As we cannot provide access on site at the moment due to the coronavirus, here are some links and tips for research you can do from your computer at home.
Do your family history
- Baptism, marriage and burial registers for Church of England parishes, some as early as 1538, are on Ancestry (charge applies). See the guide below for advice on the best way to search and browse these records
- Baptism, marriage and burial registers for some non-conformist churches in Derbyshire have also been made available by The National Archives on The Genealogist website (charge applies).
- Over 550 Derbyshire school admission registers and log books (i.e. head teacher’s diaries) up to 1914 are available to search and browse on Findmypast (charge applies), plus thousands more from across England and Wales.
- Find My Past also includes Derbyshire wills before 1858 and marriage licences held by Staffordshire Record Office and selected Derbyshire electoral registers up to 1932
- Information about Derbyshire wills between 1858 and 1928 can be searched via our catalogue using the person’s name and reference D96/*, but we are unable to provide copies at this time. Wills after 1928 can usually be ordered online from the Probate Service
- Any skeletons in your family closet? Search our database of prisoner records from 1729-1913
Discover local history
- Family History websites like Ancestry and Findmypast can also be useful for local history. Take a look at sources like the census and trade directories on these websites.
- Browse and search nearly 60,000 historic photographs of Derby and Derbyshire on Picture the Past
- View old maps and explore how the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site has changed over the last 200 years on the Derbyshire Heritage Mapping Portal.
- Many historic Ordnance Survey maps for Derbyshire are also available from the National Library of Scotland
- Several Derbyshire newspapers are searchable on the British Newspaper Archive (charge applies)
Learn something new
- Explore our specially created online exhibitions, in partnership with Google Arts and Culture
- Learn how to read old handwriting with this palaeography tutorial from The National Archives
- Get practicing your Medieval Latin with this Latin tutorial from The National Archives
Don’t forget you can still search our catalogue online to discover what is held in the archives and local studies collections and start planning a future visit?
During the closure, staff will be working on several projects to make more information about our collections available online. We will be sharing our progress here on the blog and via Twitter and hope we can provide some relief from the stresses and boredom of being inside.
If you are doing any research, why not let us know below, we are sure our other followers will be interested or even have some tips for you.
From all the staff at the record office, stay safe and well, take care.