Query about sources

[Kate]

Hello, am I right in thinking that a source like Essex, England, Church of England births and baptisms 1813-1921 would include all the earlier ones, like 1813-1913? Also, would that apply to all similar sources when the date is changed due to an update?
I ask because I have several sources recorded with different dates and could possibly tidy them up.
Thank you

 

[peter]

Hello, am I right in thinking that a source like Essex, England, Church of England births and baptisms 1813-1921 would include all the earlier ones, like 1813-1913? Also, would that apply to all similar sources when the date is changed due to an update?
I ask because I have several sources recorded with different dates and could possibly tidy them up.
Thank you

It can certainly cause problems when sites like Ancestry and Findmypast change the name of a record set to reflect later updates - the previous record set just disappears, and in some cases links that worked previously don't work any more.

However, there is a more fundamental issue - is that transcription-only dataset really the source, or is the source actually the parish register held at Essex Record Office?

Essex is unusual in that Ancestry do not have the rights to the images - these are hosted by Essex Archives Online, and only available with a separate subscription (or on a pay-per-view basis) - but even if they did have the images now, they might not in 5 or 10 years' time when their contract runs out

A final thought - I do hope that you're not relying on the transcribed information. Even if it is correct, it may not provide all of the information that is in the record.

 

[Kate]

Thanks for your help. Yes, the full source description is more detailed and I should have been clear that I was referring to the record set in the card catalogue.
I should have thought of checking for myself and the baptism I have looked for is certainly there.
Regarding relying on the transcription, it is obviously better to see the original record, however the original is not always available or accessible and some of us have to consider cost.

 

[Susan48]

the original is not always available or accessible

And the scanned images are not always legible!

 

[peter]

And the scanned images are not always legible!

In which case the transcript is likely to be even more unreliable than usual - if, indeed, the record has been transcribed at all. All the more reason to view the register images!

Regarding relying on the transcription, it is obviously better to see the original record, however the original is not always available or accessible and some of us have to consider cost.

Baptisms from 1813 onwards can be just about legible if you follow the link from Ancestry to Essex Archives online, then magnify the mini-image shown. It's not ideal but it's better than relying on the transcript alone. If you have a large number of Essex entries to check a 24 hour subscription for £21 is worth considering (I can remember when it used to be £5).