Rutland Local Studies Collection Overview

Booking the Microform Reader/Printer

Census Holdings in Oakham Library

Newspaper Holdings in Oakham Library

A Guide to some Useful Reference Material

     - County Histories

     - Local Journals and Magazines

     - Trade Directories

Parish Registers and Other Indexes

     - Wills

Useful Links

Online Books and Texts about Rutland

Read Rutland Wartime Memories

Print-and-go Local Studies Resources

 

 

   The Local Studies Collection holds a wealth of material for those interested in the history of the local area, and for those researching their family history. It is now housed at Rutland County Museum.

   Resources include a collection of publications - both popular and academic - on different aspects of Rutland's history or places. These are arranged thematically on topics such as architecture, schools, agriculture, military and railways. There is also a village by village collection of publications, plus some additional material on Leicestershire, Leicester, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire & Peterborough. 

   The collection housed at the Museum is for reference use only, whilst other publications can be borrowed by library members from Oakham Library and from the reserves. Some of the more valuable and fragile material is stored separately and can be requested from the Librarian at the Information Desk at Oakham Library. Most books are included on the library catalogue (except for some of the older publications at present), which will detail the location of the item.

If you have a general Local Studies & Family History enquiry please contact Oakham Library at libraries@rutland.gov.uk

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Some of the material in the Collection, for example Census returns, parish records and old newspapers, are held on microfilm or microfiche. If you are planning to use any of these resources it is advisable to book the reader/printer in advance. Please telephone Rutland County Museum on 01572 758440 to arrange this - you can book up to 3 hours in one session. Staff will be available to show you how to use the machine. Back to top

Please see the Newspaper Holdings page. All hard copies of local newspapers are still held at Oakham Library.

County Histories

 - Wright's History and Antiquities of the County of Rutland (1684)

- Blore's History and Antiquities of the County of Rutland Vol. I Part II (1811) (Part I was never published)

 - Victoria County History in 2 vols. plus index: Vol. I (1908), Vol. II (1935)

Local Journals and Magazines

Rutland

- Rutland Magazine and County Historical Record (1903-1912, Vols I-IV)

- Rutland Record, Nos. 1-current (1980-current)

- Uppingham Magazine (1975-8, not complete).

Others

- East Midland Historian, Vol. 1-7 (1991/2-97); Vol. 10, 13, & 14 (2000, 2003, & 2004)

- John Clare Society Journal (Annual, 1982-2004; and Newsletter, Quarterly, current)

- Northamptonshire Past and Present (Journal of the Northamptonshire Record Society), Vol. IV, Nos. 4, 5, &6 (1969-72); Vol. VI, No.1 (1978); Vol. VII, No.6 (1988/9); Vol. VIII Nos. 1-5 (1989-94); Vol. IX, Nos. 1, 3, &4 (1994/5 & 1996-8); Nos. 51 onwards (1988-current).

- The Harborough Historian, Vol. 1, Nos. 1&2 (1984); Vol. 2, Nos. 1&2 (1985); No. 8-13 (1989-1996) .

- The Leicestershire Historian (1979-1991, & 1993-2004).

Trade Directories (Hard Copy & Fiche)

- George Alexander Cooke, Topographical and statistical description of the county of Rutland - 1801

- White's (covering Rutland and Leicestershire) - 1846, 1846, 1862, 1863, 1868, 1877 & 1877

- White's (covering Lincolnshire) - 1842, and 1857

- Wright's (covering Rutland and Leicestershire) - 1900

- Kelly's (covering Rutland and Leicestershire) - 1881, 1912, 1916, 1922, 1936, 1941, and 1969

- Kelly's (covering Lincolnshire) - 1937 

- Matkins Oakham Almanack (covering Rutland) - 1898, 1903, 1904, 1906, 1908, 1910, 1914, 1924, 1931-1941

- Slater's Royal National Commercial Directory and Topography of Lincolnshire, Rutlandshire and Yorkshire 1857

- Deacon's Court Guide and County Blue Book: Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire, 1890 and 1891

(Trade directories are also available online through the Historical Directories website.)

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- Church of England registers of christenings, marriages and burials, 16th-20th centuries, (on microfiche). See our full Index of Parish Registers held on Fiche at Rutland County Museum at the bottom of this page, for details of what we currently hold.

ALso:

- North Luffenham Parish Registers 1572-1812 (on CD-ROM)

- International Genealogical Index (IGI) Leicestershire and Rutland, 1992 edition (on microfiche)

- Phillimore Leicestershire Marriages (on CD-ROM)

- Leicestershire/Rutland County Burial Index, Vol. 1, 1813-1865 (on CD-ROM)

- National Burial Index for England and Wales 2nd Edition, (on CD-ROM)

Wills

- A calendar of wills relating to the counties of northants and Rutland 1510-1652 (on Fiche)

- Index to wills and administrations proved and granted in the Archdeaconry Court of Leicester 1660-1750 (on Fiche)

 

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Records and Indexes

Record Office for Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland

1901 Census - pay per view (vouchers are for sale in Oakham Library)

Ancestry - pay per view access to 1871, 1881, 1891 and 1901 Censuses

1837 Online - pay per view access to indexes of births, marriages and deaths in England and Wales from 1837, plus 1861 Census

Census Finder - links to free Census records online

FamilyHistoryOnline - pay per view database of indexes of baptisms, marriages and burials, monumental inscriptions and Census returns

Family Search - website of the International Genealogical Index compiled by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (mainly records of those who lived before 1930)

National Archives - includes WW1 campaign medals plus other information on service records and wills

Family Records Centre - for birth, marriage and death certificates, plus a useful beginner's guide

National Archive of Memorial Inscriptions (NAOMI) - a new site which only covers Bedfordshire and Norfolk so far (January 2008), but new records will be added at regular intervals

Access to Archives - The A2A database contains catalogues describing archives held locally in England and Wales dating from the eighth century to the present day. Over 10m records from over 400 record offices are described and regularly updated.

British Origins - Searchable index to will indexes (mainly pre-1800) and other resources: census, marriage, apprenticeship records, court and militia records, passenger lists etc. Historical Maps 

 Maps

A Vision of Britain - Agricultural land use through time - a substantial set of county-level data covering the whole period from 1871 to 1970.

Old Map Company of Great Britain - reproductions of maps created between 1610 and 1623

British History Online - includes the complete Ordnance Survey map series for England, Scotland and Wales (Epoch 1, at scale 1 : 10,560). Rutland is represented by 30 tiles compiled between 1884 and 1891 Some Other Sites

Other Links

Historical Directories- digital library of local and trade directories for England and Wales from 1750 to 1919

GENUKI - guide to genealogical information for UK & Ireland

East Midlands Oral History Archive Cyndi's List - index of useful websites

East Midlands Family History Resource Site BBC Family History - includes useful guides for beginners

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

British History Online - digital library including some texts on Rutland

Domesday Book - The National Archives Domesday Book online - images and transalations of text, and the history of the Domesday book.

Surname Profiler Project - Developed by three UK universities, the website uses data from the 1881 census and 1998 electoral register to map surnames (over 25,000 are listed) and show where they are and where they were most common in the UK.

British Association for Local History - Links to national organisations which are of interest to local historians. 

Internet Library of Early Journals - A digital library of 18th and 19th century journals.

Royal Historical Society Bibliography - An online bibliography of books and periodical articles written about UK history from Roman times to the present day. Books and articles written since 1900.

The Clergy Database - The Clergy of the Church of England Database (CCEd), aimed at documenting the careers of all Church of England clergymen between 1540 and 1835. Also contains supporting materials about the Church and clergy.

Medieval Genealogy - Information on medieval public documents and resources for genealogy - covers dates up to around 1600.

Newsplan - Searchable resource detailing newspapers that have been published in the East Midlands and East Anglia and where they have been preserved for you to read. Local Sites

Langham Village Website Website of Langham Village including extensive local history resources relating to Langham and maps. Back to top