Tithe maps

A guide to finding and using Derbyshire tithe maps and awards Tithe maps were created for a large number of Derbyshire parishes between 1836 and 1853, and are a great resource for local, family and house historians as they are large scale maps accompanied by a schedule giving a range of information including showing who …

Census Returns

A guide to the census returns for England and Wales, 1841-1911; with invaluable information for family and social historians, especially when used with other resources like maps and directories. Historical background By the late 18th century the Industrial Revolution had resulted in great changes in employment and population movement. Governments wanted greater knowledge of their populations …

Electoral Registers

A guide to the collections at Derbyshire Record Office. First produced in 1832, electoral registers are a record of all those persons entitled to vote at parliamentary, local and parochial elections. They are a useful tool for family historians looking for the addresses of their ancestors, for house historians looking to see previous occupiers of …

Building History – Next Steps

A guide to other detailed records and tips for specific types of building. If you are new to researching the history of a building try our getting started guide first.  There are also more complex records available for discovering the history of property and land, including: Estate records: including rentals and terriers which can be …

Family History – Next Steps

A guide to help you dig deeper into your family history and add flesh to the bones. Where your ancestor lived: See the guides to building history for the types of sources available for finding out where your ancestors lived. Where your ancestor went to school: Admission registers for a large number (though not all …

Building History – Getting Started

An introductory guide to the sources available for researching property in Derbyshire There are a large number of different sources available for researching the history of Derbyshire buildings, but the survival and availability of sources varies significantly between different places. Most records do not relate to specific properties and it is very rare to be …

Historic Derbyshire maps available online

With the new Derbyshire Heritage Mapping Portal you can now see how the Derwent Valley from Derby to Matlock has changed over the last 200 years.  Featuring selected maps from the collections at the record office, the portal enables free access to digital copies of the maps and an "overlay" feature so you can see …

Picturing the Past in Photos, Postcards and Illustrations

We're often asked for images, illustrations and photographs for a variety of reasons: house or building history, planning and model making are just a few. So we thought it might be useful to list a few sources of useful information about how to access images, both online and in our collections. Firstly, with a title including …

Discovering Ilkeston

Yesterday morning I visited Ilkeston Library to deliver a new workshop  introducing people to the various sources available for researching the history a Derbyshire building. It was a quiet session, with only two in attendance - though one had travelled all the way from Aston on Trent which took me quite by surprise! With the …

Restoration Home – The Elms at North Wingfield

After featuring Derbyshire archives in the first series of Restoration Home last year, the team from Endemol returned to the record office earlier this year to film original records for tonight's episode exploring the history of The Elms in North Wingfield. The show's two historians Kate Williams (pictured) and Kieran Long examined including a tithe map and apportionment for the …