The following announcement was written by The Origins Network:
A brand new website for Burke's Peerage has just been launched. Specialists in Irish and British online genealogy, The Origins Network (www.originsnetwork.com) have totally re-designed the Burke's Peerage Online service (www.burkes-peerage.net), making it much easier to search the rich genealogical database and to access an extraordinary range of detailed articles and essays on many aspects of the culture and traditions of the British Isles.
The Burke's Peerage Online database includes detailed genealogical information on over 15,000 families (some going back over 1,000 years) whose members shaped the history and evolution of Britain and Ireland and North America. Over a million family members are included.
In addition to detailed lineages of peers, knights and landed gentry, over 5,000 entries relate to current personalities - actors, politicians, artists, industrialists, architects, musicians - including Lord Goldsmith, the Attorney General; Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, the chef; Sir Paul Macartney; Baron [Norman] Foster, the architect; Dame Judi Dench; Sir Ranulph Fiennes, the explorer. There are detailed lineages of the kings and queens who ruled England and Scotland from the 9th century up to now, and of 42 US presidents and 33 UK prime ministers. But Burke's Peerage Online is much more than a database of family tree data: there are detailed - and witty - essays on Britain's 18th and 19th century prime ministers and on US Presidents; an essay in praise and support of the UK honours system; a guide to castles and stately homes in the British Isles; essays on artists and craftsmen; and many many more fascinating articles.
With many family records in Burke's containing hundreds of names it may not be as difficult as you imagine to find you have some connection to British Royalty or the US Presidency; Thomas Jefferson's entry lists over 2,500 descendants and that for George Washington lists over 1,000. An article on the site describes in detail how one researcher was able to confirm a connection to Edward III of England.
Often referred to as the “aristocracy bible” Burke's Peerage & Baronetage and Burke's Landed Gentry have, for over 175 years, recorded the genealogies and become the definitive guide to the major British, Irish and American families. Each of the family records has been meticulously researched by a team of professional genealogists to ensure the information is accurate and reliable. Burke's Peerage Online now offers a lower cost and more flexible access route to the rich genealogical data contained in the print publications.
The new site allows you to search on a family name or simply on the name of a person who may be mentioned in the records. You can restrict the search to people who were born, married or died within a specified period, to places associated with a person, to particular geographic regions, or to particular categories of record (eg Peerage, Contempory, American Families). The addition of NameX® (a proprietary name-matching tool) allows you to search for names even if you are unsure about the spelling.
Each online record has been structured so that experienced and first time users can quickly search and find information. The generations of each family are colour coded and indented to make the record much easier to read than in the print editions.
The two standard subscription rates are 24 hours’ access for £15.95 or annual access for £64.95.
[Anyone taking out a joint subscription to The Origins Network and Burke’s Peerage Online will benefit from a 20% discount for the first month. ]
Ian Galbraith, founder and Managing Director of The Origins Network stated:
“We are delighted that Burke’s chose to work with The Origins Network to develop further their online services. This partnership further strengthens The Origins Network’s position as a key provider of British and Irish genealogical data.”
Visitors to the new site can also enjoy the e-magazine (Atavus) with over 100 articles on genealogy, British history, traditions and related topics.
The more than a million names in over 15,000 family records in Burke's Peerage Online have been gathered from the following collections:
- Burke’s Peerage & Baronetage 107th Edition, including Knights, Scottish Chiefs and Scottish Feudal Barons
- Burke's Landed Gentry 19th Edition: The Kingdom in Scotland; The Ridings of York; The North West; The Principality of Wales
- Burke's Landed Gentry 18th Edition
- Burke's Landed Gentry Irish Families (Irish supplement to the 15th Edition of Burke's Landed Gentry)
- American Families with British Ancestry
- American Presidential Families
- British Prime Ministers
- The Atavus Subscriber Library
I was delighted to see this item - my maternal family appears in The Landed Gentry. I have not seen a current volume, and would love to know if my family data has been updated at all recently. I am a senior citizen living on social security, and cannot possibly afford even a 24 hr subscription. I was wondering if anyone with a subscription would do a free lookup for me? Send me an e-mail and I'll send you my grandfather's name - he will be the easiest to find, I think.
Posted by: Jane R. (Townsend) Hubbard | March 10, 2007 at 05:41 PM
Dick: Do you know whether Burke's Peerage Online can be accessed from any public libraries?
Posted by: R. Fitzgerald | March 12, 2007 at 10:13 AM
Yes, it is. For all the details, go to the web site at http://www.burkes-peerage.net/ and click on "libraries" in the menu to the left.
- Dick Eastman
Posted by: Dick Eastman | March 12, 2007 at 10:40 PM