My local registry office at Doncaster is prepared to do one search of 5 years either side of a proposed date for a marriage however if that turns up nothing they will not carry another out for that particular person/marriage. On another list I subscribe to its been noted that according to law the registry offices at reasonable times are supposed to allow you to search the registers however this isnt being done. Again at Doncaster they will let ya search the register index for a fee. That I know doesnt help our overseas researchers. Personally I dont see how legally the superintendant registrar can actually do what you have suggested rob ========Original Message======== Subj: [N'Yorks] Purchasing Certificates Date: 21/06/2003 08:25:42 GMT Daylight Time From: <A HREF="mailto:jesson@hallwalk.karoo.co.uk">jesson@hallwalk.karoo.co.uk</A> Reply-to: <A HREF="mailto:ENG-NORTH-YORKS-L@rootsweb.com">ENG-NORTH-YORKS-L@rootsweb.com</A> To: <A HREF="mailto:ENG-NORTH-YORKS-L@rootsweb.com">ENG-NORTH-YORKS-L@rootsweb.com</A> Sent from the Internet (Details) For what it's worth I'd like to add my two pen'orth to the discussion re. the above. A couple of days ago I received information from a Register Office (not in Yorks) as follows: "Due to an ever increasing demand from Family History Researchers, Local Register Offices have now been instructed only to provide certificates from entries that can be 'identified'. For a marriage entry this means the exact location (church)as well as the date (day/month/year) that the marriage took place." I'm not sure if this is a countrywide direction, but I do know that friend carrying out research in yet another county has received similar information. Of course we have such as www.middlesbrough-indexes.co.uk, which would suggest that some areas at least, are willing and able. Hope this is of use to someone. Jo ==== ENG-NORTH-YORKS Mailing List ==== Uh-Oh!!! <----- Missed or deleted a post that would put a crack in your wall? Remember, day and night, the RootsWeb Archives are always there to browse or search from http://www.rootsweb.com . ============================== To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237