Somerset Record Office

Anyone who is interested in their family history will, at some point, need to visit a County Record Office. Although you can access an awful lot on-​line these days (especially the UK census records from 1841 and the births, marriages and deaths index from 1837), to go back further you’ll need to examine the Parish Registers detailing baptisms, marriages and funerals. These were produced by law from the mid 1500s onwards, although some have been lost or damaged, so the record is often frustratingly incomplete.
Luckily for me, three branches of family came from Somerset, so the records office here has been a regular spot to visit. Housed in a rather domestic looking building, the staff are friendly and helpful, and its opening hours are pretty good for such an office.
Most of the records have been copied into microfiche, so you’ll need to book a microfiche reader before you go. They are easy to use, but instruction is available if it is your first time. Some of the records are hard to read and it takes time to adjust to reading negatives. It’s also worth swotting up on your cursive script, used in most of the records from 1700 onwards.
Anything before 1700 is likely to use Elizabethan Secretary script, an English variant of gothic script, as well as Latin abbreviations, which really needs some tuition before you can get very far. (There are some excellent free on-​line tuition sites).
All record offices have rules to preserve their stock, and their peace and quiet. This really is like an old-​fashioned library — shhh! No bags, mobile phones, headphones or pens are allowed in — essentially only paper and pencils — but there are lockers at the reception to leave your stuff. You can take in a digital camera for photographing certain documents (subject to copyright) and you are allowed your laptop — there are even power sockets in the reading room for this.
If it is your first visit, you will need to register for a Reader’s Card, often referred to as a CARN (County Archive Research Network) card. This can be done on the spot. Take photo ID with your address — a driving licence is ideal. This is then valid for all UK Record Offices, for 5 years.
There’s also a small area to eat food and drink, with a hot drink and water dispenser, away from the archive and reading rooms. Car parking is available on site, and in the surrounding streets if that is full. It’s about a 10-​minute walk north-​east of the railway station, and there’s a bus stop on nearby Priorswood Road.
You are allowed to look at the original document, if the microfiche copy really is in poor condition. In this case, you have to weat disposable gloves, and there are rules about how to turn and support pages. If this sounds a bit anally retentive, remember that these documents are irreplaceable and unique, over 250 years old, and that parchment and vellum pages are fragile.
Equally, if you are into family history, there is something amazing about handling the register of your great-great-whatever-grandfather’s marriage back in the 1650s. Be prepared for some unwelcome (although, to me, fascinating) discoveries: finding out that your ancestors included suicides, swindlers and other assorted criminals can be unnerving, as can discovering the (almost inevitable) case or two of illegitimacy. To me that’s all part of the interest — there’s nothing more dull than finding that all your ancestors were illiterate but law-​abiding peasants!
If this all sounds a tad intimidating, don’t be put off. The staff are used to helping novices starting out, although it helps both you and them to have done some basic research on-​line first, and to look at their web-​site, which provides all sorts of helpful information.
Happy hunting!