Kelly's Directory Of Herefordshire & Shropshire 1900

Kelly's Directory of Herefordshire & Shropshire 1900 - Digital Download or CD

Product Description:

Step back in time and walk the streets of Herefordshire and Shropshire as they were at the dawn of the 20th century. This high-quality reproduction of Kelly's Directory of Herefordshire & Shropshire 1900 is an essential resource for genealogists, local historians, and anyone researching family history in the West Midlands and Welsh Borders.

Available as a convenient Digital Download or on a CD, this directory offers a fascinating snapshot of life during the late Victorian era, bridging the gap between the 1891 and 1901 census returns.

Navigating the Directory

Please note that this directory consists of scanned images of the original book. It is not a text-searchable database in the traditional sense. However, finding your ancestors is surprisingly simple. The directories are organized alphabetically by parish and town, and within the private resident and trade sections, listings are arranged alphabetically by surname.

Pro Tip: Many modern PDF readers (such as Adobe Acrobat) now perform OCR (Optical Character Recognition) on the fly, allowing you to use the "Find" function to search for surnames or street names, even within these scanned image files.

What’s Inside?

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

1. General Information & Topography:
   • Detailed histories of both counties, including geology, agriculture, and local government.
   • Information on the Court of Quarter Sessions, Magistrates, and local officials.
2. Court Directory (Private Residents):
   • An alphabetical list of private residents, heads of households, and gentry. This is often the only way to trace ancestors who did not run a business.
3. Commercial Directory:
   • A classified trade directory listing businesses by trade. Looking for a blacksmith in Ludlow or a baker in Hereford? You will find them here.
4. Towns & Villages:
   • Detailed street-by-street or hamlet-by-hamlet breakdowns for major hubs such as Shrewsbury, Hereford, Ludlow, Wellington, Oswestry, Leominster, and Ross-on-Wye, as well as smaller rural communities.

Bridging the Census Gaps

Census records are invaluable, but they only provide a snapshot every ten years. The 1900 Kelly’s Directory is the perfect tool to fill the "missing years" between the 1891 and 1901 censuses. If you have a "lost" relative who moved or changed occupation between these years, this directory may well be the key to finding them.

Famous Residents & Historical Context

This document captures a region that was home to significant historical figures and booming industries. While researching, keep an eye out for:

• The Family of Wilfred Owen: The famous war poet was born in Oswestry, Shropshire, in 1893. In 1900, his father, Tom Owen, was working for the railways; the family may be listed in the Plas Weldon area or associated with the local stations.
• Edward Elgar: The legendary composer had strong ties to the region; though he moved to Worcestershire later, his musical roots and influence were deeply felt in Herefordshire, particularly with the Three Choirs Festival.
• Charles Darwin Connections: While Darwin himself passed away in 1882, the Darwin family retained significant land and status in the Shropshire area (specifically around The Mount and Maer), where the naturalist first developed his theories.

A Region of Industry and Culture

In 1900, these counties were a mix of rural tradition and industrial might:

• Shropshire: Known as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution (Ironbridge), the county in 1900 was still a hub for engineering, coal mining, and railways. The hills of Shropshire also inspired the poetry of A.E. Housman (A Shropshire Lad).
• Herefordshire: Primarily agricultural, famous for its cider orchards, hops, and Hereford cattle. It was (and remains) the home of the Three Choirs Festival, one of the world’s oldest classical music festivals.
• Sport: The region was active in traditional rural sports, and many local cricket and football clubs (like Shrewsbury Town, founded in 1886) were establishing their permanent roots during this era.

Map Disclaimer

Please be advised that the original binders of this directory sometimes omitted the county maps to save on binding costs or because they were provided as loose inserts. While we have included every page present in the original source book, we cannot guarantee that fold-out maps are included in this specific scan.

System Requirements:

• Compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux.
• Requires a PDF reader (Adobe Reader or similar).