What's new: cataloguing projects

Data entry for the cataloguing projects listed below was completed during the financial year ending on 31 March 2009. In general, we release new descriptions gradually so that information becomes searchable as soon as possible. To restrict catalogue searches to a particular project, type its series reference (for example,  HO 47) into the last box on the catalogue search screen.  Once you have found something interesting, you can come and look at it yourself, or buy a copy without having to come to Kew.

Cataloguing update 2008-2009

C 11 Chancery Pleadings

Staff at The National Archives made corrections and added omitted data for 100,000 catalogue entries. We have added document type information, which will allow users to put together different parts of a chancery suit. These pleadings are an important source for family, social, economic and local history.

ED 103 School Grant Applications

This series comprises 140 volumes of correspondence (plus application forms, subscription lists, building certificates, accounts etc) from localities applying for grants to build schools. The material was only listed as 'Building Grant Volume 16' or 'Treasury Grant Volume C'. Cataloguers at The National Archives have created 7,686 new searchable entries with school names and places. 

Final data upload onto the Catalogue completed.

Foreign Office Country Codes

This cataloguing project has provided country code numbers for 22,000 Foreign Office records between 1906 and 1950. The enhancement covers the following series: FO 366-372, FO 382-383, FO 395, FO 627, FO 850, FO 930 and FO 953.

Now users can be a little less reliant on the Foreign Office index as the project puts together the name of the countries (using the country codes) and the content information already in the online catalogue.

So, if you have a former reference from the index cards such as code 36 file 225385 year 1916 you can search the catalogue for the modern file reference without having to consult the conversion tables. By entering in code 36 in 'scope and content' 1916 to 1916 in 'year range' and FO in 'department or series code' we discover that the document that we need will be found in FO 371/2740 Portugal code 36 file 38879-261548, 1916.

The first tranche has been completed covering files up to 1937 and these have been uploaded onto the catalogue. Files covering the Second World War and beyond have a more complex arrangement this is being investigated before the project can be brought to a conclusion.

PCOM 4 Prison Female Licences

These records were completely unsearchable. Users were faced with ranges of licence numbers and no content description. Now you can search PCOM 4 by name, age, crime etc. Our cataloguers have uncovered a wonderful resource, which sometimes includes photographs. This project has generated increased interest in these records. Digitisation licence signed with Ancestry.co.uk. (May 2009).

Final data upload onto the Catalogue completed

Supplementary Finding Aids Conversion

This long-term conversion project received a lot of internal funding over the last two financial years.  We had a target to complete 300,000 new descriptions per year but have managed to create over a million! Our retrospective conversion project for supplementary finding aids (which are only available at Kew) takes good information trapped in  indexes and manuscript lists and reworks it into online modern searchable descriptions. This project is saving you lots of time and travel! 

So far we have made name-searchable the Divorce files in J 77, Royal Marine attestation papers in ADM 157, probate inventories in PROB 31, and family disputes in Chancery in C 16, with many smaller improvements such as opening up law suits about shipping in the First World War in HCA 20 and HCA 27.

We still have about 500,000 descriptions extracted from supplementary finding aids which are still awaiting checking and upload – with Star Chamber cases from the reign of James I being the most lurid. These are full of witchcraft, abductions and all kinds of bad behaviour. Also still in progress is an attempt to understand Foreign Office Correspondence in detail by cataloguing the main correspondence series for 1906 – the year their card index started. To our dismay, we found that the card index only had a 50% coverage, so we have had to look at the original records as well. Try a search in FO restricted to 1906, using 'murder' or 'earthquake' or 'disaster' – you will find a lot of interesting material!

The Supplementary Finding Aids Project has now moved into a new phase, working with volunteers. If you are interested in liberating even more fantastic data from the many hundreds of volumes created by archivists over the last three centuries, please get in touch with our Volunteers Team at volunteer@nationalarchives.gov.uk, to say that you are interested in the SFA Project. We have work available for both off-site and on-site volunteers.

Judges reports on criminals in HO 47

This cataloguing project was undertaken by a team of 21 volunteers and took five years to complete with an additional three years for editing. These records are of particular interest to those researching convicts transported to Australia (the first volumes also include some transported to America). The date range covered is 1784-1830.

You can search the catalogue by name, place, crime, court, sentence and dates. Always remember to restrict your searches to HO 47. 

This project has generated increased interest in these records. Digitisation licence is in negotiation.

Final data upload onto the Catalogue completed.

Manchester Poor Law Union 1834-1872, in MH 12/6042 – MH 12/6043

Cataloguers at Kew created 1,045 item descriptions calendaring these records by folio in great detail. A variety of terms including names and places can be used to retrieve this very rich source of information.

Final data upload onto the Catalogue completed.

Easier searches for squadrons in AIR 27

Both readers at Kew and remote researchers had told us how difficult it was to find an operations record book for a squadron in AIR 27. There were so many hits taking users to odd-looking subseries entries which could not be ordered. Unfortunately, this particularly affected records from the Second World War, which were effectively hidden - and yet were what most people wanted.

We have now copied down data from the subseries titles across pieces and items in AIR 27. We have also moved the information under notes to the scope and content field field. As a result, all the descriptive text is now together so searching has been greatly enhanced. For example, a search for 500 Squadron now includes all the previously hidden pieces: AIR 27/1941-1947.

Uploaded in June 2009.

Convoy Lists within the Admiralty War Histories in ADM 199/2184 - ADM 199/2194

The Merchant Navy convoys were a vital lifeline to Britain during the Second World War. Information about these convoy ships was difficult to find as users had to consult the indexes in ADM 12 first. To make matters worse the convoy lists were described only by a range of dates.

Cataloguers at Kew have created 1,331 new items that can be searched by ship's name, convoy number, port of departure and by date. 

Final data upload onto the Catalogue completed.

Chancery Equity Pleadings: 12 unlisted boxes in the series C 4

There were no descriptions at all for the records in C 4/161 - C 4/173. These 16th century pleadings can now be searched by name and sometimes match up to the pleadings in C 1.

Final data upload onto the Catalogue completed.

National Coal Board: unlisted files in COAL 36/123 – COAL 36/1019

These registration files were reported by a member of the public as showing blank scope and content descriptions and no dates. There were 896 blank catalogue entries (out of 1019 within COAL 36). Now users can search these records by colliery name and by date.

Final data upload onto the Catalogue completed.

E 179 Hearth Tax Exemption Certificates for Norfolk and Suffolk

We have a rolling programme to catalogue these exemption certificates by county. These paper certificates, filled in by the officials of each parish, list the names of householders who were exempted from payment of the tax on hearths by reason of their relative poverty. Before the project these records had blank descriptions and were also undated. Now individual item entries have been created for each certificate. They can be searched by the name of the county, hundred and parish.

Final data upload onto the Catalogue completed for Norfolk, Suffolk.

Essex, London and Middlesex completed in June 2009. Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire are being worked on.

Collection of passports in FO 655 (whole series: 2,097 passports)

A collection illustrating the many different types of passport issued between 1802 and 1961. It includes some passports issued by Foreign Missions in this country to British subjects wishing to travel abroad.

These records could only be searched by place of issue and year. Now you can also search them by name and place of birth.

Linked to this project, the search register of passport applications for 1851-1856, 1858-1862 and 1874-1903 has been digitised by an external company independent from The National Archives and are searchable through their website.

Final data upload onto the Catalogue completed.

Passport Office: Case papers in FO 737 (whole series: 130 files)

Approximately 500 new item descriptions have been released during the year, with the following searchable information: name, place of birth, place of residence (when available), application number and date of application.

Final data upload onto the Catalogue completed.

The National Archives Cataloguing Strategy

The overall objective of our cataloguing work for records already in The National Archives' custody is to deliver more comprehensive and searchable catalogues, thus improving access to public records.  Making records searchable online is the ultimate goal of our strategy. To make online searches work well we need to provide adequate data and prioritise cataloguing work that tackles inadequate descriptions.  For example, we regard ranges of abbreviated names or file numbers as inadequate.
 
The National Archives Cataloguing Strategy Panel looks at how well projects would improve the searchability of our content and how well they meet business and user needs. The Panel assesses proposals for major cataloguing projects, assigning priorities and reviewing progress.

Submitting a project proposal

We would like to encourage a wide range of catalogue users to send their suggestions for catalogue enhancements, whether to individual entries or for major projects.

All improvement work goes through detailed planning and implementation stages.  Some projects are substantial; in these cases, it may be some time before the enhanced data can be made available to the public.

We welcome suggestions for catalogue improvement projects by email to the Catalogue mailbox or via our contact form.