The Ombudsman has made important slave registers public because the Bermuda archive management declined requests to do so.

In a press statement, Ombudsman Arlene Brock explained her reasons for forwarding the databases of the 1821 and 1834 registers to the Bermuda College, Bermuda National Museum and National Trust.

She said the databases were developed in searchable format by Virginia Bernhard of the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas. Dr. Bernhard gifted the first part to the archives more than a decade ago, with the intention they be available for public research.

However, this was not done. Ms Brock launched an investigation into barriers to public access to the archives last year, based on complaints from researchers and historians.

The report she filed as a result found evidence of maladministration at the official repository for Government records and proposed that its director, Karla Hayward, be moved to a less front-line role after criticism of her from users and staff.

The archives have responded to Ms Brock's report, and she is due to update Parliament in April.

In her statement, Ms Brock said she'd encountered two complaints from researchers during her investigation that there was no public access to the databases of the slave records. The databases have been used by the archives to answer genealogical and academic queries.

The archives is in the process of developing its own slave register database. Ms Brock recommended that a computer terminal be installed in the interim so members of the public could search these, and other historical databases.

However, the response she got was: "The [Archives Advisory] Council did not promote the public use of in-house working electronic lists." Ms Brock said that because the electronic slave registers were not made public by the archives, she decided to do so.

She explained: "I refrained from releasing them before not in order to give the archives the opportunity to do so. However, nine months after tabling my report, I cannot, in good conscience, hold on to these important research tools any longer."

Ms Brock noted that, according to Dr. Bernhard, the databases are not perfect, and have some gaps and spelling errors.

However, she added: "Although imperfect, the electronic slave registers will provide extremely useful information in an accessible format."

She also noted: "The electronic slave registers may well open up a new era of family history and other research in Bermuda."