The Post Office Directory of Durham 1858 – Digital Download or CD

Product Description

Unlock the history of your ancestors and the rich heritage of County Durham with this exact digital reproduction of The Post Office Directory of Durham 1858. An essential addition to any family historian’s library, this directory serves as a perfect "census substitute," bridging the critical gap between the 1851 and 1861 censuses.

Whether you are tracing the movements of a specific family or researching the social and economic history of the region, this directory provides a snapshot of life in Victorian Durham.

Navigability & Search Technology

This directory is comprised of high-quality scanned images of the original pages. While the book itself is not text-searchable in the traditional sense (it is not a transcribed database), it has been compiled alphabetically by surname and trade, making manual navigation intuitive and fast.

Tech Note: Thanks to advances in software, most modern PDF readers (such as Adobe Acrobat Reader or browser-based viewers) now perform OCR (Optical Character Recognition) on the fly. This means you can often use the "Find" function (Ctrl+F or Cmd+F) to search for surnames, street names, or specific trades directly within the digital file.

What’s Inside: Section by Section

This comprehensive volume is divided into easy-to-use sections:

• Court Directory (The Gentry & Clergy): A list of private residents, including the nobility, landowners, professionals, and clergy residing in the county at the time.
• Commercial & Trades Directory: An alphabetical classified list of tradespeople and merchants. From Blacksmiths to Woollen Drapers, this is the best place to find where your ancestors worked and who their neighbors were.
• Town & Village Directory: Detailed street directories and resident lists for major hubs including Durham City, Sunderland, Gateshead, Darlington, Bishop Auckland, and Hartlepool, as well as smaller hamlets and villages across the county.
• Official Information: Listings for local government officials, courts, banks, post offices, and public institutions (schools, hospitals, and churches).

Historical Context & Famous Residents (1858)

The year 1858 was one of great industrial expansion and social change in Durham. This directory places your ancestors right alongside the prominent figures of the day.

• The Coal Kings: Durham was the heart of the Industrial Revolution. You will find listings for the major colliery owners and families who powered the empire, such as the Londonderry family (owners of Seaham Harbour) and the Vane-Tempests.
• Joseph Pease: Listed prominently is Joseph Pease (1799–1872), the Quaker railway pioneer and "Father of Darlington." He was the first Quaker MP and a key figure in the Stockton and Darlington Railway.
• Robert Stephenson: The legendary railway engineer, son of George Stephenson, maintained strong ties to the region and is associated with the heavy industry in the county during this period.
• Educational Heritage: 1858 sits firmly in the Victorian era of educational reform. The directory details the faculty and masters of Durham University (the third oldest university in England) and the various grammar schools scattered across the county.

Interesting Facts About Durham in 1858

• The Land of the Prince Bishops: Although the Palatinate powers were waning, the directory still reflects the unique semi-autonomous history of the region, with detailed references to the Ecclesiastical hierarchy.
• Railway Mania: By 1858, Durham was a nexus of railway travel. The directory is filled with agents for the North Eastern Railway and the York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway, highlighting how the county was connected to the rest of the UK.
• Music & Culture: Look out for the listings for the Durham Cathedral Choir and various Music Societies. The region had a strong tradition of brass bands, often attached to the collieries, though the "pit bands" were more community-organized than commercially listed.

Important Disclaimer

Please note that while this reproduction contains all available text and pages from the original 1858 directory, the original book was missing some of the fold-out maps that typically accompanied earlier or later editions. We have ensured that every page present in the source archive has been scanned, but please be aware that certain cartographic maps may be absent from this digital edition.

Available as a high-quality PDF Digital Download (instant access) or on a CD-ROM (sent via mail).