Hertfordshire Archive records to be digitised

From FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk)

FINDMYPAST.CO.UK TO PUBLISH HERTFORDSHIRE ARCHIVE RECORDS ON THE WEB.
Project announced to increase access to up to 4 million baptism, marriage and burial records dating back to 1538 .
First time that images of the original parish records from Hertfordshire will appear online

Leading UK family history website findmypast.co.uk has today announced at the Who Do You Think You Are Live Show at London's Olympia that it has been awarded a digitisation contract by Hertfordshire Archives & Local Studies. This significant new project will lead to the publication online for the very first time of between 3.5 and 4 million historic records from the Archives. The records are expected to launch later this year and will become fully searchable, only at findmypast.co.uk.

Spanning the years 1538 to 1990 (1910 for baptisms and 1928 for marriages), the records cover parish churches and bishops' transcripts from the whole of Hertfordshire, including:
. historic Hatfield, childhood home of Elizabeth I and the birthplace of the jet airliner
. the garden cities of Letchworth and Welwyn
. Ayot St Lawrence, home of writer Sir George Bernard Shaw
. Hemel Hempstead, Watford, Cheshunt and Barnet

Guy Strachan, Digitisation Manager at findmypast.co.uk, said: "The addition of these historic records from Hertfordshire Archives & Local Studies to findmypast.co.uk will be keenly anticipated by family and local historians alike, and will undoubtedly reinforce the website's position as the place to go for UK parish records."

Susan Flood, County Archivist at Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies, added: "This is a fantastic step forward for us to have our parish registers available on the web for all to access easily."

The joint announcement by findmypast.co.uk and Hertfordshire Archives & Local Studies was one of a number made by the rapidly expanding family history website at the 3 day Who Do You Think You Are Live Show, where it has a major presence. There they will be showcasing the many record collections on the site, including parish records from Manchester Archives, Cheshire Archives and over 40 million parish records from family history societies throughout the UK, in partnership with the Federation of Family History Societies.

Anyone wishing to be notified when the Hertfordshire Collection becomes available can register online at findmypast.co.uk to receive a newsletter.

(With thanks to Debra Chatfield)

Chris