FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

We are open on:
Monday 9.30 am – 5.00 pm
Tuesday – Friday 9.00 – 5.00 pm

In addition, there is an evening opening (5.00 pm – 7.30 pm) on the first Wednesday of each month; you must make an appointment if you wish to use the Office in the evening (Tel. 01983 823820)

No. If lunchtime closure is necessary because of staff shortages, this will be posted on our website.

The Record Office is situated at 26, Hillside, Newport. To view a plan showing the location of the Office, please see Finding Us.


By car from Ryde & East Cowes:

As you approach Newport along Fairlee Road, you will pass Seaclose Park on the right. Shortly afterwards you will see a petrol station, followed by a cemetery, both on the right hand side. There is then a row of terrace houses and at the end of these, opposite some advertising hoardings, you will find a turning on the right – this is Hillside. The Office is 20 yards along Hillside, set back on the left, just before the road starts to drop steeply.


By car from West Cowes:

Approach Newport along Medina Way. Immediately after crossing the River Medina, take the slip road on the left at the first set of traffic lights, signposted East Cowes and Ryde. Soon afterwards you emerge onto Fairlee Road. You will see a speed camera sign and shortly afterwards, opposite some advertising hoardings, there is a turning on the left – this is Hillside. The Office is 20 yards along Hillside, set back on the left, just before the road starts to drop steeply.


By car from Newport:

Make your way to Coppins Bridge roundabout and take the exit leading to East Cowes and Ryde. A few yards after taking this exit you will reach a set of traffic lights, to the left of which is a slip road leading to West Cowes. Continue to follow the signs to East Cowes and Ryde. You will see a speed camera sign and shortly afterwards, opposite some advertising hoardings, there is a turning on the left – this is Hillside. The Office is 20 yards along Hillside, set back on the left, just before the road starts to drop steeply.


By Foot from the Bus Station

From the Bus Station: The Record Office is about a 15 minute walk from the bus station in Newport. You will need to cross South Street and make your way to the High Street via St Thomas' Square. You should see the Tourist Office at the Guildhall on the corner of Quay Street. Walk down to the end of Quay Street and you will reach the Quay. Walk along the Quay under the flyover with the river to the left of you. Pass the Riverside Centre and then bear right leaving the Quay. You will see a steep road; this is Hillside and the Record Office is at the top of the road. (Note: some buses from East Cowes and Ryde stop along Fairlee Road and Staplers.)

There is parking available at the Record Office, but the number of spaces is limited. Disabled drivers are advised to ring beforehand to reserve a space.

If all the spaces are taken, you can park nearby at the Quay (NB. access is closed on Tuesdays - market day). There are also several car parks within the town centre.

Yes, there are two types of tickets available, which can be issued when you arrive.

Day tickets: These give you access to the Office for one day and are suitable for those who intend to visit the Office either once or occasionally. You will need to give details of your name and address, but will not require proof of identification.

C.A.R.N tickets: Those who visit the Office regularly should obtain a C.A.R.N. (County Archive Research Network) ticket. These tickets are free; they are valid for four years and will give you access to any record office that belongs to the Research Network. You will need to produce some proof of identification containing a name and address eg. driving licence, utility bill or bank statement. (Please note that passports do not contain addresses.)

Access to the Record Office is free. Charges are made for copying documents (see Obtaining Copies) and for our Research Service.

You do not need to make an appointment unless you wish to consult material held on microfilm/fiche (or you wish to attend the evening opening). Our microfilm/fiche material comprises census returns, parish registers, wills and the County Press. You will need to tell us which records you wish to consult and whether you require a viewer or printer.

Please bear in mind that we have a Personal Names Index (on card) recording all entries in parish registers from 1539 – 1900. The index will allow you to locate details of individual baptisms, marriages and burials without the need to search parish registers. You will therefore only need to book a microfilm reader if you wish to view the actual entries in the registers.

Due to limitations in space, appointments are recommended for those wishing to use tithe maps.

We keep a wide range of records spanning the 12^th –21^st centuries, including records of parish churches, estates, families, businesses, schools and local government. For further information about our sources see Types of Records.

The Record Office keeps church registers of baptisms, marriages and burials dating from 1539 onwards. We have a Personal Names Index (on card), which records all the entries in these registers for the period 1539 – 1900.

The Register Office can supply birth, marriage and death certificates dating from 1 July 1837 onwards. The Isle of Wight Family History Society is in the process of indexing these records, and their database is available online. In addition, microfiche indexes to births, marriages and deaths for England are available locally at the Lord Louis Library.

Photocopies can be made subject to the document's physical condition and copyright regulations. It is also possible to print copies from material held on microfilm/fiche. In some cases laser or photographic copies can be provided when higher quality reproductions are required. Details of our charges can be found by viewing Obtaining Copies.

Where documents cannot be copied because it would damage them to do so, it is possible to make an appointment to take a digital image using your own equipment.

Yes, the Record Office undertakes research for those who are not able to visit in person. The charge is £15.00 for a one hour search of documents held by the Office. There are also several private record agents working on the Isle of Wight, and a list of these is available on request; where we believe a search is beyond the resources of the Office, we reserve the right to refer you to this list. For further details see Research Service.

No, all records must be viewed in the searchroom. If you cannot visit the Office, you may use our research service, or obtain photocopies of documents (subject to their physical condition and copyright regulations).

Because of limitations of space, visitors are requested to make an appointment before bringing in their laptop.

The Record Office does not have an education room, and can only accommodate visits by individual students. Those setting projects are asked to contact Record Office staff in advance to ensure that the subject chosen is one with which the Office can help.

You should bring pencils, rubber, paper, notes detailing any previous research, reference numbers for documents previously consulted which need further investigation, money for photocopies and identification (if you wish to obtain a C.A.R.N. ticket).

We regret that the Record Office has no space available for such a facility, although there are a number of cafes and restaurants within a ten minutes’ walk in Newport.

Explanations provided by two books are given below:

‘The Place Names of the Isle of Wight’ by A D Mills 1996
The name of the Island itself is extremely ancient. It is recorded at a very early date as Vectis in Ptolemy’s Geography of c150 AD, then as Vecta in the 4^th century Antonine Itinerary, as With in Bede and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (9^th and 10^th centuries). In 12^th and 13^th century records it appears variously as With, With, Wicht, Wict, Wight, Wycht, Whyht, Whyt, Wyht, Wythe and Wyght. This ancient name is certainly Celtic, possibly from an old British word connected with Welsh gwaith (‘turn’, ‘course’) and its meaning may be ‘place of division’ with reference to the situation of the Island between the two arms of the Solent.


‘The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names’ by E Ekwall (1990)
A British name, perhaps identical with Welsh gwaith ‘turn, a word cognate with Latin vectis ‘lever’ (lit. ‘the act of lifting’), Old English with ‘weight’, derived from the root of Latin veho ‘to carry’. The meaning might have been ‘what has been raised’ ie. ‘what rises above the sea’, ‘island’.