The new trial started 12 October 2017 of PDF copies of digitised historical birth and death records. The trial is scheduled to run for three months minimum at this stage.
Applications for each PDF cost £6, must be made online, and include a GRO index reference. At £6 instead of the usual £9.25 a definite saving and would make a good Christmas present or three.
Only births and deaths are available in the trial (The Dove Digitisiation project sadly was stopped before marriages or the rest of the certificates could be done sob, sob)
England and Wales records which are available as PDFs in this extended pilot include:
Births: 1837 –1916
Deaths: 1837 –1957
This is a continuation of the trial run a while ago.
The certificates have to be ordered from the GRO site using their indexes.
You should really go and look at these indexes anyway even if you are not planning on ordering any certificates because the GRO re-indexed the certificates as part of the digitisation project.
Previously Mother’s Maiden name only occurred in the index for births after 1911 whereas now using the GRO indexes they are available back to the 1 July 1837. Age at death is also now listed back to 1 July 1837 with a couple of caveats. There is no distinction as to whether it is 11 days, 11 months or 11 years old, so need to be aware. Both of these are a definite aid when looking for those common names when you need to distinguish between have a number of people in the same quarter, with same name and in the same registration district!
You do need to register on the site (it is free to register) and you will need to pay by credit card. The certificates will be emailed to you as a PDF. Last time the trial ran they took about ten days to arrive by email.
I am hoping they will be faster this time. Now off to make a list!