Help Page

How do I conduct a search?

Enter your search term or terms in the AnyText box to conduct a free text search across the entire catalogue. If you enter more than one term, then by default the search will only find your terms if they occur as a phrase.

If your search is successful, you will be presented with a summary list of records matching your search terms. These are displayed in reference number order; click on Date to sort the results into date order.

How do I use advanced search?

Advanced search can be used where you want to improve your search results and retrieve the most relevant descriptions.

Use Title or Description to search the title or description fields of the catalogue record only. These fields describe the nature and content of the archival item.

Use Date to narrow the search to a particular date or period. A wide range of date formats can be used, such as a specific date or year, date ranges (1950-1955) and decades (1950s). Entering 1950-1955 will bring up all documents created between those dates. If you search for documents for a specific year your search results will include not only catalogue entries with that exact date but also those covering the period in which that date falls, e.g. a search for 1943 will also include 1940s and 1938-1945.

Use the DocumentRefNo search box if you already know the alphanumeric reference number of the collection or item which interests you.

Combining several of the search options (e.g. AnyText, and Date) can help you to refine your search and retrieve the most relevant descriptions.

Word options: If you enter more than one search term in a box, by default your search will only find your terms if they occur as a Phrase, e.g. ‘AnyText = Datchet church’ will find all records where the words occur in exactly that order. Alternatively, you can combine terms within a search box using either And or Or. For example, select Word options And to find records containing both the words ‘Datchet’ and 'church' occurring separately within the same record. To find records which contain either of the words 'Datchet' or ‘church' select Word options Or.

Field options: If you enter search terms in more than one box, by default your search will only find records which match all the terms, e.g. combine ‘AnyText = Datchet’ And ‘Date = 1940s’ to find Datchet related archives dated between 1940 and 1949. Alternatively, selecting Field options Or combines the search terms ‘AnyText = Datchet’ Or ‘Date = 1940s’ to find all Datchet related records and all 1940s records.

How do I use refine search?

Refine search can help improve your search by excluding irrelevant records, or increasing your results by adding records missed in your initial search.

Widen: This will increase your search to include additional search terms. For example if you initially searched for ‘Datchet’, but also want to include records for ‘Wraysbury’, typing ‘Wraysbury’ as your second search term and hitting Widen will search for all records containing the word ‘Datchet’, and also all records containing the word ‘Wraysbury’. /P>

Exclude: This will reduce the number of hits by excluding certain records from your results list. For example, if you searched for ‘Bray’, but do not want to include records relating to ‘Cresswell’, typing ‘Cresswell’ as your second search term and hitting Exclude will remove all records containing the word ‘Cresswell’ from your results list. /P>

Narrow: This will reduce your results list by adding another required word to the search. For example, if you searched for ‘Datchet’, but only want records relating to the church, typing ‘church’ as your second search term and hitting Narrow will bring up only those records where both the words ‘Datchet’ and 'church' occur separately within the same record.

I am looking for records of Windsor but am getting thousands of results. How do I narrow my search down?

The property records for Windsor have been catalogued under ‘New Windsor, Berkshire’ and ‘Old Windsor, Berkshire’. Using these as your search terms will reduce the number of irrelevant records brought up by a search.

I have found records I am interested in seeing. How do I book an appointment?