Ordnance Survey Name Books

1. What do I do if there is a Missing or Extra Line?
In the blank fields that appear under the image enter the name of the object into the 'List of Names' This should be entered the same, Upper or Lower Case, as the pre populated entries that appear in that volume. This is the only thing that should be entered, do not include type faces or any other remarks. Enter the spelling, authorities and description as before. Lines can be deleted using the same method, OR in the case of a whole line being removed use the delete button.

2. How do I add/delete the situation details?
The situation column entry refers to a sheet/plan that directly links to the OS Maps, so this needs to be accurate, so if you are unsure verify it by checking with the relevant map. If this field has been pre-populated you do not need to alter it. The format of entry is xxx (6" Map)or xxx.xx (25" Map), depending on the entry on the original. (NO other format should be entered) Multiple situations should be separated by a semi colon. e.g. 004; 005; 010. In the case of Roman numerals these should be converted to Arabic. Where 2 digits exist a leading ‘0’ should be entered eg. XI = 011. Where there are digits following the point eg. XI.1 you should check to make sure whether this is 01 or 10. It should be noted that the Situations in some of the Inner City volumes have not been pre populated nor are they included in the header, in this case, to maintain consistency, if the situation has been omitted you should do the same. Do not enter descriptive remarks. Removal of a situation can be made by deleting the whole line or clearing the text from the box.

3. The situation column has descriptive text, how do I enter that?
In some counties there is descriptive text in the situation column denoting the location of the object, for consistency we would prefer that this should be included at the beginning of the description. Whether entering it at the beginning of the description or in the extras box please put [situation] at the front of the text. If entering it in the description box, after the situation text please type the description details beginning on a new line. There is no requirement to add [description] in between. Please do NOT add it to the situation box.

4. What do I do with abbreviations?
The abbreviation should be entered followed by the word in full in square brackets. E.g. Min. [Minister] Vint. [Vintner]. Dr. [Doctor]. Compass points are also required to be expanded. Please follow the style of the original letters: s [south], N [North], E by S [East by South], nnw [north north west] etc.

Some abbreviations do not need to be expanded. There should also be a space between the abbv and the [---] and a space after the bracket before the next word.

5. How do I enter abbreviated forename?
Enter the forename in full, it does not have to be expanded in brackets nor does the abbreviation need to be entered. E.g Alex. = Alexander;
Rt.= Robert; Wm.= William.

6. How do I transcribe a description that covers several Place Names?
If possible split the description up and enter it against the applicable place name. If however the description does not lend itself to this enter the description on both lines, this is to ensure that when searching for a particular object it can be found.

7. How do I enter quotes from the Statistical Accounts, Paterson’s History, etc?
If these are not included within the description field these should be entered line by line in the Extra Info field, as opposed to continual text in the description. If you are unsure about any of the wording look up the applicable source e.g. New Statistical Account.

8. How do I enter the Index pages?
These pages should be entered in the Extra Info field, in one continuous column, separated by two hyphens, with a space either side. E.g. Object Name -- Sheet Name -- Plan -- Page No. This format will change from County to County, some surveyors only entered the Place Name and Page No., so adjust this accordingly. Where the Index has been written in Roman numerals these should be transcribed in Arabic, so that they actually read the same as the Situation Column, where applicable.

9. What do I do when parts of the image have been crossed out?
If the crossing out covers a placename/spelling/authority and description, i.e. the whole placename had been crossed through - then do not transcribe these, make a note in Transcribers Notes or Extras, either is acceptable, [Entry Scored Out] then the placename is all that is required - you are not required to create whole sentences of explanation. Usually this means it has been entered somewhere else, or sometimes there is a note in the margin by the surveyor, saying the object is uninteresting.
There are exceptions to this e.g. a note from the examiner saying 'not cancelled'. Check the Index to see if the name appears there and on what page, if it appears in the Index and on the page you are querying then enter it as normal.

If the crossing out is a spelling change or full name change then ignore these. We are only transcribing the final version and as per the pre-populated placename. We do not need the crossed out information.

10. What do I do if I can not decipher a word?
The best way to get help is to post your question in the forum, there are lots of people out there only too happy to help out. If it is a place name and due to poor writing by the surveyor, try looking at others pages to see if it appears again, the index (usually written in a better hand) or the relevant map.

11. Why did the image disappear?
Sometimes there may be an issue with the data we are receiving. If you come across this and it does not resolve when the page is refreshed please let us know.

12. There is a Title or information written at the top of the page, where do I enter this?
Any information found at the top, bottom or in margins, should be entered in the Extra Information Field. You do not have to transcribe printed details i.e. No 21, Form 136 or paper details. You also do not need to designate Header, Footer, or Margin.

13. There are some words I can’t read because they have been lost in the fold of the book, what do I do?
If you can make a guess as to what the word is, enter it in brackets. If you have no idea just enter a couple of dashes inside brackets and make a note in Transcribers Notes. If it is really bad then report it and hopefully a better scan can be obtained.

14. Should I be transcribing pencil notes on the page?
Yes, you should attempt to transcribe everything on the page. If they are not readily associated to an entry, you can enter it into 'continued entries/extra info' tab, and add any contextual information you need to.

15. How do I transcribe words which are underlined?
You can ignore underlining. You do not need to note it.

16. What do I do if the entries are in the wrong order.
To reorder the lines, click on the cross next to the name and drag it to where it should be, remembering to save when you have done this otherwise it will revert.

17. What do I do with ‘ditto’ or ‘do’ or 'there'?
Where these appear, omit the ‘do’ or 'ditto’ or 'there' and replace it with the applicable words from the line above. This happens a lot with the Place names.

18. How do I enter the 'Modes of Spelling' and 'Authorities'
These should be entered on separate lines, they should NOT be separated by commas or on just one line.

19. How do I enter continuation pages?
These pages are usually a continuation of the description from the preceding page, eg. Description of Parish at the beginning of the volumes. If the line does not exist a new line can be added and the description continued in the usual way as free running text. Where the continuation is a quote, letter or other form, then this should be entered in the Extra Info. Field. Please add to the beginning and/or end [Continued from page xx] or [Continued on page xx] at the beginning or end of the description box.

20. The surveyor has written 'As Above' in the listing for Authorities or in the description, do I just enter 'As Above'?.
There are various cases where the surveyors are a bit lazy and enter remarks e.g. As above, see page xx; see description for xxx; etc. In these instances it is easier just to copy and paste the 'Authorities' or 'Description' from the information referred to. This will make it easier for the reader, instead of perhaps having to go and look on previous pages.

21. The surveyor has written 'see description in Name Book of Parish X.' How do I enter this?
Where the Surveyor has indicated that the Object has been transcribed in another Name Book for a different Parish and there are no Spellings/Authorities listed, just enter the remarks as recorded. If there is no pre-populated field for the object enter it in Other Information.

22. Roman or Arabic Numerals?
There are various situations where the surveyors have used Roman numerals e.g. In the Description, header or a referral to another Sheet/Plan. Where Roman Numerals have been written in these instances, they should all be converted to Arabic. When used in a King's name e.g. James XI, this should be transcribed as seen.

23. There are several words that have been scored through, should these be included?No, if something has been crossed through by the surveyor, it does not need to be transcribed.

24. Should the spelling of Place names be modernised?
Under no circumstances should you amend the spellings given by the surveyor, even if they are incorrect. Only transcribe what is written, there is no need for comments/remarks to made.

25. Form 136 has a different layout, how do I transcribe this?
This form was used by the surveyors to collect their field notes, it often contained more information than Form No. 21 in the Name Book. These pages are normally found in the volume following the the pages of the relevant Parish, so there is normally a corresponding page which can be found in the index. It has a slightly different layout but the information should be transcribed as before. Normally you will have to enter a new line for each object, the Authorities are listed on the right hand side and can be found on the same line as the various spellings, you just have to follow them across the page.

In some there is a column for situation that contains text denoting the location of the place name, for consistency we would prefer that this should be included at the beginning of the description. Whether entering it at the beginning of the description or in the extras box please put [situation] at the front of the text. If entering it in the description box, after the situation text please type the description details beginning on a new line. There is no requirement to add [description] in between. Object and Parish columns should be entered in the Extras box [Object] XXXX or [Parish] Parish name.

Plan/sheet numbers can usually be found top left of the page, or use the index to find the corresponding page (Form 21) which is normally towards the beginning of the volume. See example in approved transcriptions.

26. Do I enter accents?
The answer is yes, any accents that appear on the original image should be entered as seen in the transcription. There are Alt codes for most of these or you may prefer to make up a word document and copy and paste. 

27. Blank Pages.
Please ensure that page is blank by scrolling down to the bottom. If there is a page number this should be entered followed by [Blank Page] to denote there are no further entries.
See transcription examples.

28. Ordnance Survey Staff Signatures.
The signatures on the OSNBs should also be transcribed in the Continued Entries/Extra Info box. They should be preceded with [signed].
The second signature is that of a civilian staff member who was part of the survey team. If they signed in full Civil Assistant please transcribe that. If they signed as C/A, C.A. c.a. or C. Asst. etc, this should be expanded as [Civilian Assistant]

29. Transcriber's Notes.
This is where you can note a difficult word, point out a missing word or add a small amount of contextual detail. There are no set guidelines on what to add here but please bear in mind that as a project we are transcribing what is written on the page and a lot of other links or information is not necessary. The viewer really should be doing their own research. The moderator will read, check and assess if your information is necessary and will delete what they feel is extraneous. So keep the notes to a minimum if you really must add something, but please don't spend your valuable time searching for extra information or providing links to other resources

30. Do I enter the description as continual text?
Yes you do, there is no need to put in line breaks. It's only the text in the Extra Info field that is entered line by line, this is for the ease of the reader usually in the form of letters or Quotations.