The Merchant Taylors' Company Membership Index 1530-1928 is now available for the first time online and on CD. Search the full records online at www.parishregister.com, or buy the CD and browse the entire Index at your leisure.
Project Introduction
In 2005 James Legon, the founder of Docklands Ancestors, wrote to the Merchant Taylors Company asking permission to transcribe and publish the Company’s Membership Index 1530-1928. A consumate enthusiast and expert in genealogical research specializing in the transcription of valuable genealogical documents, and focusing primarily on London and the Docklands, James was delighted when the Merchant Taylors Company gave the go ahead for the project.
The database has been constructed by hand transcribing all four volumes of the Merchant Taylor's Membership Index (now Guildhall Library Ms 34037/1-4); it consists of some 36000 entries. The company has always had a large membership, and is one of the most popular for family history enquiries to Guildhall Library. It is also one of the “Great Twelve”, the twelve companies acknowledged in Tudor times to be the City’s wealthiest and most important.
Giving something back
Docklands Ancestors are voluntarily contributing to the Company’s Livery and Freemen Fund in return for the privilege and honour of allowing us to take on the project. A percentage of the Membership Index database search sales, and of the sales of the CD-Rom that we have made to accompany the searchable database will be donated. All of us at Docklands Ancestors are proud that we were the first to make the baptism records of Tower Hamlets available in an easily searchable format, and the Merchant Taylors' project ties in well with our aims of making searching for your ancestors an easier and more productive experience.
