A large and varied number of records were created in connection with the administration of local areas which can now be used for local history research. It is not possible to describe them all in detail here. From the Middle Ages the parish was the basic administrative area, especially in the countryside, and its records can go a long way towards creating a picture of the community. The parish's officials had responsibility for undertaking various duties connected with the church, law and order, poor relief and later roads, which were paid for out of locally collected rates. As figures of prime significance, the minutes, reports and accounts of these officials shed light on social, economic, political and religious aspects of local life and enable the researcher to uncover the dynamic social structure of the parish. These and other aspects of local life can be followed through in Quarter Sessions records. As time went on and places grew and the problems associated with industrialisation and urbanisation increased changes took place in the administrative framework. New bodies were created, such as Poor Law Guardians, Local Boards of Health, Urban and Rural District Councils, and these too generated their own minutes, reports and papers. Medieval boroughs and rising industrial towns saw new forms of local government. The minutes and records of councils can provide a great deal of information about such changes.

Legal records can also provide an insight into the nature of the local community. Again Quarter Session records are useful and occasionally the papers of local magistrates survive. Towns often had their own courts for settling minor disputes and debts, whilst major crimes were dealt with by judges at assize courts. Having such a court held in a town could have a big impact on its local life.

Another major source of official information for a local area are taxation records. These came in various forms and two of the most useful for local history are the hearth tax returns in the 1660s and land tax assessments during the late 18th and early 19th century. These are invaluable for information about the local population, the distribution of wealth and poverty, settlement patterns and changes in ownership and occupation of land within a given area.

It would not be possible to consider sources for local history without mentioning the established church, which for much of the period was the biggest and most pervasive organisation. As well as the parish records, those created by the diocese can be useful for details of land, the clergy and the moral regulation of the parish. Examples include bishop's and archdeacon's visitation books and glebe terriers. The records of the dean and chapter can also throw light on the management of the churches scattered manors and lands.