According to a post from WDYTYA? Magazine the GRO has launched a new scheme allowing instant access to 1837-1922 birth records and 1837-1887 death records by downloading them as digital images!
The digital images cost £2.50 each and are available to view immediately after purchase. These are images of the entry in the GRO register. not certificates.
This is a beta testing phase publicly available to all registered users of the GRO website.
I can confirm that it works as advertised. But it is important to note that you must either select “Order a Digital Image” or “Search the GRO Indexes” from the GRO Main Menu page to get the option to order a digital copy of the registration for £2.50.
This is indeed excellent news. This has coincided with my discovery of my maternal grandfathers family. It takes a week for the pdf but instant access to the information I require on the death certificates , which is usually the informant. Almost doing research now in real time along to access to most of the parish records.
Look forward to more years being released in the near future
Now we know what that big whole on the main menu was all about…will try out this option soon! I might even stand a chance now of finding the death reg of one of my third great-grandfathers. His name was Thomas Cox and the first death cert I bought was the wrong one and at 7 quid a pop, I didn’t want to keep trying.