National Library of Wales

Address

Aberystwyth
Ceredigion
Wales
SY23 3BU

Telephone

01970 632800

Notes

The main holdings of the National Library of Wales includes:

GRO indexes to births, marriages and deaths
Census returns with some indexes and transcriptions
Wills and admons proved in the Welsh church courts (1543-1858)
Parish registers from nearly 500 parishes, diocesan records and all Bishops Transcripts from Welsh dioceses
Nonconformist records
Poor law records
Electoral registers
Quarter Session records and the Court of Great Sessions records (1543-1830)
Photos and pictures
Estate records including manorial records
Tithe maps and schedules
Pedigrees
School records
Newspapers

  • The information leaflets available are an invaluable source of information for any reader visiting the National Library and wish to learn about the collections. A paper guide to the location of nonconformist records is available onsite at the library but not online.

    Online databases and catalogues include:

  • The Crime & Punishment database: Comprises data about crimes, criminals and punishments included in the gaol files of the Court of Great Sessions in Wales from 1730 to its abolition in 1830.
  • The Index to pre-1858 wills and administrations: Over 193,000 records for wills pre-1858 that were proved in the Welsh Ecclesiastical Courts.
  • Index of Applicants for Marriage Bonds, 1616-1837.
  • Tithe maps of Wales:Search and browse over 300,000 entries and their accompanying apportionment documents using original and present-day maps.
  • Welsh Newspapers Online: Free online access to digitised historical newspapers held by the National Library of Wales.

The Online Catalogue allows users to search the library’s collections including over four million books, maps, photographs and other materials. Searches across all the online databases including Welsh Newspapers Online and Welsh Biography Online can be carried out from the main catalogue page under Search the Collections.

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