York civic records project announced

Genealogists with links to York may be able to learn more about their kin after the announcement of a new project to create a comprehensive online database of the city’s civic archives.

The initiative, made possible thanks to a grant from The National Archives, will begin in April and is set to take two years to complete. The only currently existing index to the records, which date in some cases as far back as the 12th century, is a handwritten catalogue created by deputy town clerk William Giles in 1909.

“The civic archive tells the personal stories of thousands of people who lived and worked in York over the past 800 years, from tram conductors to mayors to street-sweepers,” says Victoria Hoyle, archivist at City of York Council. “Many of these accounts have been hidden in uncatalogued registers, photos and maps, and the new database will make it much easier for genealogists to find the records they need to trace their York ancestors. It will also give us a platform to digitise name indexes and card catalogues and open up the collections even further.”