MPA Creative is delighted to announce the launch of the 250-year-old Debrett’s Peerage and Baronetage as a fully-searchable digital service.
MPA has provided project development and management to Debrett’s over the past year, working with the Debrett’s team as well as scoping and recruiting industry experts to undertake the specialist technical delivery.
The expertise and collaboration between Formosa Systems who scoped, designed and populated the databases, together with Veloce who oversaw web design and user experience and Air Business Systems who built the multi-currency digital subscription management platform has been exemplary; this huge task would have been impossible to achieve without their knowledge, insight and dedication.
As part of the digital transformation process, Debrett’s has relocated to MPA House in Weybridge; enabling a smooth integration and sharing of back-office systems; as well as leveraging MPA’s renowned media relations, communications and marketing capabilities.
Debrett’s Peerage and Baronetage, which was first published as ‘The New Peerage’ in 1769, has announced the launch of a fully searchable online archive. This unique and unrivalled record of generations of British and Irish ancestry and nobility can now be accessed at www.debretts.com. The archive has been cleaned, indexed and transferred to a robust, cloud-based, secure environment, preserving this unique record of 3,800 families for generations to come.
Ian Burrows, MPA’s Chief Operating Officer and Debrett’s Managing Director, said, “The cross-checking, indexing and migration of the Debrett’s historical record has been a mammoth task and firstly, a huge vote of thanks must go to our incredible team for their tireless efforts in preserving this unique body of work and their commitment to creating a user-friendly environment to provide access for generations to come. Credit and thanks must also go to the owner of Debrett’s, Darryl Eales, for his support and vision to seamlessly marry modern technology with centuries of history to create this unique, living record available for all to enjoy.
Today’s announcement is the culmination of over 12 months of work involving data researchers, historians and technical experts; collectively they have delivered an incredible result, which pays testament to Debrett’s ambition to preserve and celebrate the past while focussing firmly on the future.”
Access to both the world-renowned Peerage & Baronetage database and Debrett’s exhaustive etiquette library, with over 100 articles on modern manners and protocol, will be available for Debrett’s members as either a monthly or annual subscription.
Two New Business Publications
Debrett’s has also commissioned two new guides covering Business and International Etiquette, which will provide much-needed insight and advice as we return to work and begin to embark on renewed travel in a post-Covid world.
Debrett’s Guide to Business Etiquette and Debrett’s Guide to International Etiquette are both now available via the website.
A New Editor for a New Era
As the Peerage & Baronetage steps into the digital age, it is wholly appropriate that Debrett’s has taken this opportunity to announce the appointment of Wendy Bosberry-Scott as the first-ever female editor of the Peerage. Wendy has been involved with Debrett’s for over 25 years, working as a genealogist, researcher and assistant to the previous editor Charles Kidd.
“I have worked for Debrett’s for over a quarter of a century,” said Wendy, “and I am delighted to follow in the footsteps of John Almon, John Debrett and my predecessor, Charles Kidd. I am thrilled that we are able to make our publications more readily accessible and that all of our publications are now available at the touch of a button. This project has been a huge undertaking and we are all delighted to be able to launch this at a time when we are looking forward to the future.”
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