Project progress to date

The Forest of Dean transcription project has now been running for just over three and a half years with a total of 700,000 records having been added to the database. The project currently covers 61 parishes in Gloucestershire, namely:-

Abenhall, Alvington, Arlingham, Ashleworth, Awre, Beachley, Blaisdon, Blakeney, Bream, Bromsberrow, Bulley, Christchurch, Churcham, Cinderford St.Johns, Cinderford St.Stephens, Clearwell, Clifford's Mesne, Coleford, Corse, Drybrook, Dymock, English Bicknor, Flaxley, Gorsley, Hartpury, Hasfield, Hewelsfield, Huntley, Kempley, Lassington, Littledean, Longhope, Longney, Lydbrook, Lydney, Maisemore, Minsterworth, Mitcheldean, Newent, Newland, Newnham, Norton, Oxenhall, Parkend, Pauntley, Preston by Ledbury, Ruardean, Rudford, St. Briavels, Staunton, Staunton by Newent, Tainton, The Leigh, Tibberton, Tidenham, Tirley, Tutshill, Upleadon, Viney Hill, Westbury & Woolaston.

together with 16 Herefordshire border parishes, namely:-

Aston Ingham, Bishopswood, Goodrich, Hope Mansell, Lea, Ledbury, Linton, Little Marcle, Marstow, Much Marcle, Ross on Wye, Upton Bishop, Walford, Welsh Bicknor, Weston under Penyard & Whitchurch.

8 Monmouthshire border parishes, namely:-

Chapel Hill, Chepstow, Dixton, Llandogo, Monmouth, Penalt, St. Arvans & Tintern.

And 2 Worcestershire border parishes, namely:

Longdon & Redmarley D'Abitot

In addition to these Church of England records, all of the Gloucestershire Forest of Dean non conformist records are being added to the database, together with the non conformist records from the Herefordshire and Monmouthshire border areas.

It is estimated that when the project is nearing completion in about 12 months time, the database will contain over 800,000 records.

For Gloucestershire we are now filming the most recent (post 1900) parish and non conformist registers, together with all the marriages from Gloucester parishes, and it is hoped that these will be completed by the end of the year.

For Monmouthshire we have been working closely with Mike John and have copied most of the available transcripts of border parishes from his website. We are currently adding Monmouth to the database.

Progress on the Herefordshire border parishes has been slower, but we will only need one more visit to the Record Office to complete the filming.

We have now started the task of photographing the pre-1812 Bishops Transcripts starting with the Gloucestershire parishes. So far 6 are complete or in hand, the plan is to send out the parish registers, the BTs and the current transcripts to volunteers, so that they can be checked and updated with any additional information which is in the BTs but not the parish registers.

There are also 11 Gloucestershire registers which are still held in the churches, and plans are now in hand to get the majority of these photographed this year. The parishes concerned are Abenhall, Beachley, Bulley, Churcham, Corse, Maisemore, Rudford & Tainton.

It's good to hear that so many researchers are benefiting from the database. We are greatly indebted to all the transcribers without whom none of this would have been possible.

Graham Davison
Project Coordinator

July 2009

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This report is available as a PDF document
Project progress to date 2009-07-06.pdf

Here HERE a TERRIFIC ACHEIVEMENT a very big Thankyou to all the transcribers
Terry 2424

An absolutely wonderful accomplishment! You should all be very proud!

Hi
I would like to say how much I appreciate all the time and effort that has been put into this project I`m sure its given a lot of pleasure to its users
Sylvia

A brilliant achievement indeed and one for which I think
most Forest of Dean Family History site users are most
grateful.
Many thanks to you all, your hard work and patience
is inspirational to say the least.

Angie

Without this wonderful database and website, I would never have been able to fully research my forest families. More power to you all, and a thank you, that words alone can't fully express.

Don Cameron.

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Don Cameron

A very big thank you. The work you have done is superb. Without the work you have done it would have taken many more hours and days to find my Husbands family.
Thanks again

It is wonderful what has been achieved in compiling these records and I have made very good use of them. I usually read through most of the postings on the Forum and only a few days ago found a missing family link in something Slowhands had researched which I thought had nothing to do with our family. I will now be able to check this on the Parish Records and find more relations. So look at everything, you never know what you might find!

A very big thankyou from Downunder. I have now found parts of the family I never new existed.

Tracy :)

Three years ago I knew nothing of the James family other than that my father was a Forester who left Coleford for Bristol in about 1900.
The Forest of Dean family site together with considerable help from a lady transcriber and Slowhands has enabled me to trace my family back to 1767 with certainty, and 1689 possibly.
Having visited the Forest on two occasions with a third visit pending, I have discovered not just dates of BMD but professions, Churches where they were christened and married. Copies of original death and burial records, burial sites, houses some of them lived in 1800s,locations of schools and much much more. MY SINCERE THAMKS TO ALL.
May I respectfully urge all like minded people who use the free material on this website to show their appreciation by making a donation.

K.G.W.James

I would not of been able to do my family tree without this marvelous site and I congratulate all those who have made this site possible.

I was directed to this website by a cousin found earlier this week!

It was a delight to see all the available information and it has been a great help.

My sincere thanks to everyone who has worked so hard to make this possible.
Maureen.

Thanks to all involved! I know of no other site that provides so much valuable information! I commend you for all your efforts! Thanks, again.

I have also found this site very handy in researching my Family and was surpised to find that my Forest Family oringinated from outside the Forest. I am also one of the many Transcribers and find it a very fascinating and worthwhile job.

Barbara