Indexes and catalogues: where to find information
Gloucestershire Archives Catalogue
Brief details of all collections (including local studies material) held by the Gloucestershire Archives and a full catalogue of Anglican parish records. For further information about the Archives services, click here.
Gloucestershire Archives Genealogical Database
An index to early wills, non-conformist baptisms and gaol records held by Gloucestershire Archives. For further information about Gloucestershire Archives services, click here.
Glos County Library General Catalogue
A catalogue of the books, maps, sound recordings and videos held by Gloucestershire libraries for lending and reference. For further information about library services, click here. Includes enewspapers and emagazines, requires input of a Gloucestershire Library card number and PIN.
Glos County Library Local and Family History Resources
National Archives Catalogue
A catalogue of the archives of central government, courts of law and other national bodies held at Kew. For further information about the National Archives, click here.
British Library Catalogue
A catalogue of the collection held by the British Library, including those books that can be requested through local libraries. For further information about services provided by the British Library, click here.
National Portrait Gallery Index
An index to a selection of the portraits held by the National Portrait Gallery with images of about half of those selected. For further information about the Gallery, click here.
The National Heritage List for England (NHLE)
Maintained by Historic England this is the only official, up to date, register of all nationally protected historic buildings and sites in England – listed buildings, scheduled monuments, protected wrecks, registered parks and gardens, and battlefields.
Historic England Image Collections
One of the largest photographic archives in the country, Historic England holds over 9 million photographs of the historic environment. The photos also show many other aspects of life, from education and employment to leisure and transport and many are available to view online. Index includes over 44,000 Gloucestershire images, of which about half are online.
Primary: offering access to content of original documents
Genealogy, Family Trees and Family History Records online – Ancestry.com: census 1841-1911. Free to use at Gloucestershire Archives and libraries, otherwise requires subscription.
https://www.findmypast.co.uk
Original genealogy resources. Free to use at Gloucestershire Archives and libraries, otherwise requires subscription. Census 1921 index search included, transcript or image for additional fee.
Know Your Place (overview of the site)
A resource for historical maps. Click here to go straight to Gloucestershire historic maps
Lloyd George Survey of Land Values: Gloucestershire
A survey of land values carried out as a result of the ‘People’s Budget’ of 1909.
Parish Population Tables 1801 – 1901
Population figures for towns, villages and sometimes hamlets recorded every ten years from 1801 to 1901 with details given for the individual parishes of the cities of Gloucester and Bristol. The information has been taken from Volume II of the Victoria History of Gloucestershire published in 1907. Links to the original tables.
British Newspaper Archive
Search millions of pages of historical newspapers from the British Library’s vast collection, including the Gloucester Citizen, Cheltenham Chronicle, Cheltenham Looker-On and Gloucestershire Echo. A search is free, must register to view an original image. Free to use in Gloucestershire Libraries. A digital image of the original item can be downloaded for a fee.
London Gazette
Search and view most issues of this official national newspaper from 1752 to the present. Transcripts of notices about bankruptcies, deceased estates and legal matters.
Historical Directories
A digital library of local and trade directories for England and Wales, from 1750 to 1919. Gloucestershire directories include Pigot 1844, Hunt 1849, Slater 1852, Kelly 1856, Slater 1868, Kelly 1897 and Kelly 1914. Original images online. For details of the powerful search facilities, click on Find by Keywords/Technical FAQs/Advanced Retrieval Methods.
Glo’shire Pubs & Breweries
List of Gloucestershire pubs and breweries with photographs and transcriptions.
Steam Engines
A list of the Boulton and Watt steam engines supplied to Gloucestershire, based on the archives held by the Birmingham Central Library, details transcribed.
Forest of Dean Coal Mines
Information about the various gales making up the Forest of Dean coalfield. Detail transcribed from original documents, but sources not given.
British History On-line
A digital library of British historical sources built by the Institute of Historical Research and the History of Parliament Trust. Mixture of published secondary sources and transcripts of original documents, much content free, some transcripts require a fee.
Church Plans
National collection of plans relating to applications for grants from the Incorporated Church Building Society between 1818 and 1982, including 170 churches in modern Gloucestershire. Images online.
Medieval Markets and Fairs
A gazetteer of markets and fairs in England and Wales to 1516 with indexes of Persons and Institutions. Detail from original documents, with references.
Local and Private Acts
Chronological lists of national Local Acts of Parliament passed between 1797 and the end of 2002 and Private (later described as Personal) Acts passed between 1539 and the end of 2002. Original text as transcripts or pdf.
Old Bailey Trials
Fully searchable texts of the Proceedings of the Old Bailey, London, from 1674 to 1913.
CCEd | Clergy of the Church of England Database 1540-1835
Transcriptions of original documents related to clergy careers, links to biographical information for Oxford and Cambridge alumni.
Secondary: compiled studies drawing on primary sources
Users are advised to check information given in the following sites against original sources:
Victoria County History of Gloucestershire (VCH)
Ten volumes of this important reference work are available online.
Transactions BGAS Index
An index to articles in the Transactions of the Bristol & Gloucestershire Archaeological Society with links to digital images of published articles up to 2019.
Cheltenham Gazetteer
The origins of roads, streets, localities, water-courses and some buildings within the built up area of the present borough of Cheltenham.
Gloucester Docks & the Sharpness Canal
Information about the history of what can be seen today, with many comparisons of old and current views.
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
Search and view the life stories of over 50,000 people who have shaped the history of the British Isles and beyond.
British History On-line
A digital library of British historical sources built by the Institute of Historical Research and the History of Parliament Trust. Mixture of published secondary sources and transcripts of original documents, much content free, some transcripts require a fee.
The Workhouse
This site is dedicated to the workhouse – its buildings, inmates, staff and administrators, even its poets
Research Methods
Local Population Studies
A number of papers are available to download which consider a range of sources and methods commonly used in local population history. These vary in sophistication and complexity and are accompanied by worked examples.