England Using Gazeteers

England > England_Using_Gazeteers

Where Your Ancestor Lived

Once you have identified the name of a place where your ancestor lived, you should learn more about it. Knowing details about a place will help you find records about your ancestor. Sources that provide information about places include:

• Gazetteers.
  
• Topographical dictionaries.
  

What You Are Looking For

The information you find varies from source to source. In these sources you may find information about:

• Location.
  
• Jurisdictions. See England Jurisdictions and Gazetteers - International Institute and England Jurisdictions 1851
  
• Local religions. See England Church History
  
• Geographical descriptions. England Historical Geography
  
• Manors or estates. See England Manors
  
• Industries and manufacturing.See England Occupations and Category:England Occupations
  
• Land use. See England Land and Property and England Land and Property, Part 2
  
• Population. See England
  

These steps will help you find information about a place in England.

• Choose a place where your ancestor lived.
  

Look at the information you have gathered and choose the name of a town or parish where your ancestor lived. If only the county or country is known, search for it..

• Choose a England Gazetteers .
  

Choose a gazetteer to search. The following gazetteers are listed in order of the amount and value of the information they give. These gazetteers are available at the FamilySearch Library at this site in England Gazetteers .

• Other gazetteers may be available here, at a library or on the internet. You may want to look at more than one gazetteer to gather details about the place you have chosen.
  

England, How to Find Information About the Place Where Your Ancestor Lived

• The imperial gazetteer of England and Wales 1870-72 Viewable on Line. Gives location, jurisdictions, geographical description, local religions, local manors or estates, industries and manufacturing, land use, and population. Also Wilson 1870-72 Descriptive Gazetteer Parish records plus Gazetteer
  
• Lewis' Topographical Dictionary of England 1831 Viewable on line. Several editions Gives location, jurisdictions, geographical description, local religions, local manors or estates, industries and manufacturing, land use, and population.
  
• Cassell's Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland 1894-1898 Viewable on line. Gives location, jurisdictions, geographical description, local religions, local manors or estates, industries and manufacturing, land use, and population.
  
• The Parliamentary Gazetteer of England and Wales 1846. Gives location, jurisdictions, geographical description, local religions, local manors or estates, industries and manufacturing, land use, and population.
  
• The survey gazetteer of the British Isles including summary of 1931 census 9th edition, 1943; reprinted 1966 Gives location and geographical description; also gives jurisdictions, industries and manufacturing, and population for larger cities.
  
• Smith's Genealogical Gazetteer of England 1968. Gives location, jurisdictions, local religions, population, and date of earliest parish registers.
  
• Bartholomew's Gazetteer of Places in Britain 1986. Gives location, geographical description, and includes maps.
  

Obtain a copy of a gazetteer

You can find gazetteers at:

• FamilySearch Centers.
  
• The FamilySearch Library.
  
• Other England Archives and Libraries.
  

Search the gazetteer for the place-name. Information in gazetteers is arranged alphabetically by the place-name. Copy the information and note the source. Copy the information about the place-name onto family group sheets, a pedigree chart, and in your notes. Some of the information may not seem helpful at this time but may be important in future research. You may want to make a photocopy of the information directly from the source. Be sure to write down the source of the information on a research log, including any library call numbers, links or Websites. Be specific when writing down this information. If you should ever need to look at the source again, your documentation will show where to find it. If anyone else should consult your research, they will also see where to find the source. Your research log will serve as a guide to your research.

Where else can I find information about a place?

Information about places can also be found in:

• County histories
  
• Town or parish histories.
  
• County directories
  
• Descriptive regional guides. Look for these other types of sources in the FamilySearch Catalog. Go to the Catalog and in the search enter the place-name.

You may not find a place-name because it is:

• Misspelled.
  
• Known by another name.
  
• Obsolete.
  
• A farm or other property name.
  

Sources that may help you identify and locate your place-name

• The Ordnance Survey Gazetteer of Great Britain (all names from the 1:50 000 Landranger map series) This is a good source for smaller localities if they still exist today. This gazetteer relates to the detailed, large scale Landranger maps published by the Ordnance Survey Office of Great Britain.
  
• Gazetteer of Great Britain (giving the national grid references to all features names on the 17 sheets of the ordnance survey quarter-inch map)
• English Place Names Society publications. These books discuss the historical use of place names, name changes, disuse, and alternate spellings. Those that have been are found in the FamilySearch Catalog. Journal (English Place-Name Society) or [familysearch.org/search/catalog/559414 Newsletter (English Place Name Society)]
  

How can I find a map showing the place where my ancestor lived?

FamilySearch Centers have gazetteers for England on microfiche. Some FamilySearch centers, located throughout the United States and other areas of the world may have a copy of these microfiches. Call ahead for availability.

Find a FamilySearch Center near you.

The FamilySearch Library has many gazetteers and other place-name sources for England in book form as well as on microfilm or microfiche. There is no fee for using the library's collection in person. You can view many items online at the FamilySearch Catalog and some films can be viewed at your local FamilySearch Center.

Other Archives and Libraries

Addresses for archives and libraries can be found at The UK National Archives.

Websites

• Gazetteers
• [familysearch.org/search/catalog/559414 The imperial gazetteer of England and Wales] 1870-72 Viewable on Line
• Imperial_Gazetteer_of_England_and_Wales Wikipedia
• Wilson 1870-72 Descriptive Gazetteer Parish records plus Gazetteer
• The UK National Archives
• Family Search catalog-search