1911Census.org.uk

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Charges for viewing records
From: Mrs. J.C. Joslin Wed 17 Jun 2009 11:59
 
I don't see why we have to pay for viewing ancestry records, because this is a two-way thing. Many times when I've accepted a hint in Ancestry and copied the information onto my family tree, I find that I've also got information that Ancestry DIDN'T have. This, of course, is retained by Ancestry and their database becomes more complete, but I don't get paid for giving them that information. I think it is very unfair, and it applies to all the search sites, not just Ancestry.com.

I wonder how many people agree with me on this subject. I'm not mean and I expect to pay for copies of Birth, Death and Marriage certificates, but I think it's about time the other charges were stopped. We only have 3 Free BMD sites but the rest are all chargeable.

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Charges for viewing records
From: Sheila McLean (--@--.--) Wed 16 Dec 2009 8:23
 
Hi,
I have to agree that it is quite ridiculous that I will have to pay to get a list of my father's siblings from the 1911 Census. I feel that I am paying sufficient fees as a member of Ancestry.com as it is. I am with Mrs. Joslin in that I have no objection to paying for a copy of birth/death certificates, but it burns me a little that I have to pay to view a Census that is long past,
Sincerely,
Sheila McLean

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Charges for viewing records
From: D Dearn Tue 22 Dec 2009 8:38
 
I agree with the other comments. I live overseas and the cost of researching ones ancestry is outrageous to say the least.I'm the same as the others, I don't mind paying for certificates. Some websites have gone to far and are way over the top with search fees.I can't walk into the archives to manual search the web is all I have and so pay the price,that hurts!Its mounting into the thousands of dollars now for me. Multiply that by a few million people and somebody is getting very very rich of a our given right to search our family history! Sincerely D Dearn

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Charges for viewing records
From: Joy Owen (--@--.--) Tue 29 Dec 2009 22:38
 
I think it is a disgrace that we have to pay to view our ancestry records. I would willingly pay for copies of birth/marriage/death certificates but charging to view records of family history is totally and utterly wrong. This bad practice needs to be stopped. I can view records from the 1901 and 1911 Irish census for free on the Irish Archives website and can even save a copy of the record to my computer. If anyone from the Census site is reading this please review this.

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Charges for viewing records
From: jack Sat 26 Jun 2010 20:18
 
Am I the only one who finds it rather shocking that you have to pay a private company for what is essentially a public record held by the government?
Bear in mind that ,by law, everyone had to fill in these details and so therefore paid for the collection/storage etc of the data in their taxes and the likes.Why exactly are these documents only available online through private companies at a fee?
Somehow does`nt sit right that private companies are making money out of peoples family history.YET the average person (who is still paying the government,through taxes etc, for storage/etc of the records) Has to pay a private company for their own family details
Would be curious to know if anyone has thought about the legal implications of this curious situation

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Charges for viewing records
From: Kate Wed 30 Jun 2010 12:21
 
I use Ancestry at my local library and Family History Centre free of charge. It might be worth checking with your local library if they have this facility.

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Charges for viewing records
From: Neil Williams (--@--.--) Sat 28 Aug 2010 9:44
 
I believe under the Freedom of Information Act Census details should be available and free of charge.This is government information collected on our behalf and private companies should have no interest in this and be able to run a charging business with this information.All data should be freely available. Also the 100 year rule is a joke-why should release of information be delayed for so long.The goverment say because it may cause embarassment in certain situations. So it is ok for government to hold this but not for us to know. Typical. By the way your library does not have 1911 census as it is still chargeable and not a free service even under Ancestry

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