Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.The aim of the project was to improve access to local and trade directories for the period 1750-1919 by making a substantial collection of English and Welsh directories available online as a Digital Library of Historical Directories. This digital resource comprises in total some 600 directories, covering every English county together with Wales, and ranging widely over the period 1750-1919 (the latter cut-off point chosen for copyright reasons). There is a particular focus on the 1850s, 1890s and 1910s, with at least one directory provided for each county in each of these decades. The digitisation of the volumes involved a two-stage process, in which (1) the hard-copy source was scanned to produce a graphic image of each page, and then (2) those images were processed using OCR software to generate a machine-readable text file.An online version of this resource can be found on the Website of the University of Leicester.
This data collection includes the following directories:- A Complete Directory And Guide to the Town and Castle of Cardiff, the surrounding towns, villages, gentlemen's seats and remarkable places (1796)- A Complete Directory & Guide to the towns & castles of Cardiff and Caerphilly, the city and cathedral of Landaff, and the surrounding towns, villages, gentlemens' seats, & remarkable places, &c (1813)- Swansea Directory, compiled to October 1816; alphabetical lists of the corporation, clergy, merchants, bankers, professors of law and physic, manufactories, tradesmen, &c. &c., public buildings, schools, hospitals, and charitable institutions (1816)- The Bath Directory: containing an alphabetical arrangement of the names and places of abode of the inhabitants: also an enlarged street directory ... to which is added, an elaborate account of the regulations of the General Post Office (1846)- Hunt & Co.'s Directory & Topography for the cities of Gloucester & Bristol, and the towns of Aberayron, Abergavenny, Aberystwith, Brecon, Brynmawr, Crickhowell, Lampeter, Llandilo, Llandovery, Monmouth, Pontypool, Ragland, Tredegar, and Usk (1849)- Hunt & Co's Directory and Topography for the cities of Gloucester & Bristol, and the towns of Berkeley, Cirencester, Coleford ... with Abaravon, Aberdare, Bridgend ... containing the names and addresses of the nobility, gentry, clergy, professional gentlemen, traders, &c. (1849)- Hunt & Co.'s Directory & Topography for the City of Bristol, and the towns of Axbridge, Burnham, Clevedon, Weston-Super-Mare, &c., also the Welsh towns of Cardigan, Carmarthen, Fishguard, Haverfordwest, Kidwelly, Laugharne, Llanelly, Milford Haven, Narberth, Newcastle-In-Emlyn, Pembroke, St. Clears', Swansea, and Tenby (1850)- History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Shropshire; comprising a general survey of the county, with a variety of historical, statistical, topographical, commercial, and agricultural information (1851)- Mathews's Annual Bristol and Clifton Directory, and Almanack (1851)- A Directory for the City and Borough of Bath, and its environs, containing a general directory with the names of the principal inhabitants of Bathampton, Batheaston, Bathford, Combe Down, Swainswick, Twerton and Weston (1852)- Scammell & Co.'s City of Bristol and South Wales Directory ... containing copious lists of the nobility, gentry, and clergy; and classified directories of the professional gentlemen, merchants, manufacturers, and tradesmen (1852)- Pearse's Commercial Directory to Swansea and the neighbourhood for 1854: comprising an alphabetical and classified list of professional, commercial, and private residents, with a complete list of public officers, postal arrangements, &c. (1854)- Wakeford's Cardiff Directory, and official register; embracing Llandaff, Canton, Ely, and Roath, containing an official register, public institutions, companies, schools and societies; list of carriers and fairs ... list of residents, a street guide and key, and a classified commercial list (1855)- Pearse's Swansea Directory; including Neath, Llanelly, and the neighbourhood, for 1856: comprising an alphabetical and classified list of professional, commercial, and private residents, with a list of public officers, postal arrangements, &c. (1856)- Post Office Directory of Gloucestershire, with Bath and Bristol (1856)- Post Office Directory of Herefordshire (1856)- History, Topography and Directory of Herefordshire, to which is prefixed an abridgment of the early history of England (1858)- Harrison, Harrod & Co.'s Bristol Post-Office Directory and Gazetteer, with the counties of Gloucestershire and Somersetshire; containing a descriptive account of each place, followed by a Directory (1859)- Slater's (Late Pigot & Co.) Royal, National and Commercial Directory and Topography of the counties of Gloucester, Hereford, Monmouth, Shropshire and North and South Wales, and a classified directory of the town of Liverpool (1859)- Wakeford's Cardiff Directory, Gazetteer, and Official Register, embracing Llandaff, Canton, Ely, Maindy, Penarth, Roath, comprising an official register, public institutions, companies, schools, and societies (1863)- The Post-Office Bath Directory (with all the villages within a six-mile circuit of the city, the town of Bradford-on-Avon, and village of Keynsham), 1864-65 (1864)- Webster & Co.'s Postal and Commercial Directory of the City of Bristol, and County of Glamorgan (1865)- J. G. Harrod and Co.'s Post-Office Directory of Glamorganshire (1866)- Slater's (Late Pigot & Co.) Royal National Commercial Directory and Topography of the Counties of Gloucester, Hereford, Monmouth, Shropshire, and North and South Wales, and the City of Chester (1868)- Pearse & Brown's Swansea Directory; including Oystermouth, Sketty, Swansea Valley, &c, &c.: comprising alphabetical and classified lists of professional, commercial, and private residents, with a list of public officers, postal arrangements, &c. (1869)- Edward Cassey and Co.'s History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Shropshire (1871)- The Post Office Directory of Monmouthshire and the principal towns and places in South Wales (1871)- Percy, Butcher & Co.'s Swansea & Neath (including Britton Ferry, Oystermouth, Sketty, Morriston & Llansamlet) Directory for 1873-4. Containing court and commercial directory, local intelligence, and historical sketches of the towns and neighbourhood (1873)- Worrall's Directory of South Wales, comprising the counties of Glamorgan, Carmarthen, Pembroke, Cardigan, Brecknock, and Radnor, with Newport, Monmouthshire (1875)- Butcher & Co.'s Directory of Swansea, Neath, Llanelly, Bridgend, etc. for 1875-6. Containing a street directory, private resident and commercial directories, local intelligence, & historical sketches of the towns and neighbourhood (1875)- Mercer & Crocker's General, Topographical, and Historical Directory for the Counties of Monmouthshire, Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, and the Principal Towns and Places in Glamorganshire and Radnorshire [Monmouthshire & Glamorganshire only] (1876)- The Post Office Bath Directory, 1876-77 (1877)- The Wales Register and Guide. A topographical and historical description of each town, parish and village, in North & South Wales, with postal intelligence, lists of magistrates (1878)
Main Topics:The directories included are of many different kinds, commonly embracing trade, commercial, and private resident directories, together with gazetteers, almanacs, official information, etc. For the purposes of deposit in the UK Data Archive, the collection has been divided into 35 studies on a regional and temporal basis.
No sampling (total universe)
Compilation or synthesis of existing material
