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Photograph of farmer ploughing near Farningham, Kent, c1930 (Catalogue reference: INF 9/836)

This is a brief guide to researching records of villages and the countryside. This guide will help you to identify some key sources of information which will help you with your research.

  • What do I need to know before I start?

    • Try to find out:

      • the name of the local parish
      • if the village you are researching has been known by any other name
      • if there have been any changes to county names and boundaries in the area you are researching

  • What records can I see online?

    • Historical Directories (1750-1919)

      Search the University of Leicester's Historical Directories website for local and trade directories describing rural communities and their principal inhabitants.

  • What records can I find at The National Archives at Kew?

    • Tithe maps and apportionments from 1836

      Search Discovery, our cataloguea search tool with descriptions of 11 million documents from the UK central government, law courts, and other national bodies for tithe mapstithe map - a parish map detailing the owner and inhabitants of a piece of land (IR30) and apportionmentsapportionment - an audit or survey of a piece of land (IR 29) by place name.

    • National Farm Survey (1941-1943)

      Search our catalogue by parish name for records of individual farms (MAF 32). Associated maps are in MAF 73.

    • Records of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food from 1386

      Browse our catalogue for records created or inherited by the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food in MAF.

    • Records of the Rural Development, National Parks, Countryside and Forestry Commissions from 1910

      Browse our catalogue for records of the Rural Development Commission in D, the National Parks and Countryside Commissions in COU and the Forestry Commission in F.

  • What records can I find in other archives and organisations?

    • Local authority records

      Consult records of local authorities and parishes in local archives and libraries. Use the ARCHON directory to find their contact details.


      Search the Access to Archives (A2A) catalogue for information about records held in local archives in England and Wales, dating from the eighth century to the present day.

  • What other resources will help me find information?

  • The National Archives is not responsible for the content of external websites.

Related guides

Did you know?

A village is usually described as a centre of population with an area less than 2.5 square kilometres (1 square mile). A village will always have a church.

A hamlet is usually defined as a small, isolated group of houses without a church.

The National Farm Survey was instigated by the government in 1941 to provide data for post-war planning. It was perceived as a 'Second Domesday Book'.

The National Parks Commission for England and Wales was appointed in 1949 under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act of the same year.

The origins of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food may be traced to a chartered society, the Board of Agriculture. This body was formed in 1793, dissolved in 1822, and then revived as the English Agricultural Society in 1838 (renamed the Royal Agricultural Society of England in 1840), and inspired the Tithe Commutation Act 1836, the Copyhold Act 1841, and the Inclosure Act 1845.

The 1919 Forestry Act gave the Forestry Commission the general duty of promoting the interests of forestry, the development of afforestation, and the production and supply of timber in the United Kingdom.

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