Health and social care in Derbyshire

A guide to the records of hospitals, health care professionals and public health, since the late 18th century Hospitals The earliest known “hospitals” in Derbyshire, as in many other parts of the country, were established by religious institutions (such as monasteries) during the 12th century. Many of these hospitals disappeared with the dissolution of the …

A guide to the archives of mental health services in Derbyshire

The lockdowns and traumas of 2020 and 2021 remind us more than ever of the importance of looking after our own mental health and supporting others with theirs.  Today, even though society still has some way to go before the taboo of talking about our mental health is truly broken, understanding about mental health as …

A guide to our new Names and Places Search options

In April 2022, we introduced two new elements to our online catalogue - a Name and a Place Search. About the Place Search Contains key information about all Derbyshire townships and parishes as well as various other places in the UK and across the world that are mentioned in the archive and local studies collections. …

(Re)-Introducing our online catalogue

Many of you may have noticed that a few weeks ago our online catalogue had rather a face-lift, but that we haven't actually mentioned it very much - until now! Part of the reason for this is that we were still making some final changes to the system (and we still have one slight technical …

Maritime History Research Guide

A guide to archives and published sources relating to maritime history. Although a land-locked county, Derbyshire Record Office does hold maritime records created or collected by Derbyshire people.  Ships and boats Material relating to ships and boats has all been subject indexed in our online catalogue under the term ‘seagoing vessels’.  You can also search …

A guide to researching records of disability

The following guide lists a selection of sources which can be used to help uncover information about disability in the records held at Derbyshire Record Office. For the purpose of this guide the term disability is taken to be physical or sensory impairment and those long-term injuries or conditions which have historically been treated as …

Trade and telephone directories

A guide to the published directories available for Derbyshire. Trade directories In the 18th century, new publications appeared across the country containing details of trades and industry, as well as other useful information, for example about local government, individual towns and villages, local organisations and activities. Left: extract for Ashbourne from Kelly's Directory of Derbyshire, …

Derbyshire Hospitality

A guide to the history of Derbyshire's hospitality and its archives. Derbyshire, including but not limited to the Peak District, has been a popular tourist destination for at least 2000 years. Our local studies library has lots of published tourist guides and histories from the 18th century to the present day. This guide outlines the …

Records of enslaved people

The following guide contains language which you may find offensive. Between the early 16th and mid-19th century, at least 12 million African people were enslaved and taken to the Americas.  These individuals were used as enforced labour in areas of major industry including the cultivation of sugar, tobacco, cotton, and coffee, on plantations, and in …

Researching Railways

A short guide to the published sources and archives relating to the rail industry in Derbyshire. A very brief history The Stockton-Darlington line, the world’s first public steam railway, opened in 1825. The Livepool-Manchester line, the world’s first public passenger steam railway opened five years later. From this point onwards many railway companies were formed, …