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Library subscription programme
Introduction to The Origins Network
The Origins Network (formerly Origins.net), founded in 1997, pioneered the provision of genealogical database services on the web and offers access to some of the richest ancestral information available, via British Origins, Irish Origins and Scots Origins. Most of this information is not available online anywhere else. Based in the UK, we have partnerships with key content owners in the Britain and Ireland and are committed to being the leading online provider of British and Irish genealogical data. New and exclusive high quality data is regularly added to our databases and we are partnering with an increasing number of organizations who own high quality source records.
By offering access to The Origins Network, you will enable your visitors to:
- Find information that is available nowhere else on the Internet
- Complement other online genealogy subscriptions
- Access key UK and Irish source records
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| "Origins.net is becoming recognised as the ultimate Web resource [for genealogy] in the British Isles..." |
| PC Basics Family Tree magazine |
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Our main services are:
British Origins: The richest source of British genealogy records online. Datasets currently online contain over 30 million names covering events from the 13th to 20th centuries: censuses of England & Wales, the largest pre-1837 English marriage index on the web, an extensive set of wills & probate indexes, a unique and valuable collection of apprentice records, burial records, court records, passenger records, militia records, and other collections of exceptional value to the researcher. Most or our records are not available anywhere else in digital form. New datasets are added every few weeks, and several million new records are in the pipeline at any time.
Irish Origins: The best source for Irish genealogy online, including the definitive version of Griffith's Primary Valuation of Ireland, the most important 19th century database for Irish genealogical research along with digitised versions of the Ordnance Survey maps and Irish town plans which were used and marked-up by the Griffith’s Valuation team. Among other important Irish records available exclusively on Irish Origins are Index to Irish Wills 1484-1858, 1851 Dublin City Census, and 1749 Elphin Census.
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| "Origins.net brings English, Scottish and Irish genealogy in tune." |
| Family Tree Magazine |
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Unique Primary Data
The Origins Network is known for its commitment to providing access to high quality data. Our partnerships with leading archives and genealogical societies in the UK and Ireland, including the Society of Genealogists, the National Library of Ireland and the Borthwick Institute for Archives, allow us to provide exclusive online access to important primary sources, abstracts and index databases, including definitive versions of key Irish material (Griffith’s Valuation). For many source documents, users of The Origins Network services can place orders online for hard copies.
The only other way to access most of this material is by traveling to the repositories in the UK and Ireland.
Technology Leaders
The first company to put official genealogical vital records online, The Origins Network continues to pioneer the technology of online genealogical record search and retrieval. All of our services feature NameX™, the most powerful name-matching technology available. Vastly superior to the widely-used Soundex, NameX™ will locate a wider range of genuine variants of a person’s name than any other software, vitally important when many names have common historical variations in spelling or are spelled incorrectly on important records.
British Origins (www.britishorigins.com)
British Origins is the richest source of British genealogy records online, featuring access to the genealogical collections of the Society of Genealogists and the Borthwick Institute for Archives among others. The bulk of our data is not available online anywhere else. New data is added every few weeks.
British Origins Datasets
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| "Origins.net is the only commercial website in the world offering the opportunity for users to view and order British primary source data online including births, marriages, deaths and wills, dating from the 1550's to 1925" |
| royvision.com |
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Census records
We believe our census indexes to be the most accurate available online. On average researchers will find 20% more records in our database compared to those of competitors.
See www.britishorigins.com/1841census-comparison.aspx
- 1841 & 1861 England & Wales Censuses
The Origins Network database includes a full index to and digitised images of the original census records for 1841 and 1861. Records are available for all counties in England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. Over 35 million names can be found in these censuses.
The census records are searchable by name, age, birth place, parish and county. The index records include the source record references, so that users with access to CDs of the original census records can use The Origins Network census index alongside these CDs.
- 1871 England & Wales Census
Full index plus images of source records. Counties already online are: Glamorgan, London- Kent, London- Middlesex, Middlesex (ex-metro), London-Surrey, Surrey (ex-metro), Staffordshire and Wiltshire. Further counties will be added in the coming months.
Marriage records
British Origins offers the largest database of English marriage records available online. Datasets include:
- Boyd’s Marriage Indexes 1538-1840 (exclusive to British Origins)
Approx. 7 million names, covering nearly 15% of all English marriages during the period covered. All English counties are included (though coverage is very variable). Many of the marriages included in this index are not indexed anywhere else. It is particularly important to anyone researching East Anglian ancestry for not only is little of the data available elsewhere (the International Genealogical Index, for example, has very limited coverage of this area) but the coverage is almost complete - over 95% of all the ancient parishes in Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk & Suffolk are included.
- Marriage Licence Allegations index 1694-1850 (exclusive to British Origins)
Covering the Faculty Office and Vicar General of the Archbishop of Canterbury; 670,000 names; hard copies may be ordered online.
Wills and Probate records
Wills are one of the most important sources for the family historian. The Origins Network has one of the most important, and rapidly growing, online collections of wills and probate record indexes and abstracts.
- “York series” of probate records (exclusive to British Origins)
The Borthwick Institute for Archives at the University of York holds nearly half a million wills, the second largest collection in England. Digitisation of their indexes is being completed in partnership with The Origins Network. Currently online are:
- York Medieval Probate Index 1267-1500,
covering over 10,000 wills proved in the Prerogative & Exchequer Courts of York in the period 1267 to 1500.
- York Peculiars Probate Index 1383- 1883,
covering over 25,000 wills proved in the fifty-four peculiar courts of the Province of York.
Copies of these wills can be ordered online.
- Prerogative Court of Canterbury wills index 1750-1800
Over 208,000 wills; hard copies can be ordered online.
- Bank of England Will Extracts 1717-1845 (exclusive to British Origins)
The index contains extracts of over 61,000 wills of people who died with monies in public funds, as well as abstracts of orders made for stockholders who went bankrupt or were declared lunatic. Hard copies can be ordered online.
- Archdeaconry Court of London wills 1700-1807 (exclusive to British Origins)
An index of over 5,000 records, containing numerous records of mariners.
Coming soon:
The Prerogative & Exchequer Court indexes for 1501 to 1857 (after which probate was conducted by the civil courts) are currently being digitised. The first batch, covering 1853-1857 will go online shortly. (exclusive to British Origins)
The Surrey will abstracts series includes detailed abstracts of all wills proven in Surrey courts between 1484 and 1857 – nearly 30,000 wills. This exceptional collection contains all personal names appearing in the wills (testator, beneficiaries, executors and witnesses), relationships, occupations, place names and plus details of the bequests. These records will be available in the third quarter 2006. (exclusive to British Origins)
Apprentice Records
Apprentice records are a particularly valuable and underused source of genealogical information. They typically identify the apprentice and his father, father’s occupation, and place of residence, as well as the master to whom the apprentice was indentured and his trade or livery company. So they give a fix on relationships, ages, dates, places and occupations.
- Apprentices of Great Britain 1710- 1774 (exclusive to British Origins)
Abstracts from tax records, these records are of exceptional value to the family history researcher. About 350,000 indentures, which include nearly a million names (apprentice, parent, master). from all over Great Britain are included; about 20% are Scottish.
- London Apprentices abstracts 1442-1850 (exclusive to British Origins)
Children from all over Britain became apprenticed to members of the London Livery Companies. An on-going project of Cliff Webb, who has so far abstracted the records of over 55 Livery Companies containing over 130,000 indentures. The index currently includes approx. 350,000 names.
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| "British Origins is an essential online stop. It has unique resources and key index tools (apprenticeship records and Boyd's indexes are my favourites) as well as a real commitment to quality." |
| Sherry Irvine, past President of the Association of Genealogists |
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Burial records
- Boyd’s London Burials 1539-1853 (exclusive to British Origins)
Index to burials of 240,000 adult males in London cemeteries.
Coming soon:
City of London Burials 1813-53 (exclusive to British Origins)
An index to over 36,000 burials in 76 parishes, about three quarters of the total in the City of London. Because of deficiencies in the pre-1866 publicly available statutory indexes, this index was continued beyond 1837.
Court Records
- Index to Inheritance Disputes in Britain 1574-1714 (exclusive to British Origins)
An index to 26,000 Chancery cases involving disputes over properties in the British Isles, New England and the American and West Indian Plantations. Includes TNA references.
- London Consistory Court Depositions Index 1700-1713 (exclusive to British Origins)
The Consistory Court of London was the main court dealing with matrimonial disputes. Cases in this index of over 3,200 names involve divorce and separation, breach of promise, arguments over estates and probate, defamation, and "criminous conversation”.
Coming soon:
Index to Chancery Proceedings of the Time of Charles I (exclusive to British Origins)
An index to all 82,000 cases in Chancery between 1625 and 1649. An abstract service for originals will be provided. (June/July 2006)
Military Records
- Militia Attestations Index 1886- 1910 (exclusive to British Origins)
Militia Attestations were documents filled in at the time of recruitment and contain detailed personal data including name, age, birthplace, employer, occupation, marital status, statement of service, next of kin, and information on personal appearance which is almost impossible to find elsewhere, such as colour of eyes and hair, height and weight. Currently containing 64,000 names, this index currently covers the 14 English and Scottish regiments; a further 6 regiments will be added soon. Hard copies of the original documents can be ordered online.
Miscellaneous records
- Boyd’s London Inhabitants (exclusive to British Origins)
These extraordinary records, among the most valuable of the Society of Genealogists collections, contain details of 60,000 London families from the 13th to 20th centuries. The high proportion of 17th century names makes this source of particular interest to North American-based researchers with pioneer ancestry. The average entry contains details of 6-7 other family members, but some contains information on dozens of family members. We have created a full index to digitised images of Boyd’s original manuscript entries, containing over 400,000 names and only available on British Origins.
- Trinity House Calendars 1787- 1854 (exclusive to British Origins)
This index, of over 6,500 names, to petitions to Trinity House for charitable aid by disabled seamen or their widows, provides access to an extraordinary amount of genealogical information. Hard copies of the original papers, which cover families from all over the United Kingdom, can be ordered online.
Future datasets
We have much more data in the pipeline than indicated in the “coming soon” sections above, so that there will be further regular additions of new material during your subscription period. Most of this new material will not be available online anywhere else. We shall also be extending considerably the facility to order hard copies of the original documents indexed in our database.
Among the datasets which will be available later this year are:
- Boyd’s Marriage Index Supplement: an on-going project to index London & Middlesex marriages which are not included in Boyds’ Marriage index (exclusive to British Origins)
- Surrey indexes and abstracts, including Surrey Lay Subsidy 1524; Surrey Feet of Fines 1714-1760; 15th-19th century cases in the Courts of Chancery, Exchequer, Requests, and Star Chamber (exclusive to British Origins)
- Somerset & Dorset Notes & Queries 1890-1980 – a fully indexed digitised version of this invaluable series from vol.1 to 30 (exclusive to British Origins)
- London Citizens, 1696 (exclusive to British Origins)
- Index to Yorkshire Marriage Allegations & Bonds 1613-1839 (320,000 names); (exclusive to British Origins)
- Vicar General Marriage Licence Allegations abstracts 1660-1694; approx. 45,000 names.
- Archdeaconry of Sudbury, Suffolk, Marriage Licences 1684-1839; approx. 40,000 names.
Irish Origins (www.irishorigins.com)
Irish Origins features key ancestral records from Ireland, a comprehensive placename database, tips and resources (including Irish source archives). Our partnerships with Irish organisations give us a unique capability to provide online access to key Irish material. New deatasets are added regularly.
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| “Now we can all trace our forebears with the launch of a new internet-based genealogy service called www.irishorigins.com…. It should also be hugely useful to the estimated 200 local history societies in Ireland and 11,000 family history societies in the US.” |
| Irish Independent |
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Irish Origins Datasets
Griffith’s Valuation (the definitive version available exclusively on Irish Origins)
In the absence of most of Ireland’s 19th century census records following the 1922 destruction of the Irish Public Record Office, Griffith’s “Primary Valuation” of Ireland (1847-1864) has become the "census substitute" for mid-19th century Ireland, and one of the most important sources for Irish family history researchers. It includes every property in the island of Ireland at that time, with the names of the occupier and lessor; nearly 2 million names in total.
The version of Griffith’s Valuation available via Irish Origins is essentially definitive. There is no complete set anywhere of the Griffith’s Valuation publications. In partnership with Eneclann Ltd and the National Library of Ireland (which has the most complete set of these publications), and with the cooperation of Valuation Office Ireland, National Archives of Ireland, the Genealogy Office, the Gilbert Library, and George Handran (an expert on Irish genealogy and especially Griffith’s Valuation), we digitised and indexed the most complete set of Griffith’s Valuation available. Every Irish townland is included. Of nearly 300 known Griffith’s Valuation publications, the Irish Origins set lacks only one (and we have an updated version of that particular publication). To the best of our knowledge, no other organisation holds more than 95% of the known publications. (The Irish Origins set contains all but one of the publications listed in James R. Reilly’s “Inventory of the Books of the General Valuation of Rateable Property in Ireland”, published by Clearfield, 2000, plus 3 publications not listed therein.)
Griffith’s Valuation maps and town plans (exclusive to Irish Origins)
The value of our version of Griffith’s Valuation is greatly enhanced by the availability, courtesy of Valuation Office Ireland, of a unique collection of over 5,000 digitised images of Ordnance Survey maps and town plans used in the valuation and marked up to show the townland boundaries and the individual “tenements” (plots of land, houses or other buildings). These maps and plans, covering every townland in the Republic of Ireland, are not generally accessible by the public. The large scale town plans – over 1100 of them – are particularly valuable, and show every building which was present at the time of Griffith’s Valuation in nearly every town and village in the Republic.
Index of Irish Wills 1484-1858 (exclusive to Irish Origins)
As the vast majority of Ireland’s testamentary records were lost in the 1922 fire, this index is particularly valuable. It lists records at the National Archives of Ireland that are not simply indexes themselves; ie there is a document worth looking at behind every entry in this index.
Each index entry contains the name of the testator or the person covered by a grant of probate or administration, with their address, sometimes their occupation, the place where the document was proved (eg a diocesan or the Prerogative court). The names of the executors are present in almost half the entries, with their addresses. In essence this index contains all the information contained in the National Archives finding aids (card catalogues, typed lists, and original summaries).
The 1851 Dublin City Census (exclusive to Irish Origins)
The 1851 Dublin City Census index was compiled in the 19th century by Dr D A Chart from the original census records, which were destroyed in the 1922 Public Record Office fire. Chart's index, which includes names and addresses of 60,000 heads of household, has now been converted to computerised form by Seán Magee, and is available online exclusively on Irish Origins. The index is accompanied by scanned images of the original 1847 Ordnance Survey Town Plans, to help users identify specific addresses.
The William Smith O’Brien Petition 1848 (exclusive to Irish Origins)
The William Smith O'Brien Petition is list of over 80,000 names and places from 1848/9, the time of the Great Famine. It is a valuable census substitute for that time, as well as an important historical resource. Full index of petitioners and images of the petitions in favour of this rebel leader are available for searching and viewing online.
Militia Attestations Index 1872-1915 (exclusive to Irish Origins)
An index to Militia Attestation Papers for over 12,500 militiamen in the Royal Garrison Artillery (present day Royal Artillery) in Ireland. A very fruitful data source for Irish genealogy, with information such as name, age, birthplace, employer, occupation, marital status, statement of service, next of kin, and information on personal appearance which is almost impossible to find elsewhere, such as colour of eyes and hair, height and weight. Hard copies of the original documents can be ordered online.
Passenger list: Irish ports to the USA 1890 (exclusive to Irish Origins)
Names of nearly 50,000 passengers who sailed from Irish ports to US destinations. Passenger information includes full name, occupation, nationality, age and marital status. These records have been compiled directly from the original lists held at The National Archives; these have not previously been indexed. These embarkation records frequently differ from the complementary records of disembarkation in the USA.
Dublin City Census 1901: Rotunda Ward (exclusive to Irish Origins)
This comprises a full extract of the 1901 census data for Dublin’s Rotunda Ward, and includes details of 13,556 individuals living in over 1,300 properties.
Census of Elphin 1749 (exclusive to Irish Origins)
This dataset contains records for nearly 20,000 people residing in the Diocese of Elphin (covers most of County Roscommon and parts of County Sligo and County Sligo) in 1749. Published in book form in 2004, the Irish Manuscripts Commission have made it available to Irish Origins. A full index accompanies digitised images of the publication.
Irish “Strays” from the 1841 & 1871 England & Wales census
Users of Irish Origins can search for people of Irish birth who were in England or Wales at the time of the 1841 and 1871 censuses.
Irish Origins Library: collections from the 19th Century
The Irish Origins Library includes digitised versions of rare 19th century books which offer fascinating glimpses of daily life throughout Ireland.
Coming shortly
The following datasets will be added to Irish Origins shortly:
- Index and transcription of the Gravestones and Memorials for Counties Galway & Mayo (10,000 names).
- Index and transcripts of the 1831 Tithe Defaulter Schedules (30,000 names). The people most affected by the “Tithe War” were those most affected by emigration and famine in the next generation.
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| “Both sites [Scots & British Origins] are wonderful resources for those with Scottish or English ancestry… Kudos to Origins.net for offering family researchers these services.” |
| Dick Eastman |
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NameX™
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| “[Origins] is a truly unique service… when coupled with the powerful name comparison engine (NameX), it would be difficult to find a more complete service for genealogical data for the United Kingdom." |
| RWAP Genealogy Software Review |
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NameXtm, a key feature of all The Origins Network products, is a proprietary name-matching technology, one of the most powerful and sophisticated search tools available on the Web. NameX powered searches locate a wider range of genuine variants of a person’s name than any other software, which is important as many names have common historical variations in spelling or have been spelled incorrectly on some important records.
NameX is vastly superior to the widely used Soundex for finding name variants. For example, in a list of 55 million surnames, NameX identified 147 highly plausible variants for the name Wilson; Soundex identified 1185 "variants", of which nearly 90% are unlikely in the extreme (e.g. Wahlgamath, Whilesmith, Willigenburg).
NameX works with both forenames and surnames, and can be set to different levels so that the user can tailor each search.
More information on NameX
User Testimonials:
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