The following announcement was written by Findmypast:
Open a window into the lives of your Manchester ancestors, with 4.9 million records added to the collection of Manchester Rate Books
· Dig into more detail with the Browse version of Manchester Rate Books
· Discover the verdict behind unexplained deaths with Oldham Inquisitions
· Plus, three brand new Manchester newspapers have been added, helping you uncover colour and context
The star of the show this week is the addition of 4.9 million new records to this existing collection, taking the total number of records to a staggering 13 million. ‘Rates’ were taxes collected to support local services, such as poor relief and roads, so you should find details of your Manchester ancestors paying the required rates. You’ll see their name, address, and even the name of the person who owned the property they occupied, meaning these records are also handy for house history research.
Greater Manchester Rate Books Browse
In addition to the above, 215,002 browse-only rate book images have been released. The indexed collection typically includes all years ending in 1 or 6, while the browse-only collection includes every year in between.
Oldham Inquisitions, 1905-1917
If your Oldham ancestor died in a suspicious or unexplained way, there may have been an investigation to determine their cause of death. This new collection of 749 records offers detail-rich original images, including witness statements and the final verdict.
Four brand new titles, updates to a further nine, and a total of 63,325 new pages make up this week’s newspaper releases. Three of the four new additions are Manchester titles.
New titles:
· Altrincham, Bowdon & Hale Guardian, 1871, 1874-1887, 1893-1894, 1898
· Ashton Standard, 1858-1861, 1865, 1877, 1879, 1889, 1896-1897
· Bolton Journal & Guardian, 1876-1877, 1879-1880, 1889, 1897, 1899, 1916-1918
· Saturday Telegraph (Grimsby), 1902-1904, 1906-1907, 1910, 1914-1916
Updated titles:
· Chester Chronicle, 1958, 1961
· Crewe Chronicle, 1989
· Dover Express, 1876-1887
· Grimsby & County Times, 1901-1902, 1906, 1910, 1914-1916
· Huddersfield and Holmfirth Examiner, 1874, 1894, 1896, 1938, 1954
· Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 1928, 1945, 1949, 1955, 1957, 1961, 1982
· South London Observer, 1881-1888
· Surrey Mirror, 1986
· Vale Advertiser, 1995