What are Lists? How can they help you?

You may be looking for a particular Metcalfe in a particular parish ..... and so need to do some research?  STOP! Before you get started.... someone may have already done the research and sent it to The Society, and therefore completed the work for you!!! Search the ‘List of Lists’ to find out if that data has already been researched.

What is a List?

A List comprises of the FULL details of those individuals recorded by our members from any one source.  This can be from parish registers, census returns and members' own family pedigrees etc.: For example : "Ripon, North Yorkshire, Cathedral baptisms 1821 to 1900"..... means that details of all Metcalfes baptised at Ripon Cathedral between those years have been recorded.

Sending research results to The Society

Since The Metcalfe Society began members have been recording occurrences of the Metcalfe name in all its variances on lists - be it a short note, a handwritten list whilst visiting a church, a scanned image or typed up notes - compiling the details on paper and various media.   Whenever a member has completed some research, we request you send The Society a copy of these research results.  On receipt, these research results become a 'List'.  A list may cover a short or long time span, there are no fixed rules.  It is allotted a unique number, prefixed by a capital L and a description.  Then the data is added to our records and made available online, and a note made in the 'Sources' on the individual record.

What is the List of Lists?

There is an index of the many lists that have been submitted and the data has been incorporated into the searchable databases.  So if you are looking for a specific set of records, you can easily check to see if someone has already done the research for you.   When members search online they can check the List of Lists to see whether or not the data from that list has been incorporated into the Main Metcalfe Computer Index.

  • Included in Computer Index:  A 'Yes' indicates that the data from this list has been incorporated into the main Metcalfe Computer Index.
  • Available Online:  A 'Yes' indicates that the data is included in one of the online databases - such as the Wills database - or is searchable via the Main Menu/Main Search Screen

At the last count there were over 2,500 lists of varying length and details.  Some are census returns, BMD’s from parish records, wills, monumental inscriptions, seafarer’s from the National Archives, whilst others are from little known sources that individual family researchers recorded whilst looking for that elusive breakthrough.   Some of the lists are short and have only a few entries, whilst others run to many pages.  Although not all may be of interest and usefulness - they might just give you that piece of information which makes sense of the family conundrums we all tend to have at some stage.

An example of the lists that have already been uploaded to the Main Index are the Census Returns from the earliest in 1841 through to 1911 - with most of the Returns already added.  Some information from the 1921 Census and the 1939 Registration have also been entered.  Many of the earlier Parish Registers are already in the Main Index, but later ones are checked and added as they become available.

With later information, we do have to be careful to remain within the guidelines of data protection, so many of the 20th century records may not be included if the individual is still alive, even if we have been sent information on them.  We do need their permission to include them in the database.

Where do you fit in?   ...   We want your data!

We invite you, as a member, to find a little time and submit any data you may have that can be checked and used to update any of these superb research databases.  You never know who you will be helping and someone else may therefore be helping you!  Send all submissions to the Archivist (see Contacts).

Have you checked out the index to these lists ie the List of Lists, which is available in the Members Room.  You may be surprised at what there is.

As a member, you can help submit all the various snippets of data you hold to the Society and also search the Index to Lists for that elusive snippet you have been looking for.  It is all about sharing and helping each other.   So if you have a few hours (well, probably minutes really!), why not look at what information you have and send it to the Archivist  (see Contacts).   You never know what benefit it may bring to someone else, and better still, what connection it might make to a distant, and unknown, relative.   We look forward to hearing from you.