Most surviving historic business and trade records in the UK are held by local archives. There are specific guides covering occupations for which records are held at The National Archives in the Looking for records of a person section of our website.
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What do I need to know before I start?
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Try to find out:
- the person's name
- the geographical area where they worked
- a date range to focus your search
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What records can I see online?
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Historical directories for England and Wales (1750-1919)
Search Historical Directories, a digital library of local and trade directories for England and Wales.
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What records can I find at The National Archives at Kew?
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There are specific guides covering occupations for which records are held at The National Archives. These are listed in the Looking for records of a person section of our website.
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To access these records you will either need to visit us, commission research (£there will be a charge) or, where you can identify a specific record referencea unique set of letters and numbers identifying a document in The National Archives, order a copy (£there will be a charge).
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What records can I find in other archives and organisations?
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Records held locally
Search the Access to Archives (A2A) and National Register of Archives (NRA) databases to find records held in local archives.
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What other resources will help me find information?
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Website
Browse GENUKI for a list of occupations in the UK and Ireland, with sources of further information for each.
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Census
Businesses
Famous people