Kelly's Directory of Leicestershire & Rutland 1899

Format: Digital Download (PDF) or CD-ROM

Step back into the twilight of the Victorian era with this high-quality reproduction of Kelly's Directory of Leicestershire & Rutland 1899. An essential resource for genealogists, local historians, and house researchers, this directory offers a fascinating snapshot of life in the East Midlands at the end of the 19th century.

Why This Directory is Essential for Your Research

The 1899 directory serves as a critical "bridge" between the 1891 and 1901 Census records. If you have lost track of an ancestor between these census years, this directory allows you to pinpoint their exact location, confirm their occupation, and discover their social standing.

Contents & Breakdown of Sections

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

• County Information: Detailed histories of Leicestershire and Rutland, including topography, ancient customs, and main geology.
• Court Directory (Private Residents): An alphabetical list of the gentry, clergy, and principal residents living in private villas and country estates.
• Commercial Directory: A classified trade directory covering everything from alarm locks to zinc workers. This is perfect for finding ancestors who ran small businesses or worked in specific trades.
• Street & Town Directories: Detailed listings for major towns such as Leicester, Loughborough, Melton Mowbray, Oakham, and Uppingham, listing residents street-by-street and trade-by-trade.
• Official Information: Lists of local officials, magistrates, and members of the County Council.

Navigating the Digital Edition

Please note that this product consists of scanned images of the original book. The text is not embedded in the traditional sense, meaning it is not instantly searchable like a modern Word document. However, due to the strict alphabetical arrangement of the directories, navigation is straightforward.

• Bonus Feature: Most modern PDF readers (including Adobe Acrobat and browser previews) now perform OCR (Optical Character Recognition) on the fly. This means you can often use the "Find" (Ctrl+F) function to locate surnames or street names instantly, though we recommend browsing the alphabetical sections for the most accurate results.

Famous Residents & Historical Context of 1899

Leicestershire and Rutland in 1899 were buzzing with industry and agricultural innovation. While browsing these pages, you may encounter the predecessors or relatives of famous figures associated with the area:

• The Attenborough Family: The father of the famous broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough, Frederick Attenborough, was a scholar at University College, Leicester (a predecessor to the university), and the family was deeply embedded in the local academic and social fabric during this era.
• The Manners Family: The influential Dukes of Rutland, residing at Belvoir Castle, are listed prominently among the county gentry.
• Thomas Cook Legacy: Though Thomas Cook died in 1892, his travel empire was headquartered in Leicester. The 1899 directory lists the key executives and offices of the "Thomas Cook & Son" empire as they began to dominate global travel.

Local Life: Industry, Sport & Pie

This directory captures Leicestershire at the height of its industrial power:

• Industry: In 1899, Leicester was the undisputed center of the Boot and Shoe manufacturing world. You will find hundreds of listings for cordwainers, clickers, and factories. It was also a hub for Hosiery and Knitting.
• Sport: Leicester Fosse (the precursor to Leicester City FC) had recently moved to their new ground at Filbert Street (1894). By 1899, the club was establishing itself in the Football League, and you may find local tradesmen supplying the club or players listed in the residential sections.
• Culinary Fame: The directory highlights Melton Mowbray, world-famous even then for its Pork Pies and Stilton Cheese. The listings reveal the network of farmers and dairies that supplied these iconic foods.
• Rutland: As the smallest county in England, Rutland’s directory highlights a quieter, aristocratic life centered on agriculture, hunting (the famous Cottesmore Hunt), and the market towns of Oakham and Uppingham.

Map Disclaimer

Please be aware that during the original scanning of this archival material, some fold-out maps may have been damaged, missing, or too large to capture fully. However, if the maps are present and legible in this edition, they serve as a fantastic bonus resource for locating parish boundaries and old roads that no longer exist.