Berkshire 1871 Census

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Introduction

The Berkshire 1871 census index is a project that was planned to be completed in several stages:

  1. Preliminary transcription – data is typed into computers by volunteers, now complete.
  2. Checking – a volunteer who was not involved in the preliminary transcription (though may have transcribed other areas) will check the first transcription.
  3. Validation – a volunteer will compare the Preliminary and Checked data for an area, double check all differences and provide a sanity check of the remainder of the data.
  4. Data Preparation – names (given, surname and place) will be “clustered” to improve searchability, soundex codes will be generated and additional data fields added to improve searches.
  5. Software development – the database front end will be written or procured, additional data (gazetteer, background info etc.) prepared.
  6. CD Publication – the final goal of this project is to make the complete Berkshire 1871 Census returns available on CD. The data will also be made available via FamilyHistoryOnline.

Some background on the 1871 Census can be seen at:
www.berksfhs.org.uk/projects/Berkshire1871CensusProject.htm

The 1871 census for Berkshire is now completely transcribed and some checking has been done. Only part of the unchecked transcription has been made available on FamilyHistoryOnline.

Transcription and conventions used

The data has been compiled from films of the 1871 Census Enumerator’s Books by volunteers worldwide on behalf of the Berkshire Family History Society.

Coverage

At the present time the dataset comprises some 20,000 names in index and transcript from for the Newbury Registration District alone.

Newbury RD comprises the sub-districts of:

Thatcham
Thatcham, Woolhampton, Midgham, Cold Ash, Ashmore Green, Hermitage, Greenham, Crookham, etc.,
Newbury
Newbury, Sandleford, Newtown (HAM), Enborne, Hamstead Marshall, etc.,
Speen
Speen, Boxford, Welford, Leckhampstead, Winterbourne, Chieveley, Shaw cum Donnington, etc.

Checking

This data is UNCHECKED and contains errors and unresolved queries raised during the preliminary transcription.

Unchecked data is being made available at this time, as we know that many researchers want the information now. The quality of the data online will improve if and when the project moves ahead.

Grouping

The grouping feature allows complete schedules to be viewed. Note that there may be more than one schedule to a household.

Abbreviations and Codes

Both relationships and birth counties have been coded. The relationships use a two letter code, while the birth counties use the standard three letter Chapman codes.

Contact Details

If you would like to report errors or possible mis-transcriptions, please contact Berks FHS by email at ITManager@berksfhs.org.uk with the subject '1871 correction' - but please remember that this is a transcription!

If the householder or census enumerator made the mistake then that mistake will remain. If the mistake is in the transcription then the database will be modified. So if the enumerator’s book says he is 20 and his birth certificate shows he was 18 then it will stay as 20.

How to buy

The Berkshire Family History Society provides a postal Berkshire Name Search service that includes the complete 1871 census, a partial 1861 census, burial, marriage and miscellaneous names indexes. More details are available on the Society web site at www.berksfhs.org.uk

Copyright and disclaimer

© Trustees of the Berkshire Family History Society. The Census is Crown Copyright and the information from the Census is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office (HMSO). The Berkshire Family History Society is the maker of this database and the owner of the database rights. First published in 2002.

While every care has been taken in the preparation of the index users are advised to view the originals of the Census returns (or facsimiles thereof, e.g. microfilm) and to form their own interpretation. The Berkshire Family History Society accepts no liability for any errors or omissions that remain (although they would welcome notification of alternative interpretations of the census returns.)

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