Ancestry.com. London, England, City Directories, 1736-1943 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2018.Original data: Images produced by permission of London Metropolitan Archives (City of London Corporation). The City of London gives no warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or fitness for the purpose of the information provided. Images may be used only for purposes of research, private study or education. Applications for any other use should be made to London Metropolitan Archives, 40 Northampton Road, London EC1R 0HB via – www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/lma. Infringement of the above condition may result in legal action.
About London, England, City Directories, 1736-1943
This database is a collection of directories for London from 1736 to 1943. Various types of directories exist, including:
Street: listing of residents, businesses, and tradesmen according to street address
Commercial: includes businesses, but may also include private residences; generally an alphabetical listing of traders
Trade: not just for businesses, but anyone with a recognized trade or profession; an alphabetical listing of trades and businesses
Court: lists wealthy residents and government officials
Post Office: listing of householder's names and addresses
Many directories are named after the publishers, such as Pigot and Kelly. Most directories originally included maps, however, over time, many of these maps were removed. Where still available as part of a directory, the maps are included in this database.
Historical Background:
London Directories predate the earliest volumes produced in other parts of the country, which were first published around the beginning of the nineteenth century.
The original purpose of directories was to provide information about towns and localities for travellers and other visitors. A directory would include a general description of the town or area and then include details on local transportation, churches, schools, government offices, shops, and businesses, etc. Sometimes information on specific people, such as businessmen, traders, and shopkeepers, was included as well.
Later, directories began to include sections on private residents. At first this mainly consisted of the wealthier and more prominent individuals but eventually the directories became more comprehensive and more residents, especially householders, were included regardless of social status.
Why use city directories:
Directories are great sources for locating people in a particular place and time. They are especially useful in between census years and in earlier years when censuses are non-existent. However, directories are also an excellent source for gathering details to help you place your ancestors in historical context. As most directories provided descriptions and other information about the town and surrounding localities, directories can help you paint a picture of what life in that time and place might have actually been like.
Note: This index was created using text recognition software, records were not transcribed. We have created indexes of the directories for every fifth year.
