Directories

Trade and street directories are easy to access and are well worth checking, although not all of our relations are included

TheGenealogist ( thegenealogist.co.uk) has promoted its collection ‘1921 Trade, Residential and Telephone Directories’ specifically as a census substitute. Although the 1921 census for England and Wales will be on Findmypast ( findmypast.co.uk) from early 2022, and the 1921 census for Scotland is due to be published on ScotlandsPeople ( scotlandspeople.gov.uk) this year, directories will always be a useful alternative. TheGenealogist’s collection covers most English counties and major cities, as well as Glasgow and Aberdeen.

Other online collections stretch back beyond the years covered by the Victorian censuses. Directories emerged in the early years of the Industrial Revolution alongside new trades and industries. For example, the University of Leicester’s Special Collection of trade and local directories for England and Wales covers the 1760s to the 1910s ( bit.ly/special-coll), while the National Library of Scotland’s collection at digital.nls.uk/directories covers most Scottish regions between 1773 and 1911. Both resources are free to access.

Directories only record a limited number of individuals – labouring ancestors are less likely to appear. However, unlike the census most directories were published annually. What’s more, directories are easy to search, with alphabetical lists of inhabitants. Their lists of professions and addresses help you locate your ancestor at a given date, and can reveal how they earned their living. They are particularly useful for forebears who were involved in professions, trades or public houses.