Family Records Centre
Encyclopedia
The Family Records Centre (FRC) provided access to family history
research sources mainly for England and Wales
. It was administered jointly by the General Register Office
(GRO) and The National Archives.
It opened in March 1997 and was fully operational by the following month. It was situated at 1 Myddelton Street, Clerkenwell
, London
, close to the London Metropolitan Archives
. It closed in 2008.
Throughout the FRC, there was free access to a wide range of family history material, databases and internet websites. Staff were always available to provide help and advice on family history research and there were regular one-to-one family history surgeries and computer skills tutorials. Talks on family history topics took place every week and other events, including exhibitions and conferences, were organised. There were good facilities for customers with special needs, and there was a small bookshop next to the entrance on the ground floor and a refreshment area with vending machine
s and lockers for personal belongings in the basement.
Its main resources were indexes to civil registration of births, marriages and deaths on the ground floor (provided by the GRO), and the Victorian census
returns on the first floor (provided by The National Archives).
books (red covers for births, green for marriages and black for deaths) in three sections respectively, with each section arranged in date order. Using the details from an index, a copy (certificate) of the corresponding birth, marriage or death entry could be applied for at the cashiers' section on the same floor. Other indexes at the FRC included some births, marriages and deaths of British nationals which took place abroad, indexes of legal adoptions in England & Wales from 1927 onwards, and various indexes of war deaths in the armed forces in both World Wars.
The births, marriages and deaths indexes were originally at Somerset House
until the 1970s. In the early 1980s, the births and marriages indexes were at St Catherine's House, at the northeast corner of the intersection of Kingsway
and Aldwych
, and the deaths indexes were at Alexandra House, farther up Kingsway. After more space was made available at St Catherine's House, the deaths indexes were moved from Alexandra House. Finally, they were all moved to the FRC in 1997.
Before the FRC opened, the census microfilms were at the Public Record Office
(now part of The National Archives) in Chancery Lane
for some years, after having been moved from the Land Registry building, Portugal Street, London WC2A, where they had been since at least the early 1980s.
by the end of 2008. Official press releases were curiously vague about plans for the births, marriages and deaths indexes housed on the ground floor. During October 2007 the index volumes in question were progressively removed from public access to a closed archive in Christchurch, Dorset
, however.
The closure date was later brought forward to 'early 2008'.
The ground floor (GRO section) of the FRC closed on Saturday 27 October 2007, and the rest of the FRC closed on Saturday 15 March 2008.
Family history
Family history is the systematic narrative and research of past events relating to a specific family, or specific families.- Introduction :...
research sources mainly for England and Wales
England and Wales
England and Wales is a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom...
. It was administered jointly by the General Register Office
General Register Office
The General Register Office for England and Wales is the section of the UK Identity and Passport Service responsible for the civil registration of births , adoptions, marriages, civil partnerships and deaths in England and Wales and for those same events outwith the UK if they involve a UK citizen...
(GRO) and The National Archives.
It opened in March 1997 and was fully operational by the following month. It was situated at 1 Myddelton Street, Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell is an area of central London in the London Borough of Islington. From 1900 to 1965 it was part of the Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury. The well after which it was named was rediscovered in 1924. The watchmaking and watch repairing trades were once of great importance...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, close to the London Metropolitan Archives
London Metropolitan Archives
The London Metropolitan Archives are the main archives for the Greater London area. Established in 1997, having previously been known as the Greater London Record Office, they are financed by the City of London Corporation....
. It closed in 2008.
Throughout the FRC, there was free access to a wide range of family history material, databases and internet websites. Staff were always available to provide help and advice on family history research and there were regular one-to-one family history surgeries and computer skills tutorials. Talks on family history topics took place every week and other events, including exhibitions and conferences, were organised. There were good facilities for customers with special needs, and there was a small bookshop next to the entrance on the ground floor and a refreshment area with vending machine
Vending machine
A vending machine is a machine which dispenses items such as snacks, beverages, alcohol, cigarettes, lottery tickets, consumer products and even gold and gems to customers automatically, after the customer inserts currency or credit into the machine....
s and lockers for personal belongings in the basement.
Its main resources were indexes to civil registration of births, marriages and deaths on the ground floor (provided by the GRO), and the Victorian census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
returns on the first floor (provided by The National Archives).
Births, Marriages & Deaths Indexes
The births, marriages and deaths indexes were in large, heavy, hardcoverHardcover
A hardcover, hardback or hardbound is a book bound with rigid protective covers...
books (red covers for births, green for marriages and black for deaths) in three sections respectively, with each section arranged in date order. Using the details from an index, a copy (certificate) of the corresponding birth, marriage or death entry could be applied for at the cashiers' section on the same floor. Other indexes at the FRC included some births, marriages and deaths of British nationals which took place abroad, indexes of legal adoptions in England & Wales from 1927 onwards, and various indexes of war deaths in the armed forces in both World Wars.
The births, marriages and deaths indexes were originally at Somerset House
Somerset House
Somerset House is a large building situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, England, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The central block of the Neoclassical building, the outstanding project of the architect Sir William Chambers, dates from 1776–96. It...
until the 1970s. In the early 1980s, the births and marriages indexes were at St Catherine's House, at the northeast corner of the intersection of Kingsway
Kingsway (London)
Kingsway is a major road in central London in the United Kingdom, designated as part of the A4200. It runs from High Holborn, at its north end in the London Borough of Camden, and meets Aldwych in the south in the City of Westminster at Bush House. It was built in the 1900s...
and Aldwych
Aldwych
Aldwych is a place and road in the City of Westminster in London, England.-Description:Aldwych, the road, is a crescent, connected to the Strand at both ends. At its centre, it meets the Kingsway...
, and the deaths indexes were at Alexandra House, farther up Kingsway. After more space was made available at St Catherine's House, the deaths indexes were moved from Alexandra House. Finally, they were all moved to the FRC in 1997.
Census Returns for England & Wales
The 1841 to 1901 census returns for England & Wales could be consulted at the FRC and were accessed mainly online by searching for individuals by name. The 1841 to 1891 census returns were also available on microfilm, while the 1901 census was also available on microfiche. A selection of street indexes and other search aids were also available.Before the FRC opened, the census microfilms were at the Public Record Office
Public Record Office
The Public Record Office of the United Kingdom is one of the three organisations that make up the National Archives...
(now part of The National Archives) in Chancery Lane
Chancery Lane
Chancery Lane is the street which has been the western boundary of the City of London since 1994 having previously been divided between Westminster and Camden...
for some years, after having been moved from the Land Registry building, Portugal Street, London WC2A, where they had been since at least the early 1980s.
Other Microfilm Resources
Other microfilm resources available included wills and administrations from the Prerogative Court of Canterbury up to 1858, which could also be searched online, death duty registers, from 1796 to 1858, and many nonconformist registers (mainly pre-1837).The Demise of the FRC
On 21 June 2006, it was announced that The National Archives' staff and residual services at the FRC would be relocating to The National Archives at KewKew
Kew is a place in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in South West London. Kew is best known for being the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens, now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace...
by the end of 2008. Official press releases were curiously vague about plans for the births, marriages and deaths indexes housed on the ground floor. During October 2007 the index volumes in question were progressively removed from public access to a closed archive in Christchurch, Dorset
Christchurch, Dorset
Christchurch is a borough and town in the county of Dorset on the south coast of England. The town adjoins Bournemouth in the west and the New Forest lies to the east. Historically in Hampshire, it joined Dorset with the reorganisation of local government in 1974 and is the most easterly borough in...
, however.
The closure date was later brought forward to 'early 2008'.
The ground floor (GRO section) of the FRC closed on Saturday 27 October 2007, and the rest of the FRC closed on Saturday 15 March 2008.