Trade Directories
Paul Wilkins explains how the Victorian equivalent of the Yellow Pages provides a window into our family’s past
In the past a man’s trade or occupation dictated both his status and his wife’s
When you’re researching your family history, the most common approach is to concentrate on the major sources and life events, such as birth, marriage and death certificates, and census returns. While each of these records can provide information about your ancestors’ trades and occupations, many people don’t realise how easy it can be to discover more about what your relatives did for a living.
Work And Status
A person tends to be defined through their work. In the past a man’s trade or occupation dictated both his status and his wife’s. Knowing how a forebear spent their working life – especially when put into the context of the geographical location, social history, etc – will add colour to the story of your ancestors and help you to understand their day-to-day existence. Armed with the occupation of your ancestors you can find fascinating new paths for your research, leading to untapped treasure troves of information.
In the 18th century and before, England, Scotland and Wales were almost dominated by agriculture. What other work was done took place within the home or in small workshops, like the village smithy. With the coming of the Industrial Revolution things began to change, and labour was required in the factories at the end of the 18th century. As time went on factories and manufacturers needed to know the whereabouts of supplies, as well as regional retailers and distributors.
Trade directories arose as a result of all of these factors.
The first directory printed in England was by Samuel Lee in 1677, and listed only
London merchants. The first outside London was by James Sketchley in 1763, and listed Birmingham merchants and tradesmen. Elizabeth Raffald’s 1772 Manchester directory included 1,505 traders and civic leaders, while John Gore compiled one for Liverpool in 1766. Peter Williamson’s directory for Edinburgh appeared in 1773, and in Glasgow the first directory was produced by John Tait in 1783.
The first national series of trade directories was produced by Manchester printer James Pigot between 1814 and 1853; the firm was taken over by Frederick Kelly by which time directories included most counties and urban areas. They were printed on an almost annual basis. Kelly’s Post Office directories became the most famous series of directories up to the middle of the 20th century, although many others produced directories including William White.
Common Format
Directories adopted a common style and pattern which stayed the same for many years. They contain brief notes on the history and topography of the area, include information on land ownership, and list all of the principal inhabitants of the parish. This includes the names of tradesmen as well as professionals.
As time went on private persons were included too. These directories were a cross between our modern Yellow Pages and telephone books,
and had their heyday in the late 19th century. Trade and street directories gradually ceased when information became available in telephone directories. The last county directory appeared in 1939. Telephone books then took over, and Ancestry has the useful collection ‘British Phone Books, 1880–1984’ at ancestry.co.uk/search/ collections/1025.
There are many good reasons why those who are researching their family history should consider looking at trade directories. Directories include the names, addresses and trades of one’s ancestors, and this can help in refining and confirming searches in other records, such as census returns and parish registers. They can be useful in pinpointing an ancestor in a particular time and place. Directories can even help you to date old photographs: if you have a studio photo without a date, you can consult directories to find out the period when the studio was in business.
Also, tracing a particular surname within a specific geographical area allows you to find out the trades the family were associated with. For example an 1849 directory for Birmingham that is freely available from the Internet Archive lists the Cadbury families all involved in the tea and coffee industries: archive.org/details/ birminghamhistor00whitrich/ page/122/mode/2up.
Limitations
However, as with using any historical record it is important to be aware of the inherent limitations and problems that are associated with trade directories.
First, some of the information that is contained in the directory is likely to be out of date, because the lead time between the data being gathered and the directory being published could be a good few months. In addition, it might take a couple of years after someone has died or moved before their name is removed.
Also, not everyone is included in the directory. For example, they do not list those who worked for others, including servants and labourers.
You also need to remember that directories are not original historical sources. They were commercially produced by independent publishers. As such they are secondary sources, and will contain many inaccuracies.
There are three different ways to access directories. First, you can access many of them for free online (see
the box). If you can’t find the directory you need on one of the three recommended websites, you can perform a general web search for the county you are interested in.
For example, a quick Google search revealed a name index to Cheshire and
Chester trade directories for 1781–1840 on the website of Cheshire Archives and Local Studies: databases. cheshirearchives.org.uk/ archivesandlocalstudies/ Search.aspx?archiveid=0.
Second, many of the subscription websites have good collections. Ancestry has the collection ‘London, England, City Directories, 1736–1943’ in association with London Metropolitan Archives and the Guildhall Library: ancestry.co.uk/ search/collections/61265. Remember that most library services provide free access to Ancestry Library Edition. TheGenealogist has its own collections at thegenealogist. co.uk/directories. Family Relatives has directories for 120 counties for 1824–1846, including Scotland, at family relatives.com/post_search. php?s=3. Finally ‘Hampshire, Portsmouth Trade Directories 1863–1927’ is one of the collections of directories available via Findmypast: bit.ly/fmp-han-dir.
Third, if you can’t find a directory online then it may not have been digitised, and you will have to consult it in person. Search The
National Archives’ catalogue Discovery at discovery.national archives.gov.uk, which has details of the holdings at every archive in England and Wales as well as TNA itself.
In the quest to understand the lives of our ancestors, trade directories are an invaluable resource and one that tends to be underused. This is especially relevant when you consider that for many of us, an ancestor’s occupation gave rise to the surname that we still carry today. Once you know your forebear’s trade or profession, investigating what they did for a living will enable you to build a better picture of both their life and their work.
PAUL WILKINS
is a genealogist, tutor and author. Find out more at thefamilytreetracers.com
For many of us, an ancestor’s occupation gave rise to the surname we carry today