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England Archives and Libraries


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  • Archives collect and preserve original documents of organizations such as churches or governments. Libraries generally collect published sources such as books, maps, and microfilm.
  • If you plan to visit a repository, contact them and ask for information about their collection, hours, services, and fees. Ask if they require you to have a reader’s ticket (a paper indicating you are a responsible researcher) to view the records, and ask how to obtain one.
  • Although the records you need may be in an archive or library, the FamilySearch Library may have microfilmed and/or digitized copies of them.
Archives and Libraries.jpg

Archives

The National Archives

Main article: The National Archives

The National Archives
Kew, Richmond
Surrey TW9 4DU
England

Telephone: +44 (0) 20 8876 3444
Contact us
Website
Family history research guides
Additional research guides
Online collections
Discovery (Catalogue) Access records held by The National Archives and more than 2,500 other archives.

What is Discovery?

Paying for research
Ordering copies

Find an archive in the UK and beyond Links to 2,341 archives listed in The National Archives. Most archives have publications that describe their collections and how to use them. Some are online. Others are in print. If possible, study these guides before you visit or use the records, so you can use your time more effectively.

The National Archives, England.jpg

Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts Commission

The Historical Manuscripts Commission joined with the Public Record Office in 2003 to form The National Archives. It has responsibility for the Manorial Documents Register and the National Register of Archives (NRA) and has been working to inventory records that are in archives and private collections. The National Register of Archives (NRA) includes over 191,000 lists of manuscript collections and close to 5,000 finding aids and annual reports from various repositories.

  • The Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts. Guides to Sources for British History based on the National Register of Archives. Guide To The Location Of Collections Described in the Reports and Calendars Series 1870-1980. London: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. 1982. (FS Library book 942 H25gs vol.3; computer number 0204994, BYU FS Library book DA 30 .X1 G84.) WorldCat

National Inventory of Documentary Source in the United Kingdom and Ireland

"The National Inventory of Documentary Sources in the United Kingdom and Ireland" is a microfilm collection of calendars and finding aids for British archives, libraries, and museums. It provides a detailed listing of the box, folder, and sometimes individual documents contained in various collections.

  • A name and subject index to this collection ("Index to National inventory of documentary sources in the United Kingdom and Ireland") is available in a few archives and libraries, including the FamilySearch Library (FS Library film 6341118).
  • Archive Finder ($) includes online indexing by names and detailed subject for over 47,000 collections whose finding aids have been published separately in ProQuest UMI's microfiche series, National Inventory of Documentary Sources in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

County Archives, Libraries, Museums, and Record Offices

Here you will find links to Wiki articles providing information and links to archives, libraries, museums, and record offices at the county level:

City, University, Occupational, and Ecclesiastical Archives

City, university, occupational, and ecclesiastical archives also hold family history information. Holdings and services vary widely.

Special Archives

City, university, occupational, and ecclesiastical archives also hold family history information. Holdings and services vary widely. The books by Foster and Moulton described below in “General Guides” give more information about special archives.


Libraries

The British Library

The British Library is the national repository for all published materials in England. Because its collection is so complex, usually only experienced researchers use it.

British Library at St. Pancras
96 Euston Road
London NW1 2DB
England
Website
Search the main catalogue
Explore Archives and Manuscripts

Guildhall Library

Guildhall Library has many guild (occupation) and business records, kept at:

Guildhall Library
Aldermanbury
London EC2P 2EJ
England
Website
Maritime Collection
City of London Collection

The Society of Genealogists

The Society of Genealogists has extensive records from all over England. They also have the largest collection of transcribed parish registers in England. The address is:
Wikipedia has more about this subject: Society of Genealogists

Society of Genealogists
356 Holloway Road
London N7 6PA Ehgland
Telephone: (020) 7251 8799 Website
Online collections
Catalogue
A catalogue of parish register copies in the possession of the Society of Genealogists, 1963

Society of Genealogists.jpg

Public Libraries

Public libraries collect many published sources such as local histories, city directories, maps, newspapers, family histories, and parish registers.

Record Offices

General Register Office

Main article: General Register Office for England and Wales

The General Register Office (part of the Identity and Passport Service) houses government birth, marriage, and death certificates from 1 July 1837 to the present for all of England and Wales. Copies may be obtained either online or by post from the General Register Office or from the local register office where the event was registered.

Ordering certificates

Postal address:
Certificate Services Section
General Register Office
PO Box 2
Southport PR8 2JD England

Email: certificate.services@gro.gsi.gov.uk
Website: Certificate ordering service
Telephone: +44 (0)300 123 1837 (8am to 8pm Monday to Friday. Saturday 9am to 4pm)

County Record Offices

Links to County and City Record Offices:

See County Archives, Libraries, Museums, and Record Offices, above for links to an Archives and Libraries Wiki article for each county .

  • In England each, county has one or more offices that house records about the particular county. Records of genealogical value in these offices include land records, church records, taxation records, probate records, miscellaneous indexes, and collections.
  • Some county record offices have personal or place-name indexes to some of the records in their collection.
  • County record offices are open to the public. Some require a reader’s ticket.
  • If you write for information, be as concise as possible. The offices are small and have limited staff, so you may have to wait a few weeks for a reply.
  • If staff members are unable to search their records, you may ask for a list of record agents who can search the records for you.

Reference books giving addresses and maps locating county record offices:

  • Gibson, J.S.W. and Pamela Peskett. Record Offices--How to Find Them. [England]: Federation of Family History Societies, c1987. FS Library Collection. WorldCat.
  • Church, Rosemary, and Jean Cole. In and Around Record Repositories in Great Britain and Ireland. 3rd ed. Huntingdon, Cambridge: Family Tree Magazine, 1992. (FS Library book 942 J54cj; computer number 0673604.) This gives street and mailing addresses and maps showing the locations of offices. WorldCat.
  • Record Repositories in Great Britain: A Geographical Guide. 10th ed. London: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, 1997. (FS Library book 942 J54r 1999; computer number 0638954.) This gives street and mailing addresses of the repositories, along with their telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, and Internet sites. WorldCat.

General Guides

Some guides to English archives and libraries are:

  • Foster, Janet, and Julia Sheppard. British Archives: A Guide to Archive Resources in the United Kingdom. 3rd ed. New York: Stockton Press Ltd., 1995. (FS Library book 942 J54f 1995; computer number 0763911.) (BYU FS Library book CD 1040 .F67 2001 4th ed.) This guide lists addresses, major records, and publications of various repositories in the United Kingdom. It is indexed by county and by type of collection.
  • Iredale, David. Enjoying Archives: What They Are, Where to Find Them, How to Use Them. Chichester, Sussex: Phillimore & Co. Ltd., 1985. (FS Library book 942 A5i 1985; computer number 0183662.) This guide describes the heritage of documents in Great Britain and a few of the archives where documents are stored. It explains the work of the county record office, how the staff preserves manuscripts, and a method for reading old records.
  • Moulton, Joy Wade. Genealogical Resources in English Repositories. Columbus, Ohio: Hampton House, 1988. Supplement published 1992. (FS Library book 942 J54m; computer number 0469640.) (BYU FS Library book CS 414 .X1 M94 1996.) This book contains addresses and describes the holdings of county record offices, genealogical and family history societies, and other repositories. Maps of repository locations are included.
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