Discovery Webinar
 

I've just watched a Webinar on using Discovery (the National Archives catalogue).

If people are interested I could try to summarize the main points.

I'm not aware of having any problems using Discovery, but that doesn't mean I'm certain I'm getting the best from it! lol

What have you got to tell us? :D

Thought I spotted you Elizabeth, with the Chancery question if I am not mistaken. I was the quiet one in the corner making notes:d

Chris

Hi Chris, yes I asked the Chancery question.

What did you think of it?

I don't have much of a problem with Discovery but I know lots of people find it difficult.

Two main methods of searching:

Simple search
Advanced search

(Please excuse me if I'm stating the obvious!)

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/

The Discovery catalogue is arranged by Government department - each record is allocated to a Government department.

Simple Search
Search by key word.

E.g. I can search for the word "Cocking".
You don't need the inverted commas, but I use them a lot.

You get a message: Records 21,736
along the blue bar.

You can now use the filters.
These can be seen down the left-hand side.

1. By who holds the record - the National Archives or some other repository.

If you want the National Archives holdings you click on that option and it reduces the number of hits.
You can choose just those that can be downloaded.

2. By date
One of my favourite ways of filtering the results is by date.
Tick the box you want - the division is by 100 years. e.g .1700 - 1799
Then press the blue "refine" button.

3. You can filter by which government department holds the records.

These are some examples:
C - Chancery, the Wardrobe, Royal Household, Exchequer and various commissions (773)

PROB - Prerogative Court of Canterbury (347)

ADM - Admiralty, Navy, Royal Marines, and Coastguard (198)

E - Exchequer, Office of First Fruits and Tenths, and the Court of Augmentations (32)

HO - Home Office (28)

HCA - High Court of Admiralty and colonial Vice-Admiralty courts (20)
T - HM Treasury (17)

WO - War Office, Armed Forces, Judge Advocate General, and related bodies (17)

IR - Boards of Stamps, Taxes, Excise, Stamps and Taxes, and Inland Revenue (13)

SP - State Paper Office, including papers of the Secretaries of State up to 1782 (10)

TS - Treasury Solicitor and HM Procurator General's Department (10)

Will continue later.

No doubt I should know where they keep this list! I tend only to use the ones I can remember - it would be easier if I could find the list instantly.

Thank you Elizabeth :)