Ancestry.co.uk



Regarding guidelines set out in our genealogy policy, the RAHC will need a number of genealogy reference tools. As such, I have chosen to evaluate the online genealogy service, Ancestry.co.uk. This is a UK subsidiary of the American genealogy service, Ancestry.com. The UK service was launched in 2002, and offers ‘895 million searchable UK family history records’ (Ancestry.co.uk, 2011), with new records being added to their database every day. Through the service, members can search and locate the following records:
 * Census and electoral roles
 * Births, marriages and deaths (BMD)
 * Military
 * Wills and probate
 * Immigration and travel
 * Schools
 * Directories
 * Church histories

While most records – such as the census and BMD – appear to cover only the 19th and 20th centuries, other records go as far back as the 14th century. The service has both both simple and advanced search functions, with both offering speedy results. Through the basic search, users can enter their ancestor’s forename and surname, the place they lived and their birth year. Users can also add in an event (such as a marriage) and a related family member (such as a spouse). I searched the database myself so as to evaluate its relevance to the Rothwell area. Entering ‘Rothwell’ into the location edit box, the option of ‘Rothwell, Northampshire’ automatically appears. Searching under the surname ‘Phipps’, the 1901 England Census has a record on a 19 year old Frederick Phipps, living as a boarder at 256 Cross Street, Rothwell, and working as a grocer/shopkeeper. As such, it is possible to find genealogical information on Rothwell, which would be of use to the RAHC. It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of records available, which is one of the websites drawbacks. However, the website does offer a comprehensive Help & Advice Centre. Users can learn how to get started on exploring their family history, and how to utilise this when searching the online records. Advice is available on how to build a family tree, and how to publish and share this information with others. Other articles cover topics such as old handwriting styles, and how to decode this information. As the website says, ‘Understanding these ancient scrawls can often be the key to comprehending your ancestors’ lives’ (Ancestry.co.uk, 2011). The help article on Parish Records would be particularly useful to the RAHC. Despite its usefulness, the Help & Advice Centre is also problematic, as there appear to be duplications of links in different sections, which can make navigation confusing. The different help sections also have different page layouts, which can be visually confusing. On top of this, the amount of links on each page can seem excessive.

Regarding this reference tool’s audience, I feel it would be useful for staff and adult learners at the RAHC. The design interface and the abundance of information would be too complicated for children to navigate and use. While the website allows free access to basic information on the county of Northampshire, finding more detailed information on a Civil Parish, Ecclesiastical Parish or Town, such as Rothwell, requires online membership. Access to digitised primary sources is also only available through membership. The website offers a free 14-day trial period, if the RAHC wanted to make a decision on whether to invest in this product. After this trail period, the cheapest annual subscription rate works out at stg£6.95 per month. This would provide the centre with access to UK census records, BMD indexes, and basic family-tree-building software, among other features.

The company offering this genealogy service faces some ethical issues also. Many believe that historical government records should be the property of a country’s citizens. In the case of Ancestry.co.uk, this company has succeeded in monetising these records without any negative legal implications. While the company notes on its website that subscriptions are necessary to cover running costs, Ancestry.co.uk is a for-profit company. As such, while it may aim to help people find their ancestors, it also aims to profit from them as paying customers.



