Nature of Source
Directories contain listings of prominent people, local officials and traders in a village or town usually with maps and a geographical and topographical description of the place. Some deal with a specific occupation or trade which might include biographies. Most directories will provide a history of the place and descriptions of local amenities such as schools, workhouses and churches and other places of worship.
Some directories were published in the late 1700 but most county and town/city directories began from about 1800. The first recognisable directory appeared in 1677 with the publication compiled by Samuel Lee called the ‘The little London directory of 1677. The Oldest Printed List of the Merchants And Bankers of London’. The publication can be read online or downloaded from the Internet Archive.
Address listings can be useful for locating census returns and can also be used as a limited census substitute. The most well known publishers of directories include Pigot, Slater, Kelly (most noted for the Post Office Directory), White and Bartholomews. Also consult directories specialising in a particular trade or profession. Some directories include every resident or building (especially London) however, telephone directories up to the 1960s mainly contain the names of the more wealthy who could afford to own a telephone.
Many directories are freely available to read online or download at the Internet Archive.
See also
Census Returns (England, Wales, Channel Islands & Isle of Man)
Fire Insurance Registers, Plans and Maps
Surname Origins and Distribution
Where Found
Guildhall Library (Guildhall Library. Trade directories and telephone books. The library has one of the largest collections of historic trade and telephone directories in the United Kingdom from the years 1667-1990. Resources include an extensive collection of Kelly’s directories and Post Office directories)
The National Archives Library
The Victoria and Albert Museum (National Art Library trade catalogues collection)
Society of Genealogists (Directories)
County Record Offices (Find the details of a local UK archive from a searchable list of over 2,500 archives hosted by The National Archives. Use the ‘Find an archive’ box to search for an archive)
BT Archives (Historical phone books from 1880. The series from 1880 to 1984 is available online at www.ancestry.co.uk)
London Metropolitan Archives
National Library of Scotland (Published directories)
The Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies (Trade Directories collection. The catalogue of trade directory holdings can be found here)
Bishopsgate Institute Library (The Library holds a collection of around 50,000 books, pamphlets, illustrations, photographs and maps covering the social and cultural history of London, with particular reference to Bishopsgate and Spitalfields The library also has a collection of press cuttings, London guidebooks and trade directories)
Period Covered
1677 – Onwards
Genealogical Value
- Names, addresses, occupations, place names and maps.
- Useful for house history research.
Further References
- Dobson, David. The People of the Scottish Burghs: Kirkcaldy, 1600-1799: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2010
- Dobson, David. The People of the Scottish Burghs: Dundee, 1600-1799: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2009
- Dobson, David. The People of the Scottish Burghs: Perth, 1600-1799: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2009
- Dobson, David. The People of the Scottish Burghs: Greenock, 1600-1799: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2010
- Dobson, David. The People of Edinburgh, 1725-1775: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2012
- Dobson, David. The People of Glasgow, 1725-1775: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2012
- Dobson, David. The People of Stirling, 1600-1799: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2010
- Mills, Dennis. Rural Community History from Trade Directories: University Of Hertfordshire Press, 2006
- Newington-Irving, N J N. Directories and Poll Books, including Almanacs & Electoral Rolls, in the Library of the Society of Genealogists: Society of Genealogists, 1995
- Norton, Jane Elizabeth. Guide to the National and Provincial Directories of England and Wales, Excluding London, Published Before 1856: Royal Historical Society, 1950
- Shaw, Gareth & Tipper, Alison. British directories : A Bibliography and Guide to Directories Published in England and Wales (1850-1950) and Scotland (1773-1950): Leicester University Press, 1988
Websites
https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/Directories_in_England_and_Wales (Research Wiki: Directories in England and Wales)
https://sites.google.com/site/onlinedirectorysite (Online Historical Directories Website: Links to online city directories covering Canada, Ireland, United Kingdom and the United States)
www.familytreeresources.com/city-directories.html (Family Tree Resources. Using City Directories for Genealogy Research)
www.nls.uk/family-history/directories (National Library of Scotland Guide: Directories. The library holds a variety of directory types at the National Library of Scotland, including Street and county directories and Trade and professional directories and others)
www.scotlandsfamily.com/directories.htm (Scotlands Family. Listing of free resources for Trade Directories, Old Burgh Records, Tax Rolls, Militia Lists)
as compiled by Gordon Johnson of Kinhelp )
https://web.archive.org/web/20160504075044/https://homepage.ntlworld.com/hitch/gendocs/lon-str.html (Victorian London A-Z Street Index from Gendocs, archived copy)
www.maps.thehunthouse.com (thehunthouse: Old Maps and Books, a site for people who love maps, books, London and history. Resources include: Two lists of London Street name changes that occurred between 1857-1929 and between 1929-1945, also available as an eBook; A finding aid for London Postal Districts by name and number with a current map; A list and map of the Metropolitan Boroughs used in the street name list; A list of every street in London in 1938)
https://web.archive.org/web/20041129033726/https://members.aol.com/WHall95037/london.html (The Lost London Street Index)
www.parishchest.com (Links to companies and organisations selling trade and commercial directories on CDs)
www.ukgdl.org.uk/category/occupations (UKGDL Occupations/Trades/Apprentices: Links to online transcriptions records dealing with a variety of trades and occupations with some data extracted from trade and street directories)
Online Databases
National Coverage
www.ancestry.co.uk (U.K., City and County Directories, 1600s-1900s. This database is a collection of directories for various areas of the United Kingdom from the 1600s to the 1900s. Many directories are named after the publishers such as Pigot and Kelly. Most directories originally included maps. Where still available as part of a directory, the maps are included in this database)
www.ancestry.co.uk (UK, City and County Directories, 1766-1946. This database is a collection of directories for various areas of the United Kingdom from the 1700s to the 1900s. The dataset includes the University of Leicester Special Collection of Historical Directories of England and Wales)
www.ancestry.co.uk (British Phone Books, 1880-1984. This collection contains 1780 British phone books published between 1880 and 1984 from the historic phone book collection held by BT Archives. Coverage includes near full county coverage for England as well as containing substantial records for Scotland, Ireland, and Wales)
www.ancestry.co.uk (UK, Phone Book Indexes, 2001 and 2003. Search phone book indexes from the UK for 2001 and 2003)
www.findmypast.co.uk (Britain, Directories & Almanacs. Explore 122 almanacs and directories from Great Britain and Ireland. The collection includes trade directories, county guides, almanacs and general directories. Find the names of prominent people, tradesmen, people who held office, business owners and local civil servants. The collection includes 90 volumes of late 19th and early 20th Kelly’s Directories and Thom’s Official Directory for Great Britain & Ireland, 1914)
www.findmypast.co.uk (London Post Office Directories 1842, 1851 and 1861. Browse over 1.5 million records from three London Post Office Directories)
Findmypast
Yorkshire, Sheffield Social and Institutional Records 1558-1939. Sketchley’s Sheffield Directory, 1774; Gales & Martin’s Directory of Sheffield, 1787; J. Robinson’s Directory of Sheffield, 1797.
https://books.google.co.uk (Full and snippet view directories available)
www.familyrelatives.com (English, Scottish and Irish trade directories including Slater’s Commercial Directories and Pigot’s Directories as well as the Post Office Records collection)
http://specialcollections.le.ac.uk/digital (University of Leicester Special Collections Online: Historical Directories of England & Wales. Search or browse 689 trade and local directories for England and Wales from the 1760s to the 1910s. The collection is searchable by name, place and occupation and includes Kellys and Pigot’s directories as well as those by regional publishers. The content is also available to search at Ancestry)
www.thegenealogist.co.uk (Trade, Residential & Telephone Collection: Search a variety of trade directories covering a number of English and Scottish counties transcribed or browsable and covering the 18th 19th and 20th centuries. Publications and publishers include: Kelly’s, Pigot’s and other local directories; UK Telephone Directory, 1899-1900; Post Office National Directory, 1907 and other local Post Office directories)
www.sog.org.uk/search-records (SoG Data Online: Pike’s directories: Coverage includes 19the century editions for Aberdeen, Battersea, Berwick on Tweed, Boston and Spalding, Carlisle, Colchester, Darlington, Edinburgh, Gateshead, Hackney, Ipswich, Kings Lynn, Loughborough, Morpeth, Greenwich and Deptford)
www.ukphonebook.com (ukphonebook.com. Find UK People & Business Information. Find phone numbers, search for residential and business addresses and discover business details using millions of data points)
www.myheritage.com/research/collection-90100/compilation-of-published-sources (MyHeritage: Compilation of Published Sources. This collection includes a compilation of thousands of published books ranging from family, local and military histories, city and county directories, school, university and hospital reports, church and congregational minutes and much more. All records include images of the book’s pages)
www.myheritage.com (Directories. Historic directories covering England, Scotland, Ireland and major cities including London)
London
www.londonlives.org (Westminster Directory, 1774)
www.ancestry.co.uk (London, City Directories, 1736-1943. This database is a collection of various types of directories held by the London Metropolitan Archives and Guildhall Library including Commercial and Trade directories including Pigot’s and Kelly’s; Court Directories listing wealthy residents and government officials; London Post Office London Directories)
http://specialcollections.le.ac.uk/digital (University of Leicester Special Collections Online: Historical Directories of England & Wales. Search or browse 689 trade and local directories for England and Wales from the 1760s to the 1910s. London coverage includes Post Office London Directories and Kellys)
www.londonancestor.com (Kent’s Directory for the cities of London and Westminster, & Borough of Southwark, 1794)
http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~frpayments/history/KD1740 (RootsWeb: Kent’s Directory for the year 1740 covering the cities of London and Westminster and the borough of Southwark)
https://pubwiki.co.uk (Pub Wiki: Pub History in London, Suburbs and the South, mainly 1600 to 1940. The pub history site offers transcribed entries of trade directories some with original images as well as London street indexes and listings and links to online and downloadable street directories)
http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~frpayments/history/LM1677 (RootsWeb: London Merchants of 1677. Transcribed entries from a number of sources)
www.sog.org.uk/search-records (SoG Data Online: Pike’s directories: Coverage includes 19the century editions for Battersea, Hackney, Greenwich and Deptford)
Regions
www.findmypast.co.uk (Pigots Directory of Herefordshire, 1835)
www.findmypast.co.uk (Hampshire, Portsmouth Trade Directories, 1863-1927)
www.findmypast.co.uk (City Of York Trade Directories, 1781-1955)
www.midlandshistoricaldata.org (Mainly Birmingham, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire and Shropshire. Includes some neighbouring counties & some UK wide coverage)
www.ancestry.co.uk (Midlands and Various UK Trade Directories, 1770-1941 including Warwickshire Directory, 1900; Birmingham Directory, 1855)
http://bathancestors.org.uk (Bath Ancestors: Bath Directories, 1791-1833. Search Bath street directories from the late 1700s to the 1970s. The early directories concentrated on accommodation, medics and lawyers but quickly expanded to include private individuals)
www.thegenealogist.co.uk (Reading Telephone Directory; Bournemouth Telephone Directory, 1940; Chelmsford Telephone Directory, 1939; Colchester Telephone Directory, 1939; Southend Telephone Directory, 1939; Portsmouth Telephone Directory, 1940; Southampton Telephone Directory, 1940; Salisbury Telephone Directory, 1940; Winchester Telephone Directory, 1940; Bishop’s Stortford and District Telephone Directory, 1939; Isle of Wight Telephone Directory, 1940; Nottingham, Leicester and Derby, Classified Telephone Directory, 1939; Ipswich Telephone Directory, 1939; Dorking Local Telephone Directory, 1939)
https://herefordshirehistory.org.uk (Herefordshire History: Herefordshire Directories. Search directories of Herefordshire and Hereford from various publishers including Pigot’s and Kelly’s)
www.carnarvontraders.com (Carnarvon Traders: Transcriptions of traders in the Welsh town of Carnarvon extracted from trade directories)
http://plimsoll.org/Southampton/streetdirectories/default.asp (PortCities Southampton [Archive]: Street Directories. Pdf downloads of Southampton trade and street directories covering the 19th and 20th centuries)
www.norfolksources.norfolk.gov.uk/DserveNS (Norfolk Sources: Norfolk Record Office: Trade Directories of Norfolk, Derham, Great Yarmouth, Norwich and Thetford covering various dates between 1842 and 1932)
http://specialcollections.le.ac.uk/digital (University of Leicester Special Collections Online: Historical Directories of Leicestershire: Browse or search 50 trade and street directories for Leicester and Leicestershire dating from 1790s to 1910s)
www.hunimex.com/warwick/index.html (Pickard’s Pink Pages for Warwickshire: Pigots 1835 directory of Coventry)
https://sheffieldindexers.com (Sheffield Indexers: Trade Directories: Online searchable trade directories including Pigot’s, White’s, Slater’s and the Universal British Directory)
www.mhms.org.uk (MyHouseMyStreet. The site is a collaborative, community-based project providing information about Brighton & Hove’s historic homes and streets. Resources include digitised historic street directories, a street name list and electoral registers between 1855 and 1931)
www.theweald.org (The Weald of Kent, Surrey and Sussex: Lists of named individuals extracted from sources including census returns and directories from towns and villages in the region as well as maps, pictures, books and documents)
www.fhs-online.co.uk (Family History Societies Online: Worcestershire Directories)
www.llgc.org.uk/discover/digital-gallery/printed-material/the-welsh-almanac-collection (Welsh Almanac Collection. Browsable collection of Welsh almanacs from 1681 to 1781. An almanac is an annual publication that includes information such as weather forecasts, farmers’ planting dates, tide tables, and tabular information often arranged according to the calendar)
Scotland
https://digital.nls.uk/directories (National Library of Scotland: Scottish Post Office directories: Over 700 digitised directories covering most of Scotland and dating from 1773 to 1911)
Ancestry
West Dumbartonshire, Scotland, City and County Directories, 1877-1893.
https://archive.org/details/scottishdirectories (National Library of Scotland: Scottish Directories digitised and available for download)
www.findmypast.co.uk (Scotland, Forfarshire [Angus], Dundee Trade & Postal Directories 1783-1842. Search indexed and transcribed sections of Dundee directories with the image of the original directory)
www.findmypast.co.uk (Scotland Post Office Directories. Explore thousands of pages of directories and discover your Scottish ancestry. The directories will reveal your ancestor’s occupation and residence)
www.familyrelatives.com (Scottish Trade Directories, 1825-early 19th century)
www.thegenealogist.co.uk (Scottish Directories including Post Office Directories covering Glasgow and Aberdeen)
CD Roms
GenFair (Browse tens of thousands of family history products including trade and street directories from hundreds of suppliers. The largest range of products covering the British Isles. Products include: the Post Office Bath Directory covering editions between 1866-1905)
HathiTrust Digital Library (Download or view online historic directories from major publishers such as Kelly’s and various editions of The Post Office London Directory)
Internet Archive (The site offers over 20,000,000 freely downloadable books and texts including directories from publishers such as Kelly’s covering a number of counties)
Stepping Stones (County coverage and the Universal British Directory 1793-1798)
Your Old Books & Maps (County coverage)
TWR Computing (Historical trade directories for download covering England, Wales, Scotland and the USA)
S & N Genealogy Supplies (County wide coverage)
Anguline Research (County wide coverage)
UK Genealogy Archives (County wide coverage)
Yorkshire Ancestors (Selection of Trade Directories, Post Office Directories available from GenFair)
www.midlandshistoricaldata.org (Mainly Birmingham, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire and Shropshire. Includes some neighbouring counties & some UK wide coverage)
www.direct-resources.uk.com (C19th Trades Directories: a resource for family historians, local historians and education. Transcribed entries of names and addresses extracted from trade directories covering all the counties of Britain, North and South Wales, Isle of Man, Ireland and some counties of low land Scotland. Prepared and maintained by Dr David Foster)
West Surrey Family History Society (CD resources include: Dorking 1937 and Guildford 1946; Guildford Directories 1842-1934; London Telephone Directory January 1911; Outer London [Surrey] Telephone Directory January 1954)
Flatcapsandbonnets.com (Scanned historical and genealogical county book collections on DVD including parish registers, marriage allegations/licenses, directories, paupers in workhouses in 1861, lists of emigrants from England to the USA and Caribbean 1773-76, visitations, poll books. See web site for county coverage and source material)
Many local groups have produced copies of directories.
