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Monumental Inscription Transcribing News for 2012 (Updated June 2012)
Last year saw the completion of photographically illustrated transcripts for Sutton Courtenay (OXF-MI-SUT), and Bloxham (OXF-MI-BLO). Transcription work was also completed at Witney, St Mary's and this too has now been released as CD (OXF-MI-WIT). This year we have three OFHS transcribing teams running in parallel, one at Deddington continuing work started towards the end of 2011, a second at Cowley, St James. The third team started work at Appleton, building on a text based transcript started by Jill and Barry Muir several years ago but not yet released. It is being converted to our current illustrated CD format. The aim is to have all three of these projects complete and available on CDROM by the end of the year. There was very little updating and checking required at Appleton and this team have now moved on to Stanton Harcourt. Appleton just requires a few additional pictures taken (if the sun ever deigns to come out again this summer!) before the final CD is completed and ready for checking. So it is likely to be released in the next 2 to 3 moonths. Additional team members are always welcomed. No previous experience is necessary. If you think you may be able to lend a hand with any of these projects, please email me, Alan Simpson, at: mis@ofhs.org.uk We are also working closely with local transcribing teams in several other parishes, with a view to producing their transcripts in our standard CDROM format. If you have a project under way at your local churchyard, or are thinking about starting one, we would be very happy to offer help, advice and encouragement. Please email me at the address above.

Monumental Inscription Transcribing News for 2012 (Updated June 2012)

Last year saw the completion of photographically illustrated transcripts for Sutton Courtenay (OXF-MI-SUT), and Bloxham (OXF-MI-BLO). Transcription work was also completed at Witney, St Mary's and this too has now been released as CD (OXF-MI-WIT).

This year we have three OFHS transcribing teams running in parallel, one at Deddington continuing work started towards the end of 2011, a second at Cowley, St James. The third team started work at Appleton, building on a text based transcript started by Jill and Barry Muir several years ago but not yet released. It is being converted to our current illustrated CD format. The aim is to have all three of these projects complete and available on CDROM by the end of the year. There was very little updating and checking required at Appleton and this team have now moved on to Stanton Harcourt. Appleton just requires a few additional pictures taken (if the sun ever deigns to come out again this summer!) before the final CD is completed and ready for checking. So it is likely to be released in the next 2 to 3 moonths.

Additional team members are always welcomed. No previous experience is necessary. If you think you may be able to lend a hand with any of these projects, please email me, Alan Simpson, at:

mis@ofhs.org.uk

We are also working closely with local transcribing teams in several other parishes, with a view to producing their transcripts in our standard CDROM format. If you have a project under way at your local churchyard, or are thinking about starting one, we would be very happy to offer help, advice and encouragement. Please email me at the address above.

Illustrated Monumental Inscription Transcripts on CD
At Oxfordshire Family History Society we have pioneered a technique for producing Monumental Inscription Transcripts in the form of an Illustrated, Interactive CDROM complete with Plans, an Index and Photographs of every grave. Viewing the transcript requires nothing more than a standard web browser, thus making the transcript available to the widest possible audience. A small example of the final result, for the Church of St Peter-le-Bailey, can be seen by following the link to "View The Transcript" in the section below. Production of the CDROM has been automated by means of a set of software "tools" that we have developed. These are made freely available, for the benefit of other family history societies or individuals wishing to produce similar transcripts for their own local churchyards. They may be downloaded from their author's web site at www.shotover.org.uk/micd/ and include a comprensive Instruction Manual describing the complete process. No programming experience is required to use the tools, beyond the ability to create a simple web page. Even this is described in detail in another section of the same web site at www.shotover.org.uk/webweave/ which provides all the help needed for complete beginners. Page background bug in Firefox If you use Firefox as your web browser you may have noticed that part way down the Index of Names on any of our MI CDs, the textured background stops, leaving a plain white background for the rest of the page. This is a result of a bug in Firefox and there is nothing we can do about it. It affects all long pages. However the effect is only cosmetic. No names are lost from the index. The problem was first noticed in Firefox Version 7 and is still present in Version 12. You can read more about it on the Firefox Help pages at http://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/882572

Illustrated Monumental Inscription Transcripts on CD

At Oxfordshire Family History Society we have pioneered a technique for producing Monumental Inscription Transcripts in the form of an Illustrated, Interactive CDROM complete with Plans, an Index and Photographs of every grave. Viewing the transcript requires nothing more than a standard web browser, thus making the transcript available to the widest possible audience. A small example of the final result, for the Church of St Peter-le-Bailey, can be seen by following the link to "View The Transcript" in the section below.

Production of the CDROM has been automated by means of a set of software "tools" that we have developed. These are made freely available, for the benefit of other family history societies or individuals wishing to produce similar transcripts for their own local churchyards. They may be downloaded from their author's web site at www.shotover.org.uk/micd/ and include a comprensive Instruction Manual describing the complete process. No programming experience is required to use the tools, beyond the ability to create a simple web page. Even this is described in detail in another section of the same web site at www.shotover.org.uk/webweave/ which provides all the help needed for complete beginners.

Page background bug in Firefox If you use Firefox as your web browser you may have noticed that part way down the Index of Names on any of our MI CDs, the textured background stops, leaving a plain white background for the rest of the page. This is a result of a bug in Firefox and there is nothing we can do about it. It affects all long pages. However the effect is only cosmetic. No names are lost from the index. The problem was first noticed in Firefox Version 7 and is still present in Version 12. You can read more about it on the Firefox Help pages at http://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/882572

Monuments at St PETER-le-BAILEY, Bonn Square, Oxford
View the Transcript The redevelopment of Bonn Square, carried out in 2008, provided an opportunity to view and record a number of gravestones which had been buried since the existing church of St Peter-le-Bailey on the site was demolished in 1873 as part of a road widening scheme. During the redevelopment, archaeological work on the site was carried out on behalf of the city council, by Oxford Archaeology. They have generously made their transcripts and photographs of the grave stones available to OFHS. These are presented here in the same format used for OFHS own Illustrated MI Transcripts (available from the society as CDs).

Monuments at St PETER-le-BAILEY, Bonn Square, Oxford

View the Transcript

The redevelopment of Bonn Square, carried out in 2008, provided an opportunity to view and record a number of gravestones which had been buried since the existing church of St Peter-le-Bailey on the site was demolished in 1873 as part of a road widening scheme.

During the redevelopment, archaeological work on the site was carried out on behalf of the city council, by Oxford Archaeology. They have generously made their transcripts and photographs of the grave stones available to OFHS. These are presented here in the same format used for OFHS own Illustrated MI Transcripts (available from the society as CDs).

Monuments at St CROSS, HOLYWELL, Oxford
Balliol College has recently acquired a 999 year lease on the former parish church of St Cross, Holywell, Oxford. The church is to be used to house the college's Historic Collections under archival conditions, whilst the chancel will remain in use for occasional services. The monuments in the church and churchyard will be protected during the building works and will remain in situ after the work is completed. Dr John Jones, Fellow of the College 1966-2009 and Fellow Archivist from 1981, is supervising the work and has made a record of the essential details of the monuments. It is hoped that this will eventually be converted to a full transcript complete with photographs and published, either on CD or on-line. In the interim, John has made his summary available on the Balliol College web site for the benefit of Family Historians and others who may be interested. It can be found by following the links below. An Introduction to the Project Details of the Monuments Details of the Stained Glass (Note that these records relate to the church and the ancient churchyard, immediately beside it and not to the adjacent Oxford City Holywell Cemetery. Monuments in the latter were transcribed in 1986 and are included on CD OXF-MON.)

Monuments at St CROSS, HOLYWELL, Oxford

Balliol College has recently acquired a 999 year lease on the former parish church of St Cross, Holywell, Oxford. The church is to be used to house the college's Historic Collections under archival conditions, whilst the chancel will remain in use for occasional services. The monuments in the church and churchyard will be protected during the building works and will remain in situ after the work is completed. Dr John Jones, Fellow of the College 1966-2009 and Fellow Archivist from 1981, is supervising the work and has made a record of the essential details of the monuments. It is hoped that this will eventually be converted to a full transcript complete with photographs and published, either on CD or on-line. In the interim, John has made his summary available on the Balliol College web site for the benefit of Family Historians and others who may be interested. It can be found by following the links below.

An Introduction to the Project
Details of the Monuments
Details of the Stained Glass

(Note that these records relate to the church and the ancient churchyard, immediately beside it and not to the adjacent Oxford City Holywell Cemetery. Monuments in the latter were transcribed in 1986 and are included on CD OXF-MON.)

Contact Details
Information about current MI transcription projects may be obtained by emailing: mis@ofhs.org.uk Offers of help with transcribing will of course be especially welcomed!

Contact Details

Information about current MI transcription projects may be obtained by emailing:

mis@ofhs.org.uk

Offers of help with transcribing will of course be especially welcomed!

Registered Charity Number 275891

Monumental Inscriptions

View the list of available transcripts on our CD Sales Page