/churches/newbury.html

Mentions the records here
http://www.hydeparkfhc.org/cgi-bin/catalog.exe?country=England&county=Berkshire&type=parish&page=46

Can buy some from here
http://www.parishchest.com/shop/index.php and type 'Newbury' into the search box

[tmerrell]

I am trying to follow up with the Berkshire Record Office or whatever office holds the records but trying to figure out the best way to pay from the US will be a challenge as well.
What are the most reliable services to use to get the money to pay for the research?

[Peter Goodey]

May I ask why you specify Bishop's Transcripts? The first choice for most people is normally the parish registers themselves.

[tmerrell]

That is what the microfilm was titled that I was looking on.
You are correct that I am looking for the parish registers for that
time period in some sort of format other than the original because
most of the records were illegible that I was looking at on microfilm.

[NewburyChap]

That is what the microfilm was titled that I was looking on.
You are correct that I am looking for the parish registers for that
time period in some sort of format other than the original because
most of the records were illegible that I was looking at on microfilm.

You don't have many choices - the microfilm of the PRs held by the LDS and hence available worldwide is almost certainly the same as the microfilm in the Berkshire RO and Newbury Library (early years are very dodgy and contain short gaps where parts of pages have gone). Even if you can persuade the BRO to get out the originals they are not in good condition. I have not seen the BTs but they are not complete, nor are they all in good nick judging by the transcripts I have seen and your comments on the microfilm.

There are transcripts of the earlier PRs (1538-1746) and some later burials and marriages are in the Berks FHS databases (Berkshire Burial Index and Marriage Index).

The transcripts are typescript and only a few copies exist - Newbury Library, the BRO, SOG and Maidenhead Library will have copies and perhaps Reading Library (one of the libraries may do a lookup for you, the BRO will at a price, not sure what the SOG offer).

[tmerrell]

Part of my problem is that I have to try and contact the BRO from the US and I can't dial through to them or am unable to send them a cheque for the lookup charge as they want it in pounds sterling. Any ideas of other ways to get this information?

[michaelpipe]

The way I get round that one from Australia when dealing with these pesky County Records Offices who don't accept Visa etc, is to go to the bank and either get a foreign currency draft (too costly) or just buy sterling notes and shove them in an envelope and post them.
Slight risk, I know, but it has worked for me.

Michael

[NewburyChap]

Part of my problem is that I have to try and contact the BRO from the US and I can't dial through to them or am unable to send them a cheque for the lookup charge as they want it in pounds sterling. Any ideas of other ways to get this information?

Your first step should perhaps be to call the BRO - telephones do work over here - allow for the time gap and make sure you call during their opening hours. Perhaps they can accept credit cards (wouldn't surprise me if they can't). You can send cash as already advised.

Another way would be to hire a local researcher who can accept USD or has a PayPal account or similar - if such a researcher exists... Perhaps I have a business opportunity here!

You could also ask on a busier forum or list to see if a local can do the lookup for you (try Berkshire forum on Rootschat or the Berkshire List on Rootsweb. Or you could join Berks FHS and ask on their dicussion list.

[tmerrell]

The only problem with that idea is they want it in a check, not currency.

[michaelpipe]

Then if they refuse to take cash, and they don't have the facility of online payment (which many don't) the only logical options are Western Union or Bank Cheque - whichever way, they will slug you bigtime with charges.
I would email them and push for the cash option, explaining the problem that overseas clients have with their archaic system.

Michael

[NewburyChap]

The BRO takes payment by credit or debit card (minimum of £5) so there should be no trouble paying from anywhere in the world.