Anyone understand TNA..

[Harrys mum]

I have been trying to get a copy of a document Mary found at TNA.

It seems to be a contest to a will for my OH's missing gg grandfather. TNA gave me a cost estimate of:

Free if I go to Kew (bit expensive for the plane though)\

14.40pounds plus 8.90 pounds postage to my mailbox.

89.90 pounds if they send a digital copy.


I've ordered and paid for the posted copy as I think that is a reasonable price and I'm desperate to find this fellow. He's been missing since 1853. But why can't they have either a download (like the wills) or email it.

I don't mind paying the postage....it just seems extra work for them.

Anyway.....it's paid for now, so fingers crossed it will tell me something.

[Mary from Italy]

Goodness, that's a terrible price for a digital copy.

If it's any consolation, the orphanage records for my Emil Inman were held by the Qld State Archives, and they insisted on sending them on a CD at the price of AUS$25.

The CD contained a 40 MB file, which turned out to be a tiff image file containing a one-line entry in the admissions register.

[Phoenix]

It seems unlikely as it is a (relatively) recent document, but it may be the size that renders an email copy impractical. Some documents are a yard across by two feet tall and reading them is extremely difficult. If you attempted to print them on an ordinary printer, the image would be so small that they would be impossible to read.

[Harrys mum]

Sounds like they learned from each other. You'd think it would be easier to make it available as a download.

This is 32 A3 pages, so well worth the 23 pounds, but I'd have paid that for a download as well.

[Harrys mum]

It seems unlikely as it is a (relatively) recent document, but it may be the size that renders an email copy impractical. Some documents are a yard across by two feet tall and reading them is extremely difficult. If you attempted to print them on an ordinary printer, the image would be so small that they would be impossible to read.

Didn't think of that. The wills I was posted from Lancashire were a large size paper as well.

[Harrys mum]

Goodness, that's a terrible price for a digital copy.

If it's any consolation, the orphanage records for my Emil Inman were held by the Qld State Archives, and they insisted on sending them on a CD at the price of AUS$25.

The CD contained a 40 MB file, which turned out to be a tiff image file containing a one-line entry in the admissions register.

Did you get any other entries or just Emil's?? You could sell them on Ebay.

[Mary from Italy]

They blanked out all the other entries, and the date of admission says ditto, so I've had to e-mail them to ask what the date was.

[Christine in Herts]

They blanked out all the other entries, and the date of admission says ditto, so I've had to e-mail them to ask what the date was.

That's naughty! At that price, they should at least have taken enough care to make sure you got the info you'd paid for. I reckon they should send you a fresh copy - for free.

Christine