NORS: Norfolk Online Record Search
Members Area
The Society is pleased to announce the introduction of a Members' Area to its website.
What's Available
Initially, the Members Area will provide online access to Parish Register Transcripts but over time it is hoped to provide members with access toadditional material currently available at the Society's Kirby Hall library.
At present the project is to enable a surname search of the Parish Register Transcripts. Progress with uploading data to the website is outlined below while the What's On this Site page provides a more detailed description of individual Parish Transcript collections. Alternatively, a list (in a zipped MS Word doc) of data currently available in NORS can be downloaded. Please also remember that Searchable Indexes of the Society's Genealogical holdings are also available to Members and Non-Members alike.
Norfolk Parish Register Transcripts
The project has focussed on making Parish Transcripts from Church of England (CoE) Baptisms, Burials, Marriages and Banns records available for a small, select group of Norfolk Parishes. Currently, over 638,000 records from more than 212 Norfolk parishes have been uploaded to the website.
This does not necessarily mean there is full coverage of all years for all types of transcripts for these parishes. This is an ongoing project and it is not possible to set an end date. We are reliant on volunteers to transcribe and check data, print the transcribed data, add the data to our electronic database held at Kirby Hall and finally, to check and upload it to the website. In addition we have to set-up, and amend, email addresses for new and existing members - and this is just one aspect of the Society's activities. If you feel you could help us in any way please contact the Secretary.
The Data
NORS contains the records for Banns, Baptisms, Burials and Marriages. Not all details will be available for all parishes. Where a surname contains BLANK? the reason for this is usually listed in the notes. An * in any field indicates there is more information in the Notes. A ? in any ofcthe records usually indicates that the record is illegible. If you cannot find a particular record it may be worthwhile widening your search by selecting the VARIANTS option or just entering just a few letters of the surname.
Before 1752, in most English Church Registers, Lady Day 25th March marked the beginning of the year. Therefore, dates from January 1st to March 24th were recorded as for the previous year so that registers show December 1647 followed by January, February and March 1647. In 1752 Parliament adopted the New Style stipulating that the day after 31.12.1751 be followed by 01.01.1752 (and that 2nd September 1752 should be followed by 14th September 1752).
Transcripts of dates before 1752 usually adopt the method of showing the January to March 24th dates as, say, 1747/48 with the latter denoting the proper Calendar Year. However, some of the NFHS Transcripts do not. Our advice would be to assume that a January - March 24th Date is of the year following the one given unless there is a note to state otherwise; (i.e. some Transcripts have turned the Register into Chronological order).
In the interest of preserving privacy for living individuals only the transcripts to 1930 are available to Members online.
General
While every effort has been made to check the accuracy of transcriptions available on the website, in view of the nature of transcribing records and the large number of individual entries, it is possible that a few errors will have crept in. If so, we regret this but the Society can accept no responsibility for any inaccurate transcription or error that may occur in transferring data into a format that is capable of being displayed on this website.
If you discover any errors, please let us know by emailing the details to the Transcript Organiser.