Getting Started

How do I find out what you have?

Our online catalogue, used in combination with our guides and other resources, is the key to interrogating our holdings and finding items of interest. You can get started with a simple search straight away by typing in a name, place, keyword or reference number.

If you want to research a particular person, place or topic it is useful to collect as much information as you can before looking through archive records. You could speak to the relevant local history society - many towns and villages in Gloucestershire have a local history society which will be able to provide you will local information and links. You can find information about these societies from the Gloucestershire Local History Association. You can also visit local libraries and family history centres - see the links on the right-hand side of this webpage.

We have a wide range of research guides available to help you find key records held at Gloucestershire Archives. Visit our 'Search by theme' page to find out more.

What is available online?

Many of our key family and local history resources have been digitised. You can find out more about which documents this applies to by visiting the Ancestry website. You can view Ancestry online for free on site in Gloucestershire Archives or in a Gloucestershire library. Alternatively, you can create your own account.

Our key series of historic maps have been digitised and can be viewed via Know Your Place, a free digital mapping platform. Find out more here.

Our online catalogue will tell you when a document in your search results is digital. If you would like to see digital records, we will need up to five working days' notice to make a copy available for you.