How To Find Out Who Has Lived In Your House

Whether your ancestors lived in a worker'southward cottage, 1930s semi or Georgian manor, house history tin can apace develop from beingness a coincidental side projection to an all-consuming quest. It's equally fascinating if you're tracing the history of your own business firm.

In the popular BBC Two serialA House Through Time, historian David Olusoga researches the history of an ordinary house, revealing the fascinating, shocking and touching stories of its inhabitants. The programme has inspired many people to observe out more well-nigh the previous residents of their home.

Depending on the age of the home you are researching, house history can call on some sources that are hard to find, difficult to read and difficult to interpret. Thankfully the websites listed beneath are excellent sources of advice, and all of the skills that you lot've picked upwardly as a family unit historian can exist applied to your house history research.

When you've uncovered the history of your one-time house, find out how to restore information technology with this guide fromHomes & Antiques

The best websites for firm history

one. National Library of Scotland Maps

National Library of Scotland house history

Apparently quondam maps are a necessary tool for business firm history, and in particular Ordnance Survey (OS) maps, tithe maps and valuation maps, oftentimes showing private houses and outbuildings, can exist a vital starting time stop.

The National Library of Scotland has been leading the manner in terms of digital access to its map collections for years, and this includes maps covering all of the British Isles, not merely Scottish records.

Thanks to the successful GB1900 project crowdsourcing project drawing to a close, volunteers accept transcribed all of the place names printed on sheets of the original 1900 OS maps of the British Isles, calculation a new and truly comprehensive gazetteer.

2. ScotlandsPlaces

This website lists the core sources that grade the footing of the gratuitous and totally wonderful ScotlandsPlaces, a fantastic source for Scottish business firm history. You can find maps, surveys and plans, drawings, various taxation rolls, Ordnance Survey name books and more.

Examples include schedules of 18th century 'Duties on inhabited houses', first imposed in 1778 and arranged in county volumes, and the 'Official reports' section. This leads to the likes of the Land Ownership Committee 1872–three – a land ownership report that gives the names of every possessor of land (of one acre or more) in each county.

3. Historic England

Historic England'due south homepage has sections on a project to tell the story of England through '100 Places', a map of all listed buildings, plus sections on state of war memorials and Celebrated England's own archives.

The correct-manus menu (click 'Advice' and so choose 'Your Domicile') leads to more practical advice for firm history – not only aimed at those who own listed properties.

It could be more comprehensive, just it's a expert starting point, and includes some useful links to the likes of Victoria County History.

iv. MyHouseMyStreet

At that place are all sorts of local history projects out there that might record the history of your house, or properties in the wider community. This case from Brighton and Hove was launched in 2008.

The upshot is a database of census and historical trade directory data which allows users to view the occupancy history of local backdrop.

Volunteers from the Regency Town Firm take also at present completed the Here in the By project. This tool draws on directories, census returns, cemetery records and electoral registers, to create a searchable database for users to explore business firm histories in Brighton & Hove.

5. British History Online

The wealth of material available at British History Online can seem somewhat overwhelming, especially when you lot combine information technology with other sites in the Connected Histories stable. As a starting point I strongly recommend visiting 2 of the subject guides – 'Urban History' and 'Local History'.

These give broad overviews of the strengths and weaknesses of what's bachelor here, and describe the main and secondary sources for business firm history at your fingertips.

six. Good's choice: TheGenealogist

Chosen past Gill Blanchard, professional person researcher and writer ofTracing Your House History:

"I recommend TheGenealogist for house history because the site has digitised copies of the tithe maps and apportionments held at The National Archives which can be searched by name and place.

"The old system of tithes payments of farm produce in kind, made by parishioners to back up the parish church and clergy, was replaced by money payments in 1836.

"Maps showing all titheable land and properties on it were fatigued up with accompanying apportionments list owners and occupiers, acreage, type of cultivation and its tithe valuation.

"Other useful house history records on TheGenealogist include the Returns of the Owners of Land (1873–1876).

"These list everyone who endemic more than one acre of land in England (except London), Wales, Scotland and Ireland.

"And for those researching house history in Ireland the site too has copies of Griffith's Valuation of land, carried out between 1848 and 1864.

"There are also trade and telephone directories, balloter registers and poll books.

"A new addition to the site are the beginnings of the Inland Revenue Survey collection taken between 1910 and 1915.

"More ordinarily known as the Lloyd George Domesday Survey, these records and their accompanying maps feature owners and occupiers beyond the U.k.."

More house history websites

The National Records of Scotland guide details house history sources in Scotland, including the Register of Sasines, exchequer records, registers of deeds and more. West Yorkshire's Archives Service looks later i of only v surviving Registry of Deeds, containing memorial copies of more than than seven millions house deeds (1704–1970).

Dating a house'due south original construction is an important footstep in tracing house history. A really old business firm may have had all sorts of redesigns, rebuilds, alterations and additions. Deeds and wills are of grade incredibly useful, only they're not for the faint-hearted. Step forrad Building History. It has a simple design, giving brief and clear advice for anyone interested in business firm history.

Title deeds are useful documents in house history considering they include the names of vendors and sellers, a description of the property and the amounts of money used in transfer of ownership. Further information for many properties can exist obtained from the State Registry.

Historical trade directories can give you some indication of who used to live in your property. There are some free examples online for England and Wales held past the University of Leicester.

Both Findmypast and TheGenealogist feature an address search tool for their census records, which makes it easier to search for your address and see who lived in your house.

Other useful websites for house history include University College London's Survey of London; Vision of Uk, a map-finding tool; and HistoryPin, where you lot tin can search for photographs of streets and buildings in the past.

Jonathan Scott is the author of A Lexicon of Family History