The Post Office Directory Of Leicestershire & Rutland 1876

The Post Office Directory of Leicestershire & Rutland 1876 (Digital Download or CD)

Product Description:

Unlock the history of your ancestors with this comprehensive facsimile of The Post Office Directory of Leicestershire & Rutland 1876. Perfect for genealogists and local historians, this directory serves as an invaluable census substitute, bridging the critical gap between the 1871 and 1881 census returns.

Whether you are tracing family lines or researching the history of your house, this directory provides a fascinating snapshot of life in the late Victorian era. Available as a convenient digital download or a physical CD-ROM, this high-quality collection of scanned images brings the 19th century to your fingertips.

Navigating & Searching

Please note that this product consists of scanned images of the original book pages and is not a text-searchable database in the traditional sense. However, do not worry! The directory is meticulously organized alphabetically by surname and trade, making manual navigation straightforward and intuitive. Additionally, modern PDF readers (such as Adobe Acrobat) often perform "OCR on the fly," allowing you to search the text using the Find function (Ctrl+F) directly within the software.

What’s Inside: A Breakdown of Sections

This directory is packed with detailed information, divided into easy-to-use sections:

• General Information & History: Descriptions of the counties, geology, and topography.
• Court Directory (Private Residents): An alphabetical list of private residents, allowing you to locate gentry, clergy, and prominent tradespeople living in Leicestershire and Rutland at the time.
• Commercial & Trades Directory: A classified list of professions and businesses. Essential for finding ancestors who worked as bakers, tailors, blacksmiths, or framework knitters.
• Town & Village Histories: Detailed street-by-street or house-by-house listings for major towns like Leicester, Loughborough, Melton Mowbray, Oakham, and Uppingham, as well as smaller hamlets.

Bridging the Census Gap (1871–1881)

If your ancestors seem to disappear between the 1871 and 1881 censuses, this directory is the perfect tool to locate them. It records moves, changes in occupation, and the arrival of new family members in the area during that "missing" decade.

Famous Residents & Historical Context

1876 was a time of innovation and industry in the Midlands. While browsing these pages, you may encounter references to notable figures of the era:

• Thomas Cook: The pioneer of tourism who resided in Leicester. By 1876, his "Cook's Tours" were already world-famous, and he was a prominent local businessman.
• Alfred, Lord Tennyson: Though primarily associated with the Isle of Wight, the Poet Laureate had strong familial ties to Lincolnshire and the Leicestershire border, frequently visiting the area.
• John Biggs: A notable industrialist and politician who served as Mayor of Leicester during this period of rapid industrial expansion.

Local Facts: Industry & Culture

• The Home of Hosiery: In 1876, Leicestershire was the undisputed center of the hosiery and textile trade. You will find hundreds of entries for "framework knitters" and hosiers, reflecting the region's status as the industrial powerhouse of the East Midlands.
• Sporting Heritage: This era saw the crystallization of local football and cricket culture. While Leicester City FC was not founded until 1884, the county was already teeming with athletic clubs and cricket teams that appear in the directory's advertisements.
• Stilton & Pork Pies: The directory is filled with cheese factors and pork pie shops, highlighting the culinary fame of Melton Mowbray and the surrounding areas.
• Music & Arts: Look out for entries for piano manufacturers, music teachers, and the burgeoning Mechanics' Institutes, which were the cultural hubs for the working class of Leicester.

Important Note Regarding Maps

Disclaimer: Please be aware that many original directories of this age had fold-out maps that were torn out or lost over the last 150 years. As we have scanned this from an original historical source, we cannot guarantee the presence of the original county or town maps. However, if the maps were present in the source book we utilized, they are included here as a special bonus.

Reconnect with your Leicestershire & Rutland roots today!