QFHS created indexes to the Digests for five of the Quarterly Meetings which were previously available on CDs. The indexes created were for Durham, Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk and London & Middlesex.
These 5 Indexes can now be consulted by using the buttons below.
Conventions used in the transcriptions:
- Figures missing from dates in the Digest have been replaced in the indexes by #.
- [+] indicates further information is available, usually in the Notes & remarks column.
- Remarks within “ ” are taken from the Digest; those within [ ] have been added.
As the original surrendered registers can now be viewed inline through commercial companies, there are no intentions to produce indexes for the remaining Quarterly Meetings.
A Cumberland & Northumberland
B Westmorland
C Durham
D Lancashire
E Yorkshire
F Cheshire & Staffordshire
G Derbyshire & Nottinghamshire
H Lincolnshire
I Herefordshire, Worcestershire & Wales
J Warwickshire, Leicestershire & Rutlandshire
K Buckinghamshire & Northamptonshire
L Cambridgeshire & Huntingdonshire
M Norfolk & Norwich
N Gloucestershire & Wiltshire
O Berkshire & Oxfordshire
P Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire
Q Essex
R Suffolk
S Cornwall
T Devonshire
U Bristol & Somerset
V Dorsetshire & Hampshire
W Sussex & Surrey
X London & Middlesex
Y Kent
Notes on the QFHS Quaker Digest Indexes
These Indexes have been compiled from information contained in the Digests, shortening some texts (mainly in the description and residence columns) to save space. All the index files are in the sequence of surname, forenames and event date, unlike the Digests from which the entries have been transcribed. Although the Indexes have been double-checked and despite every care having been taken to avoid mistakes, regrettably there are bound to be amongst the 11,400 or so records some uncorrected errors.
In transcribing the Digest entries the intention has been to preserve the spelling of names of persons and places. The surname especially needs to be viewed with some imagination as there are numerous spelling variations. The contents of the description and residence columns have been subject to some editing. County names have been replaced by Chapman county codes (see Wikipedia, Chapman code).
The sequence of the columns in the Indexes differs from those in the Digests, the surname, forenames and date columns being shown first. The book and page number columns have been moved to the extreme right and beside each book no. is shown the TNA RG6 piece no. to facilitate finding the original register entries. The book and page numbers have been particularly difficult to read and may contain a larger proportion of errors.
Burial entries often contain two dates – the date of death and the date of burial. It is not unusual for there to be conflict between them; in such cases the date of death is more likely to be reliable. This is because the death note often gave the burial date by reference to the death date, the month (or year) being given as “the same” (as the death date) when the death occurred very near the end of the month and the burial perforce at the beginning of the following month. Another discrepancy is common when double-dating (eg 1758/9) appears in the death date but not in the burial date (probably just 1758 in this instance).
Multiple entries: An event was often recorded in more than one register, e.g. by the Quarterly Meeting as well as by the Monthly Meeting, and perhaps also in local registers. If the entries were identical the Digest compilers combined them into one entry. In these Indexes both the QM book and page numbers and the MM book and page numbers have been shown against the entry. In many cases, however, there is more than one MM source for the same event; the index then has one entry for each, even if the other details are identical.