LEICESTERSHIRE-PLUS-L Archives

Archiver > LEICESTERSHIRE-PLUS > 2001-04 > 0986929581


From: "Susan Miller" <>
Subject: [LEI] Fw: Leicestershire Trade Directories
Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2001 20:06:21 +0100


Thank you for that useful information Rod.

I 'tut tut' when I see requests from others who omit the important details
like dates and places and I've done exactly the same myself. A humbling
experience!

My SUDBURYS were from Notts but must have moved to Loughborough sometime
after 1805. I think they were woodworkers and I've been told that a book
about the general history and description of the county of Leicestershire
circa 1841 mentions SUDBURY joiners in Baxter Gate and Wellington St. It
looks like all the SUDBURYS in Leics at that time and 1851 are mine. I am
just looking for a way of finding out more about their lives.

Any tips gratefully received.

Susan
in Surrey
researching SUDBURY
from Liverpool/Loughborough/Notts

----- Original Message -----
From: Rod Neep <>
To: <>
Sent: Tuesday, April 10, 2001 4:42 PM
Subject: Leicestershire Trade Directories


> In article <007b01c0bf9f$007bea00$>, Susan Miller
> <> writes
> >Dear List
> >
> >I've seen several mentions of 'Trade Directories' and I assume they are
lists of
> >tradesmen? If SKS has access to 1 (or 2?) ...I don't know what period
each
> >directory covers...I think my SUDBURY ancestors were 'joiners and cabinet
> >makers'.
> >
> >Would really appreciate whatever information is available.
>
> Susan
>
> I note that no-one has answered your query yet.... possibly as you don't
> state a date or period, or a specific place? The question is a bit too
> "wide".
>
> The directories start around 1825 and then go right through from there
> once every few years. The earliest ones, the Pigot's are relatively
> small although they do cover the whole of the county. Next come the
> White's Directories, which a considerably more comprehensive in their
> content (usually about 900 pages), and later, we have the introduction
> of the Kelly's Directories starting about 1850. (There is some degree of
> overlap between the periods of the different publishers).
>
> Generally speaking, the directories pre-1895 include people with trades,
> anything from bankers and shop keepers through to chimney sweeps, etc.
> but they will not include labourers and agricultural workers. There will
> be a just a few entries of private residents.
>
> After 1895, and certainly in the Kelly's directories from about 1905
> onwards, we start to see many more private residents, and, in the main
> towns, complete street listings with house numbers and with the heads of
> every household. The 1912 Kelly's for example is like this, and is
> particularly useful in finding families, who will often have remained in
> the same house for several decades, and that directory gives perfect
> clues where to find the whole family in the censuses of 1891 and 1901
>
> All of the directories, for whatever period, give detailed information
> about each place, its history and facilities such as schools and
> churches, etc. The White's Directories and Kelly's again are much more
> comprehensive in detail.
>
> A lot of people just look for names of people in directories, but they
> contain so much more real family history than just names of ancestors!
> All of the really useful background information is there, right down to
> the name of the teacher in the village who taught your ancestors'
> children, details of carriers & wagons to the nearest town, with
> timetables and who operated them... post details, and so on. It really
> is possible to recreate a picture of life in the village at the time.
> That's what real family history is about, rather than just collecting
> names and dates, and it becomes very fascinating!
>
> In general, those books are pretty hard to come by, and usually only the
> local studies libraries in Leicestershire, or the County Record Office,
> will have copies of them.
>
> My Archive CD Books Project has several Leicestershire Directories
> available on CD.... so that anyone can have a copy. They are literally
> scanned images of the whole book, reproduced as a virtual book which you
> can read or search using Adobe Acrobat Reader.
>
> price cdref title
> Y 8.50 0133 Leicestershire & Rutland 1841 Pigot's Directory
> Y 7.50 0213-19 Leicestershire & Rutland 1873 Returns of Owners of Land
> p 14.00 0013 Leicestershire & Rutland 1877 White's Directory
> Y 8.50 0046 Leicester & Rutland 1881 Kelly's Directory
> Y 11.00 0261 Leicestershire & Rutland 1912 Kelly's Directory
> p 14.00 0173 Leicestershire 1928 Kelly's Directory
>
> Y = available now on CD
> p = in preparation (The 1877 one will be released later this month)
>
> Further details of these (and other Leics. books) can be seen on the
> Archive CD Books web site on the Leicestershire county page at:
>
> http://www.archivecdbooks.com
>
> and folks can use the shopping cart there to order on-line. Overseas
> airmail is no problem.
>
> Sorry, I am unable to do lookups for folks (I just don't have the time!
> I am too busy with the Archive CD Books Project). But I am sure that
> others on this mailing list who have the CDs would be willing to help
> with specific lookups for you.
>
> But you do need to state:
> a. the directory date
> b. the name of the person
> c. the place (town or village)
> d. and preferably the occupation if known.
>
> Blanket searches such as "let me know of all Thompson's in Leicester"
> would be far too time consuming for people to help you!
> Keep it specific ;-)
>
> Regards
> Rod
> --
> Rod Neep
> ARCHIVE CD BOOKS - old books for genealogists reproduced on CD
> E-mail:
> Web : http://www.archivecdbooks.com
>
>
>

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