The Post Office Directory Of Durham & Northumberland 1879

The Post Office Directory of Durham & Northumberland 1879 - Digital Download or CD

Product Description:

Step back into the industrial heart of Victorian England with this comprehensive republishing of The Post Office Directory of Durham & Northumberland 1879. An essential resource for genealogists, local historians, and anyone researching family history in the North East, this directory offers a fascinating snapshot of life during the height of the coal and shipbuilding era.

This directory is available as a high-quality digital download or on a CD, perfect for browsing at your leisure or archiving for future research.

Navigating the Directory

Please note that this directory consists of high-resolution scanned images of the original book. As such, it is not fully text-searchable in the traditional sense. However, don't let that deter you! The directory is meticulously organized alphabetically by town and by surname, making navigation intuitive and straightforward. Furthermore, most modern PDF readers (such as Adobe Acrobat or browser-based viewers) now perform OCR (Optical Character Recognition) on the fly. This means that while the file itself is an image, your software can often read the text, allowing you to use the "Find" function to locate names or places with ease.

Bridging the Census Gaps

One of the most valuable aspects of this directory is its timeframe. Published in 1879, it sits perfectly between the 1871 and 1881 censuses. If you have "lost" an ancestor between these two census years—perhaps they moved, got married, or changed professions—this directory serves as the perfect substitute to locate them and verify their residence and trade a decade prior.

What's Inside?

This extensive volume is packed with detailed information, divided into accessible sections:

• Court Directory (Private Residents): An alphabetical list of private residents, offering names and addresses. This is invaluable for tracing middle-class ancestors and gentry who may not appear in trade sections.
• Commercial & Trades Directory: A classified listing of businesses and tradesmen. Whether you are looking for a blacksmith in Bishop Auckland, a grocer in Sunderland, or a draper in Durham City, this section allows you to see the commercial landscape of your ancestor’s town.
• Street Directory: For major towns such as Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Sunderland, a street directory is often included, allowing you to pinpoint the exact house your family lived in.
• Towns & Villages: Comprehensive descriptions of the topography, history, and civic amenities of the hundreds of villages and hamlets across the two counties.

Historical Context & Famous Residents of 1879

The North East in 1879 was a powerhouse of the British Empire. This directory captures the region at a peak of innovation and industry.

• The Age of Invention: This was the year Joseph Swan demonstrated his incandescent light bulb in Newcastle upon Tyne (at the Lit & Phil Society), just months before Edison. You may find listings for early electrical engineers or gas fitters navigating this new technology.
• Industrial Giants: The region was defined by coal mining and shipbuilding. You will find entries for the great collieries and shipyards that built the world's fleets. Lord Armstrong (of Cragside fame) was a dominant figure in Northumberland; his armaments and engineering works were employing thousands, many of whom are listed in the trades sections.
• Cultural Icons: While she passed away in 1842, the legacy of Grace Darling was still a potent part of Northumberland identity. You will find references to local memorials and perhaps family members still residing in the region.
• Sport & Leisure: While football leagues were not yet formed, the region was crazy for cricket and rugby. The directory lists cricket grounds and clubs, precursors to the later dominance of teams like Sunderland AFC and Newcastle United.

A Disclaimer on Maps

Please be aware that, in the original publication of this directory, certain maps were bound as separate inserts or were unfortunately missing from the source volumes used for scanning. As such, some maps may be missing from this digital reproduction. Every effort has been made to preserve the integrity of the text pages, but we advise purchasing with the understanding that cartographic content may be incomplete.

Unlock the secrets of your Durham and Northumberland ancestors today. Whether they were miners in the pits of the Durham coalfield, shipbuilders on the Tyne, or farmers in the remote valleys of Northumberland, their stories are waiting within these pages.