My first posts as a librarian were in the old Southend Central Library and in charge of a small branch in Eastwood, not far from my birthplace, but I have been a registered user of Colchester Library since 1989. I must have experienced a few senior moments after chatting with its staff and relaxing away from the hurly-burly outside Dudley Diaper has kindly e-mailed me from Colchester Library to correct the information that I posted regarding the registers that the Colchester branch of the Record Office gave them when it closed, about a year and a half ago. All the original Essex parish registers went to the ERO in Chelmsford, but Colchester Library was given microfiche copies of nearly every one of them for the whole county. The fiche collection is so comprehensive that it is not felt necessary for it to be listed in the online catalogue, although the beginning and ending dates are different for each parish, of course. The ELAN catalogue does, however, include about 40 bound volumes of assorted parish registers (mostly published before 1914), a lucky dip for some of its users. Best wishes Peter Moll Tortola British Virgin Islands Spring wrote Sep 15, 2008: > Hi Maggie > > As you gather, the Colchester Record Office has been closed. Its > collection of parish registers, now in Colchester Library, are mostly > for North-East Essex. I did glance at a few of them, intending to > consult them properly later, but was not given a printed list. > However, they are all included in the Essex Libraries' online > catalogue. Which parishes are you particularly interested in? > The Library staff are very helpful and will be pleased to show you > where the registers are located. > Best wishes > > Peter Moll > Tortola > BVI > > Maggie Syrett wrote Sep 15, 2008: >> Could you please tell me which parish registers are in Colchester >> Library. I am back in the area, having moved overseas 15 years ago. >> I was going to take a trip to the Colchester Record Office.