The following databases have been added at The Original Record:
1130-1770 – Bodleian Library Charters and Rolls 
A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title ‘Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library’. The word ‘charters’ is here used in a very general sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner’s calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become standard until around 1350) or so damaged or defective (‘mutilated’ is Turner’s usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. He identified a few as forgeries, and these have been omitted from our indexes. The documents relate in the main to England, the Midlands, East Anglia and Yorkshire being particularly well represented, but there are some items from elsewhere in the British Isles and abroad. We have re-indexed the whole text by county and within that by decade (many of the dates in the original having been by regnal year).
1769-1771 – Board of Stamps Apprenticeship Books: Country Collectors’ Returns
Apprenticeship indentures and clerks’ articles were subject to a 6d or 12d per pound stamp duty: the registers of the payments usually give the master’s trade, address, and occupation, and the apprentice’s name, as well as details of the date and length of the apprenticeship. There are central registers for collections of the stamp duty in London, as well as returns from collectors in the provinces. These collectors generally received duty just from their own county, but sometimes from further afield: in 1770 a change was made to describe many of the collectors according to their county rather than their town, but no change was made to the rule that they might stamp indentures from all the surrounding area, so these labels are deceptive. The indentures themselves can date from a year or two earlier than this return. There are returns from Aylesbury, Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Brecon, Bridgwater, Bristol, Buckinghamshire, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Chester, Chichester, Colchester, Cornwall, Cowbridge, Denbigh, Derby, Derbyshire, Devizes, Devonshire, Dorsetshire, Dover, Durham, Edinburgh, Essex, Evesham, Exeter, Glamorgan(shire), Gloucester, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Huntingdon, Kent, Lancashire, Leicester, Leicestershire, Leominster, Lewes, Lichfield, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, Liverpool, Ludlow, Lynn, Norfolk, Northampton, Northamptonshire, Norwich, Nottingham, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Oxford, Oxfordshire, Pembroke, Penlline, Plymouth, Reading, Salop, Scotland, Shaftesbury, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, Somersetshire, Staffordshire, Sudbury, Suffolk, Sussex, Tiverton, Wells, Westmorland, Wiltshire, Winchester, Woodbridge, Worcestershire, Yarmouth, York, and Yorkshire, each of which has been indexed separately. IR 1/57
1771-1774- Board of Stamps Apprenticeship Books: Country Collectors’ Returns
Apprenticeship indentures and clerks’ articles were subject to a 6d or 12d per pound stamp duty: the registers of the payments usually give the master’s trade, address, and occupation, and the apprentice’s name, as well as details of the date and length of the apprenticeship. There are central registers for collections of the stamp duty in London, as well as returns from collectors in the provinces. These collectors generally received duty just from their own county, but sometimes from further afield: in 1770 a change was made to describe many of the collectors according to their county rather than their town, but no change was made to the rule that they might stamp indentures from all the surrounding area, so these labels are deceptive. The indentures themselves can date from a year or two earlier than this return. There are returns from Abergavenny, Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Brecon, Bristol, Buckinghamshire, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Chester, Chichester, Cornwall, Cumberland, Denbigh, Denbighshire, Derbyshire, Devonshire, Dorsetshire, Durham, Essex, Glamorgan(shire), Gloucester, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Herefordshire, Huntingdonshire, Kent, Lancashire, Leicester, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Liverpool, Monmouth, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, Northumberland, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Oxfordshire, Pembroke, Pembrokeshire, Plymouth, Salop, Scotland, Shropshire, Somersetshire, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Sussex, Westmorland, Wiltshire, Worcester, Worcestershire, and Yorkshire, each of which has been indexed separately. IR 1/58
1856 – Post Office London Court Directory
The Post Office London Directory for 1856 includes this ‘Court Directory’, listing alphabetically by surname and christian name the upper class residents of the capital with their postal addresses. ‘In order to afford space for the addresses, the abbreviation “esq.” for esquire has no longer been appended to each name in the Court Directory. It should be understood that such should be added to the name of every gentleman in the following pages to which no inconsistent addition is affixed.’ Decorations, honours &c. are generally given. Some gentlemen appear who are also listed (as professional men, &c.) in the commercial section. Those with second residences in the provinces usually have the country address given as well.
1862-1924 – Clifton College Register
Clifton College near Bristol was established in 1862. This edition of the Clifton College Annals and Register for the Old Cliftonian Society by F. Borwick was published in 1925. Boys are listed alphabetically by term of entry, with full names, surname first, in bold. Father’s (or widowed mother’s) name is given (surname and initials) in capitals, and address. Then there is the name of the house (N. T., North Town; S. H., School House; S. T., South Town), first and last forms, distinctions in school work and games, and month of leaving. Where known, the editor then gave a career summary with month of death; or, if still living, address as in 1925 (in italics).
1867 – Institute of Civil Engineers Membership List
The Institute of Civil Engineers was established by charter of George IV in 1828. The four classes of the institution were the Members, Associates, Graduates and Honorary Members. This membership list, corrected to 1 January 1867, lists members, associates and graduates alphabetically by surname and christian name, with date of election (or, for members who had previously been associates, date of election as associate (A) and date of transfer to member (M)), and address.
1901-1905 – Queen’s South Africa Medal: Royal Horse Artillery
The nominal roll for the Queen Victoria’s South Africa Medal – awarded (after her death, in the event) to all who had served honourably in the various campaigns in the Boer War – was compiled from these returns from the individual units. Two sets of form were completed. The main one, as in the sample scan, dates from 1901 and gives regimental number, rank, and full name (surname first), followed by a series of columns relating to different actions – Belmont, Modder River, Paardeberg, Dreifontein, Wepener, Johannesburg, Diamond Hill, Belfast, Wittebergen, Defence of Kimberley, Relief of Kimberley, Defence of Mafeking, Relief of Mafeking, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal, Rhodesia, Talana, Elandslaagte, Tugela Heights, Defence of Ladysmith, Relief of Ladysmith, Laing’s Nek, and Natal; each entitled the man to a separate clasp to the medal, and a tick or a Yes in the appropriate column indicates the man’s actual physical presence in that battle. A final column for remarks is important in those cases where the man was no longer in the unit, by removal, death or desertion. The second form that sometimes occurs was returned in 1905, and covers men entitled to the Second South African War Medal and Clasps. It lists men by number, rank and name, checks whether they had claimed the Queen’s South Africa Medal, and then enquires as to their suitability as to three Colony Clasps, which could be awarded for service in the Cape, Orange Free, or Transvaal; whether entitled to Date Clasps (South Africa 1901 and South Africa 1902); whether also entitled to the King’s South Africa Medal; any other corps in which served in South Africa; and remarks (such as becoming non-effective, forfeiture, &c.) WO 100/39
1926 – The Medical Directory
This was split into several sections. The London section covered all medical practitioners resident within the London postal district; the rest of England (except Monmouthshire) was covered by the Provinces; there were separate sections for Scotland and (the whole island of) Ireland, practitioners resident abroad, and those in the armed forces (including the Indian military). Each year a schedule was sent to each doctor to be returned to the publishers, so as to keep the directory up to date. In the directory the doctor’s name is given first, in bold, surname first, in capitals; then current address. Next are the qualifications; the italic abbreviations in parentheses following the qualifications indicate the medical school at which they were gained. Then there is a list of posts and honours within the profession, starting with those then current; previous posts are preceded by the word ‘late’. Finally, brief details are given of any publications.
1928 – Corporate Secretaries
The Chartered Institute of Secretaries of Joint Stock Companies and other Public Bodies was founded in 1891 and incorporated by royal charter in 1902. This membership list (corrected to 2 October 1928, and printed in the annual Proceedings), arranged alphabetically by surname and initials, gives the year of being elected Associate (A.) and/or Fellow (F.), and current professional office. As of 31 August 1928 there were 2201 fellows and 3907 associates.
1933 – Wives of Old Wellingtonians
Wellington College, near Wokingham, was originally founded for the education of sons of military officers. A register of boys entering the school from First Term 1859 to Michaelmas 1933 was compiled by F. G. Lawrence for the Old Wellingtonian Society. In each entry the boy’s name is given in full, in bold, surname first; age at entry (usually 11 to 14); then, in brackets, the name of the dormitory or house to which he belonged, in italics, with the years of his stay; then his father’s name (usually surname and initials, but not christian name) with military decorations where appropriate. School prefects and captains are noted as such; if the boy played cricket for the school, XI with the years; academic honours, scholarships, &c.; a brief biography; and date of death, or (where known) address in 1933. Year of marriage is given, and sometimes the wife’s name and/or her father’s name. Clearly, those boys who kept contact with the school and/or had distinguished military careers have detailed entries; others disappeared into oblivion on leaving. This is the index to the maiden names of the wives, who may or may not have survived to 1933.
1955 – Kelly’s (Gore’s) Directory of Liverpool and District
The directory includes this alphabetical list of residents and traders, with names, addresses, and (where applicable) telephone numbers. Covering a large area around Liverpool, the directory includes Bootle, Birkenhead and Wallasey, and thus the populous areas of southwest Lancashire and of the Wirral peninsula of Cheshire.
The Original Record now has over 9.3 million entries directly available online. They offer a free unlimited search. All records are hand-indexed (no OCR). Users my purchase sets of scans, or buy open access to the surname(s) of your choice, including variants.
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