Cemetery records now available online

Almost 100,000 cemetery records are now available at the touch of a fingertip with the launch of a new records website by the Isle of Wight Council.

Aspiring genealogists will be able to search the burial ground information and 72,000 crematorium records by registering to the site, which holds the information for 12 cemeteries across the Island.

“A huge amount of work has gone into digitising all of this information and I hope residents will find it useful, for example, when researching their family tree,” said cabinet member for environment and heritage, Councillor John Hobart.

“It also ensures our archives are preserved for future generations and makes sure that the council reacts to the way that people are now choosing to search for this information.”

Ryde Cemetery – Copyright Basher Eyre and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

Bereavement services manager, Iain Donald, said: “Of course, we still have the resources for people to access this information in person.

“However, the benefit is that once registered on the new website, people across the world can access the records. Having the records online provides a valuable tool for anyone wishing to research their family history.”

The originals will be kept in the Isle of Wight Council collection and can still be accessed by the public, although digitising means damage to the documents is minimised.

The archives contain a valuable insight for anyone researching their family tree or the social history of the Island.

The new website can be found at: https://www.iw-bereavementservices.co.uk/