Cheaper births and deaths?

[Phoenix]

Yesterday's speaker let slip that Gro were moving to a new model, and the information would be much cheaper in the future.

Has anyone else heard this? Remembering past time scales, I may well be dead before this happens!

[Olde Crone]

I didn't hear that, but would cheaper mean even slower? I waited ten working days for a pdf, someone in another site waited 15 days.

It would be absolutely wonderful if it was like Scotland's People, instant downloads. I spent a small fortune on there because it didn't seem like a small fortune, lol and the instant gratification was well worth the money.

OC

[Olde Crone]

Ooh, but every day's a school day, as they say.

While googling to try to find something about this, I came upon the information - which I did not know - that it was the duty of the registrar to not only seek out births, but to ensure infants were vaccinated (1853 vaccination bill) which may account for a few missing births.

OC

[Glen TK]

Based on my dna results they could charge a penny a throw and I'd still run out of money :(

[Phoenix]

That's interesting, OC. Opposition to vaccines is nothing new.

I got the impression that they were moving to a much more automated system which could deliver more cheaply, as happened with wills.

[Olde Crone]

Glen, lol!

OC

[Phoenix]

Quoting from another website, where a friend has been Beta Testing:

"Digital Images are only available for Births 1837-1920 and Deaths 1837-1887. Search the indexes to find a record and click through to purchase an image.

If these images are like the ones I have been able to purchase during the beta test phase they are just the entry boxes from the middle of the certificates, ie no headings or sub registration districts or footers shown.


They cost £2.50 and you get them instantaneously. I have found that sometimes the bottom of the entry is cropped so the town may be missing . If you complain you get your money back!"

[Phoenix]

Not quite sure when this is going to actually kick off, but hopefully soon!

[Olde Crone]

Yes, anything which makes it quicker and cheaper, in that order. Sometimes you only need a part of the information to rule someone out.

OC

[Phoenix]

I remember the days when I would buy birth certificates for census years simply for the addresses.

[kiterunner]

The December issue of Family Tree magazine says this at the end of an answer to a reader's letter: To help reduce the cost of buying full certificates the GRO now offer Online View digital images of certain birth and death records for £2.50 amongst other services. But I think they have jumped the gun putting that in, because I can't see anything about it on the GRO site.

[Merry]

When you say, "jumped the gun", do you mean this is something that is going to be offered in the future?

[Olde Crone]

I have to wonder why the GRO would have any interest in making things cheaper for us - the service stands whether anyone uses it or not, it isn't a business.

But....bring on cheaper certificates, whatever the reasoning behind them.

OC

[Phoenix]

When you say, "jumped the gun", do you mean this is something that is going to be offered in the future?

I have a friend who has been beta testing the system, and I think she can already order the cheaper certs.

I assume that, like wills, they have found a way to speed the process up. I suspect that the main issue is the cost saving, but it will mean that I will probably buy again those certs that I know I possess, but not what I've done with them, and siblings of ancestors, particularly in city settings, to see where they moved, and who the informants were.

Yes, they can make a mint out of me!

[Olde Crone]

Yes, a cost saving (and staff saving) measure which is fine by me! Phoenix, I suspect I'll be following you, buying certs I know I already have but which are locked away in my daughter's attic.


OC

[Merry]

Is this anything to do with it?

https://www.lostcousins.com/newsletters2/latemay22news.htm#Online

From Lost Cousins Newsletter May 2022, about 1/4 in - The Shape of Things to Come.

[Phoenix]

Okay, ten months.