FLHIG

Family and Local History
Indexing Group

Selected articles from the Newsletter

This article first appeared in SIGGNL 3 - November 1993

Indexing Quarter Sessions Records: the Shropshire Experience
by Tony Rydings

Origins

This project was set up by the Shropshire County Records Office (as it was then called) in collaboration with the Shropshire Family History Society in 1991.  It has involved several members of the Society, backed up by Records Office staff, and continues with changing participants.  An account of operations may be of interest to others who are contemplating similar projects, which may be useful not only to family historians but to those researching in local history and other social studies.

From the beginning it was envisaged that, on account of the size of the project, it would be set up on computer.  The SFHS already used computers for both house-keeping and information storage, and had some experience of designing database projects for running on PC-FILE III.  The first decisions therefore concerned which should be the fields in which the information should be stored, and which of the fields should be indexed.  A mimeographed form was designed on A4 size paper, onto which the data would first be transcribed by a team of volunteers from the SFHS, and from which in due course the information would be transferred to computer files. 

Outline procedure

At this point the possibility of using MACREX for indexing the data was investigated.  It seemed logical to combine the two programs, PC-FILE for initial input, and MACREX for indexing, and this has proved successful.  The procedures were built up largely empirically, and were recorded as we went along, so they have had to be amended more frequently than efficiency requires.  The instructions now amount to more than 12 A4 pages, though they are used more as aides-memoires for the editor than in everyday work.  They form the basis of the more detailed parts of the present paper.

Use of cross references

Work proceeds in the following manner. Each quarter bears a reference number in the form QR followed by three digits, e.g. QR326.  The records are mostly on single sheets, but may be in bundles of anything up to several dozen pages of manuscript, each of which is given an item number at the same time that it is entered on the mimeographed forms already mentioned.  When all quarters for a year have been entered up, they are usually sent as a batch to one of several computer owners who have kindly volunteered to transfer the data to computer files.  A file contains the data of one quarter.  The batch comprising all the quarters for that year is returned all together for the next stage.

This stage uses the "reports" function of PC-FILE to create separate files for each quarter of names, places and trades.  The last of these includes not only trades and occupations, but titles such as baronet, reverend, etc., and descriptive phrases such as "infant aged 3 years", "wife of Charles", etc.  A great deal of editorial work goes on during this process, so that as far as practicable data which relates to the same person or place is indexed under the same form of name.  More will be said later on the efforts made towards standardisation.  Also in this stage the "reports" function is used to create a contents list for the quarter, in which each item number is tabulated together with the names of the persons, places and tades and a brief indication, normally abbreviated, of the type of document.

Editing the computer files: contents lists

IWe then have four files for each quarter: a contents list in the original order of the documents, and separate lists of persons, places and trades.  The contents lists will remain in the same order, while the other files will be sorted by computer to create the indexes.  The following is a reproduction of part of a single sheet of the forms which are filled in by the history Society's team of workers, and from which the files are produced:

Several points should be noted.  First, the [third] column headed "Role in Document" has never been used [and is consequently omitted here] - though see the comment on this, in the conclusion to this article.  Second, the three positions at the top left are constant throughout a quarter, and provide a reference similar to the volume number in a set of volumes.  The item number is that which is given to each sheet or bundle of records when they are entered on the forms, and there are thus four fields required for the reference to each item (year, quarter, ref no, item no).  The headings across the top of each column are the names of the data fields (type of document, surname, forename(s), trade, place).  Examples of index entries generated for the material in the above extract are shown later, in the format in which they are output by the "reports" function of PC-FILE.

PC-FILE uses fixed-length fields, and an early problem was to decide on lengths of the various fields.  Some, such as year and quarter, are obvious, but others are not, and experience suggests that where there is any doubt it is safest to add up to 25% to the length to allow for the occasional exception: computer storage costs are continually dropping, and one can often abbreviate if there are difficulties in the eventual print-out.

Such difficulties are most likely to happen in the contents lists, since they are printed in tabular form as shown below.  Using condensed type the majority of entries are easily accommodated, but as each must be kept within a single line, there is not much latitude for quite frequent problems, such as:

     (trade)      Asst overseer of the poor

Sample Contents List

Editing the contents lists is relatively straightforward, since the sequence of entries does not normally have to be changed (though occasionally a page may have been accidentally entered out of order).  The computer program used is Volkswriter version 3, which can produce a standard ASCII file.  The original page headings produced by PC-FILE are deleted and new ones provided by Volkswriter, which include headings for each column.  In the first five-year cumulation (see later for the process of cumulating the indexes) the reference number (QR326, etc) was shown against each entry, but in later cumulations this column has been omitted and the reference number shown at the head and foot of each page instead.

For each of the index files, each entry undergoes much more treatment between its input to PC-FILE and its incorporation into the index.  The place file is the simplest, with just three fields, for place, reference number and item number.  For this, the output of reference and item number from PC-FILE has to be modified to a form which MACREX will recognize, e.g.

          from QR326  1      to      326.1

This means little to the human eye, but makes all the difference to the computer. The result for that part of the file relating to the form illustrated above is thus:

     Crickheath                     369.1

     Tetchill                          369.2

     Kynaston                       369.3

     Oswestry: West Ward    369.4

     Lower Porkington           369.5

     Lowr Porkington             369.6

     Trefonen                        369.7

     Oswestry: West Ward    369.8

     Oswestry: West Ward    369.9

     Woolston                      369.10

The entries for Oswestry: West Ward and Lower Porkington are concatenated when the entries are processed by MACREX.

 As well as modifying the reference/item numbers for all entries, care must be taken that all place names are shown in a standard form.  For places in Shropshire, the gazetteer compiled by H.D.G.Foxall for the County Council (1967) is used as the standard.  Where two places names are included, the larger is shown first, e.g.     Donington par.: Kilsal

More complicated is the editing process for the trade index file.  Here is a slightly different part of this file as it is output from PC-FILE.

  Gypsy,                               STEVENS           Elizabeth               369.2

  Nailer,                                ROBINSON         James                   369.14

  Registrar of births/surgeon,  HASLEWOOD     George Bowler       369.14

  Solicitor,                            COLLIS               William Blow          369.14

  Midwife,                             MASON              Susannah              369.14

  Surgeon,                            LAWTON            William                  369.14

  Constable,                          PARKES            Thomas Alchurch   369.14

  Surveyor,                            FOWLER           William                  369.15

  Surveyor,                            HOUGHTON       Dugdale                 369.15

As well as the field for reference/item numbers, there are here three other fields, and the punctuation shown is important for the proper sorting of data by MACREX.  Checking must therefore be done meticulously, and takes considerably longer than any other part of the process.

 After each field (other than the contents lists) has been checked in the form in which it is output from PC-FILE, it is input into MACREX, where most of the work of producing a set of index files is done by the computer.  The present article will not attempt to show how this is achieved, but extracts from each of the index files are shown at the end of the article.

The description of operations so far deals with the product of one quarter of the records.  Cumulating each of the indexes, first into a file for one year's records, and then into a five-year period, is another automated process carried out by MACREX.  There are, however, two processes which have been mentioned in passing, one of which is mainly intellectual, while the other is greatly facilitated by the MACREX program.

 First of these has been described as "standardization", or the use of one particular term whenever the same item is indexed.  It has been explained how this is achieved for place names, by reference to a gazetteer for places in Shropshire, and the same process extends also to places elsewhere.  For the wide range of terms which may be used in the "Trade-etc" field, an attempt has been made to introduce our own standard set of terms, though this is still embryonic. The greatest difficulty relates to personal names, and while the original transcripts rightly adhere to the normal practice of precise copying, this practice does not apply to indexes.  As stated in the introduction to the indexes, "It does not follow that all references to, for example, William Taylor are to the same person, though references which appear to be to the same person under different spellings are brought together at the most frequently used spelling, with references from variations."

The other procedure which calls for mention here is that of uniformity of corrections, and the editor is conscious that, although MACREX provides the means of achieving this, it is all too easy to forget to switch on the printer, which may result in the correction in one file being omitted from another.  During editing of a MACREX file one has the option of printing out each entry in which a correction is made.  But some corrections do not call for alterations elsewhere, while for example a corrected surname in the name index requires a similar change in the trade file.  Editorial practice must be modelled accordingly, to ensure consistency.

The order in which the different files are made depends largely upon the sequence in which the materials reach the editor.  It is preferable to deal with all files for one quarter together, but even this may need some variation, if some query arises that has to be settled before editing of a particular file continues.  Experience has shown that to edit the index files before the contents lists involves less hassle than the other way around.

One editorial task better left to be carried out during cumulation than done earlier is adding references between variant or related terms.  MACREX provides several ways for setting them out, though the present writer tends to deal with them by word processor.

I shall be happy to receive comments or questions regarding the project or the computer programs which we are using.

*Sets of the six microfiche for 1831-1835 may be purchased from Mrs C. C. Abram, Larkrise, 16 Glentworth Avenue, Morda, Oswestry, Shrops. SY10 9PZ, price £6.00 plus postage (minimum rate for either first or second class inland).

Sample extracts from microfiche indexes

SHROPSHIRE QUARTER SESSIONS ROLLS

Name Index 1831-1835 QR326-349

SHROPSHIRE QUARTER SESSIONS ROLLS

Place Index 1831-1835 QR326-349

High Walton QR345 22, 58, 92, 94                                Hopton Castle par. QR328 139

Highley     QR326 230; QR327 47; QR328 162;              Hopton Heath QR328 267/043

                QR329 90A; QR332 168/020;                        Hopton Hill QR328 137, 139

                QR333 279/065, 279/071, 279/079;                Hopton see also Pimhill Hund.: Hopton

                QR337 82, 84, 85                                         Hopton Wafers QR326 220, 221, 232;

Highley?   QR348 35                                           

 SHROPSHIRE QUARTER SESSIONS ROLLS

Index of Trades, etc. 1831-1835 QR326-349

Entries in this index are arranged first according to occupations etc.; second by place; and third by surname (in capitals).  More than one occupation or status is shown in the form Joiner/juror, with entries under both joiner and juror (no more than three).  Where no place is given this is shown by --.  Variations in surnames are not always indicated, and different forms of surname may appear in adjacent entries for the same person.

Accomptant:                                                                Attorney's clerk: Bridgnorth, EVANS QR332 150

Lilleshall, MACHING QR335 166, 167, 169, 170              Auctioneer:

Lilleshall: Donington Wood, MACHING QR335 9B           --, CHURTON QR336 87

Accountant: Priors Lee, WOOLLEY QR349 69               Newport, HOLLAND QR340 93

Age 15: Montford, DAVIES QR340 36, 71                      Bailiff:

Age 64; Stottesdon par.: Truckhill, LANE QR330 250      --: JEFFREYS QR340 10

Age 70: Ashford Carbonell, CURRAN QR349 190

Age 75: Stanton Lacy, COLEMAN QR344 194

Note: From QR350, 1836 the sub-heading for place will be omitted, subdivision under trade being only by surname.

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