Kelly's Directory of Buckinghamshire 1907 (Digital Download or CD)

Unlock the history of your ancestors and the county of Buckinghamshire with this comprehensive reproduction of the 1907 Kelly’s Directory.

Available as a high-quality digital download or on a convenient CD, this directory is an essential resource for genealogists and local historians. Published at the height of the Edwardian era, this volume offers a fascinating snapshot of life in Buckinghamshire just a few years before the First World War.

About the Format & Navigation

Please note that this directory consists of high-resolution scanned images of the original pages. It is not a text-searchable database in the traditional sense. However, thanks to the alphabetical arrangement of the residents and trades sections, navigation is straightforward and intuitive.

Furthermore, modern PDF readers (such as Adobe Acrobat, Edge, or Preview) now offer OCR (Optical Character Recognition) "on the fly." This means you can often use the search function within your PDF reader to locate specific surnames or street names, even though the underlying file is an image.

Bridging the Census Gap

This directory is the perfect tool to fill the void between the 1901 and 1911 censuses. If you are struggling to trace where a family moved or how their circumstances changed in the first decade of the 20th century, this directory provides the missing piece of the puzzle, confirming residences and occupations for the year 1907.

What’s Inside the Directory?

This comprehensive volume is divided into several key sections to aid your research:

• County Information: A detailed overview of Buckinghamshire’s topography, ancient history, and administrative statistics, including details on the Magistrates and the County Council.
• Court Directory (Private Residents): An alphabetical list of the gentry, clergy, and prominent private citizens residing in the county at the time.
• Commercial & Trades Directory: A classified listing of businesses and tradespeople. From millers to blacksmiths, solicitors to innkeepers, this section allows you to visualize the local economy.
• Town & Village Histories: Street-by-street and house-by-house surveys of major towns and villages, including Aylesbury, High Wycombe, Buckingham, and Slough, along with smaller parishes.

Buckinghamshire in 1907: Famous Faces & Facts

This directory places you right in the heart of Edwardian Bucks, a county known for its aristocracy and industry.

• The Rothschild Influence: By 1907, the Rothschild family was a dominating force in the county. You will find references to Waddesdon Manor (home to Alice de Rothschild) and the many estates and philanthropic activities of the banking dynasty that shaped the local landscape.
• Literary Connections: The directory covers the area around Chalfont St Giles, where the poet John Milton lived centuries prior, a site that was already a point of historical pride for residents in 1907.
• Industry – The Chair Making Capital: The entries for High Wycombe highlight the town's status as the center of the British furniture industry. You will find numerous wood turners, chair manufacturers, and polishers listed, illustrating the industrial backbone of the Chilterns.
• Sport: The entries reflect the burgeoning popularity of football in the area. While Wycombe Wanderers (founded in 1887) were playing at Loakes Park, local directories often listed grounds and secretaries for the expanding league structures across the county.

Important Disclaimer

Please be aware: Due to the age of the original source material and the binding process used over a century ago, some maps may have been missing, damaged, or torn out of the original book prior to scanning. We have done our best to preserve all available content, but please expect the possibility that certain fold-out maps may not be present in this digital edition.