House history - where to start

Before you come in:

do your homework - collect as much information as you can about the house from old deeds and local people. Find out whether it had ever had a different use such as a school or chapel because this can affect the types of records that you use.
ask a local expert - many towns and villages in Gloucestershire have a local history society so someone might have already investigated the history of your house. You can find information about these societies from the Gloucestershire Local History Association https://gloshistory.org.uk/organisations/.
read a book - there are several books about house history that will give you information about the range of sources that can help you find out about your house.
go on a course.
decide what you want to do - do you want to find out when your house was built or do you want to try to discover who lived there before you? You can research both!
check the Online catalogue - this shows the sources available for your area. If you find references to original documents you would like to see you can pre-order them so they are ready for you when you arrive.

House history resources

How you can trace the history of a building by making use of our resources including maps, title deeds and directories.

For advice on carrying out research into house histories in Gloucestershire download How to begin researching your house history (PDF, 75.3 KB) . You can find details of private researchers who can carry out research on your behalf in the downloadable document below. You can also access lots of useful free advice at the Trace My House website.

Maps

Ordnance Survey maps, c.1880-1970s
Finance Act maps and books of reference c.1915
Tithe maps and apportionments, c.1840
Inclosure maps and awards, c.1780-1820
Estate maps and surveys, 17th-19th century

Census enumerators' returns

Microfilm copies of the census returns, 1841-1911, for the whole of Gloucestershire including Bristol, with street indexes for Gloucester and Cheltenham

Trade and Street Directories

These survive from the late 18th century and cover the whole county with individual volumes for Gloucester, Cheltenham and some of the market towns in the county

Electoral Registers and Poll Books

The poll books from 1763 and electoral registers from 1832 include the names of those entitled to vote. They cover the whole county but do not include every person over 21 years old until 1928

Sale particulars

18th and 19th century sale particulars can include a description of the property; late 19th and 20th century ones can include detailed plans and photographs

Title deeds

These can date from the 12th century to the 20th century and can include details of the owners and occupiers of a property as well as details of the property itself, sometimes with a small plan

Printed sources and photographs

The Victoria County History of Gloucestershire covers about half the parishes in the County and gives a short but detailed account of the history and development of each place. This includes information about significant houses and buildings
Gloucestershire Archives has a wide range of books and articles about significant houses and buildings in the county as well as books relating to architecture
Gloucestershire Archives has a large number of prints and photographs of properties from the 18th century to the 20th century