Oxfordshire Record Office & Oxfordshire Studies - Temporary Closure in 2011

Shane Bywaters · Guru

RE: Oxfordshire Record Office & Oxfordshire Studies - Temporary Closure in 2011

jane · Senior Member

Another reminder that Oxfordshire Studies will be closing in a fortnight's time:

"Oxfordshire Studies, which provides a local and family history service from the Central Library, Westgate, Oxford, will be closed to the public from Monday 14 February 2011."

"The closure is timed to coincide with the installation of self-service equipment in the Central Library. The library will re-open on Monday 7 March 2011, including a re-modelled local and family history facility on the second floor, with a selection of printed and electronic resources."

(from Oxfordshire County Council website)

Since the place is closed on Mondays and Wednesdays anyway, that's in fact only eight days left.

jane · Senior Member

A little bit of good news amidst the gloom: a little bird has told me that some local studies material will be left behind in the former Oxfordshire Studies space in the Westgate. As I understand it, this will be material that is duplicated in the libraries of OxS and ORO. This may well include parish register transcripts etc. Also I believe there will still be access there to computerised resources (the OFHS Search Services etc.). There just won't be any local studies staff there: instead the area will become part of the Central Library.

But I'm still wondering quite how I'm going to survive until May. For me genealogy isn't just a hobby, it is my bread and butter. Much of my work involves original documents that aren't online, and if I can't get to the documents I won't be able to take on any commissions, at least not for anyone with Oxfordshire ancestors. It looks like I will have to find another job for a while, or else find someone who lives near Kew and wants a lodger.

Jane

Linda · Senior Member

Thank you both for that information. I've got lots of additions and updates to make in my records as information has been pouring in recently on my 'branches'. Hopefully I'll be able to check up on the finer details at C.O.S before if closes and after that I'll venture into darkest Witney.

Linda

jane · Senior Member

Parish register transcripts at Witney Library
As Shane has said, coverage is pretty much limited to the Witney registration district. But there are a few excursions into the Chipping Norton and Woodstock registration districts. For example I'm sure Witney has transcripts for

Leafield
Ascott-, Milton- and Shipton-under-Wychwood
Chipping Norton
Charlbury
Finstock
Combe
Woodstock

The excellent booklet 'Oxfordshire Parish Registers and Bishop's Transcripts' by Colin Harris gives details of where original registers are, as well as Bishop's Transcripts and modern transcripts. If you're interested in a specfic parish, let me know and I can look up what Colin Harris says.

OTHER FAMILY/LOCAL HISTORY MATERIAL AT WITNEY LIBRARY

Non-conformist records:

Wesleyan Methodist baptisms for the Witney circuit (includes quite a wide area, not just Witney itself) up to mid-20th century
Primitive Methodist baptisms (Witney circuit?)
Witney Quaker births/marriages/burials (pre-1837 only)
Witney Independent/Congregationalist baptisms (and some deaths/burials)
also I think some records of the Cote Baptist Chapel

OFHS's Oxfordshire marriage index, 1530s-1837 (microfiche)

Census returns/indexes

1841-1901 census returns for the Witney area on microfiche, plus a wider area of Oxfordshire on microfilm
printed 1851 census transcript for the Witney registration district
printed surname indexes for Oxfordshire 1851
printed index for Witney registration district 1871

Newspapers (microfilm)
Witney Telegraph, Witney Express, Witney Gazette

Old maps
mostly for Witney itself, but a few items from the wider area, including a facsimile of the 1790s Davis map of Oxfordshire

Witney Library also has an excellent collection of local history books. Some of the rarer ones are kept in the stack, so check the catalogue as well as browsing the shelves. It also has past and current issues of the OFHS journal, OLHA journal, and 'Oxoniensia' as well as 'Record of Witney' and 'Wychwood History'.

also of course free access to Ancestry

So there's plenty to keep you occupied! And there's free parking in Witney!! And you can come and talk to me too!!!

Jane

Shane Bywaters · Guru

Hi Linda,

I know, I know, its a long time isn't it.

I'm sure Jane will know the full list of places with transcripts held in Witney Library off by heart, but I do know it's a pretty small subset of Oxfordshire, possibly just the Witney Registration District, it certainly doesn't extend out the Stonesfield.

From memory I think (?) the following are likley to be there:

Witney
Cogges
Curbridge
Eynsham
Hailey
Alvescot
Aston
Bampton
Brize Norton
Clanfield
Northleigh
Hanborough

Would need to check though to be sure.

Not much help, sorry!
Shane

Linda · Senior Member

Oh nooooooo. I've got loads of things to check. The Centre of Oxfordshire Studies is my favourite place. St. Lukes is two bus journeys away and you can't just walk in and out like you can at the C.O.S.

And that's not temporary closure - that's half a year.

Perhaps all is not lost - what about Witney Library? Have they still got their Parish transcriptions?

Not happy - Linda

Shane Bywaters · Guru

Hi All,

In a previous post Linda mentioned:

'How do you find these things Shane? Have you been locked in the stores at St. Luke's over Christmas?'

Well, I wish, but sadly not.

As we can from the below message, the ORO is currently closed, and will be until May 2011!!!!!

http://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/wps/portal/publicsite/councilservices?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=http://apps.oxfordshire.gov.uk/wps/wcm/connect/occ/Internet/Council+Services/Leisure+and+culture/History+and+heritage/Oxfordshire+Record+Office/

Oxfordshire Record Office is closing on Saturday 27 November 2010 at 5pm for conversion to take in Oxfordshire Studies and the Oxfordshire Health Archives, creating a single history centre for the county. It was originally hoped that the office could remain open for part of the building project, but this has proved impossible without going over budget. The Record Office will therefore be closed to the public until May 2011. Oxfordshire Studies will remain open in Central Library, Westgate, until mid-February, when it will close to pack up its holdings for transfer. Find out more.

You can also see from this that Oxfordshire Studies will be closed from mid February aswell until May.

So, if you need to get to Oxfordshire Studies, be sure to do it in January hey!

Thanks,
Shane