Wright's Directory of Leicester & Twelve Miles Round 1889-1890 (Digital Download or CD)

Unlock the history of Leicester and its surrounding villages with this fascinating Victorian directory.

Step back into the late Victorian era with this exact digital reproduction of Wright's Directory of Leicester & Twelve Miles Round for the years 1889-1890. An essential resource for genealogists, local historians, and anyone researching the East Midlands, this directory offers a snapshot of life at the height of the Industrial Revolution.

Whether your ancestors were factory owners, shopkeepers, or laborers, this directory places them in the context of their community.

Product Format & Navigation

• Format: Available as a high-quality Digital Download (PDF) or on CD.
• Navigation: Please note that this directory consists of scanned images of the original book pages. While it is not an OCR-indexed text document (i.e., you cannot "Ctrl+F" to search names instantly), it is incredibly easy to navigate. The directory is organized alphabetically by surname and trade, allowing you to scroll quickly to the section you need.
• Digital Feature: Many modern PDF readers (such as Adobe Acrobat) offer "OCR on the fly," which attempts to recognize text within images, potentially enabling some degree of searching depending on your software settings.

What's Inside?

This comprehensive volume is divided into detailed sections to help you pinpoint exactly who lived where and what they did.

• Street Directory: A systematic listing of the main streets of Leicester, showing the head of household or business at each address. Perfect for tracking house histories and neighborhood composition.
• Commercial & Trade Directory: An alphabetical list of trades and professions. From Boot Makers to Wool Staplers, find out who provided the goods and services to the town.
• Court Directory (Private Residents): An alphabetical list of private citizens, often including their addresses. This section typically covers the "gentry," clergy, and wealthier residents of the town.
• Twelve Miles Round: A unique feature of this directory, extending the search beyond the city limits to include the surrounding towns and villages (e.g., Loughborough, Market Harborough, Wigston, Blaby, and Coalville).
• Official Information: Listings of local government officials, corporation members, clergy, and public institutions.
• Advertisements: Period advertisements that offer a charming glimpse into the products, medicines, and services available to Victorians.

Bridging the Census Gaps

Census records in the UK are taken every 10 years. This directory is an invaluable tool for filling the gap between the 1881 and 1891 Censuses.

• Did your ancestor move between these years?
• Did a family business change hands?
• Did a son leave home to start an apprenticeship? Wright's Directory helps you track these movements when the census records cannot.

Leicester in 1889: A Snapshot in Time

The year 1889 was a time of immense growth and vibrancy for Leicester.

• Industrial Powerhouse: Leicester was renowned as the centre of the hosiery and footwear manufacturing industries. The directory is filled with boot and shoe manufacturers, reflecting the city's status as a global leader in leather production.
• Sporting Legacy: This was the era when Leicester Tigers (founded 1880) and Leicester Fosse (the predecessor to Leicester City FC, founded 1884) were establishing themselves. You may find early committee members or players listed in their respective trades.
• Architecture & Civic Pride: The town was expanding rapidly, with the Victorian Gothic architecture of the Town Hall (completed 1876) still gleaming new.

Famous Connections

Leicester in this era was home to or visited by notable figures. While browsing, you might come across:

• Thomas Cook: The pioneer of tourism, who founded his travel empire in Leicester. By 1889, his company was world-famous, and the Cook family presence remained strong in the area.
• Alfred East: Although he would later gain fame as a painter, he was working in the area during this time.
• Local Entrepreneurs: The directory lists the industrial magnates who built the city, such as the founders of the hosiery firms that would dominate the local economy for a century.

Map Disclaimer & Bonus

Please Note: Original directories of this age were often issued with fold-out maps. Over the last 130+ years, many of these maps have been torn, lost, or removed from bound volumes. We cannot guarantee that a map is present in this specific scan.

However, if the original map is included in the scan we have sourced, it will be present in this digital version—consider it a fascinating bonus if it appears!