White's History, Gazetteer & Directory of Lincolnshire 1856 (Digital Download or CD)

Unlock the Secrets of Victorian Lincolnshire

Step back into the mid-Victorian era with this exquisite republishing of White's History, Gazetteer & Directory of Lincolnshire 1856. Whether you are a family historian tracing your roots, a local historian researching your town, or simply fascinated by the past, this directory is an essential bridge between the 1851 and 1861 censuses.

This fascinating volume offers a snapshot of Lincolnshire life as Queen Victoria’s reign was establishing its peak. It is not just a list of names; it is a window into the politics, geography, and daily life of the county over 160 years ago.

Product Format & Navigation

Please Note: This product is a high-quality digital scan of the original book, consisting of digitized images (PDF format). The text is not embedded or searchable in the traditional sense because the pages are images. However, due to the alphabetical arrangement of the directory sections, navigation is intuitive and straightforward. Furthermore, most modern PDF readers (such as Adobe Acrobat) perform "OCR on the fly," allowing you to use the search function (Ctrl+F) to find many surnames and places with ease.

Available as an instant Digital Download or posted to you on a CD-ROM.

Inside the Directory: A Breakdown of Sections

This comprehensive volume is split into highly detailed sections to aid your research:

1. The History & Gazetteer: Detailed descriptions of the county’s history, its ancient earthworks, castles, and topography. It provides context for how your ancestors lived and the local landmarks they saw every day.
2. The County Directory: An alphabetical list of the gentry, clergy, and major tradespeople across the whole county.
3. Town & Village Directories: The core of the book. Hundreds of villages, hamlets, and towns are listed individually, with their own private resident directories and commercial listings (tradesmen).
4. Court & Official Information: Lists of Magistrates, Clergy, and Public Officers, invaluable for understanding the social hierarchy and local governance of the time.
5. Transport & Communications: Stagecoach timetables and the emerging railway network, showing how people and goods moved around the county before the automobile.

Bridging the Census Gaps

The 1856 date is perfectly positioned to help genealogists overcome the "Ten-Year Gap." If you have lost track of an ancestor between the 1851 and 1861 Censuses, this directory serves as the perfect "census substitute." It can confirm if a family was still in a specific village, if a father had passed away, or if a son had taken over a family trade.

Famous Lincolnshire Connections (1856 Context)

While browsing these pages, you are walking in the footsteps of giants. In 1856, Lincolnshire was home or birthplace to some of the most influential figures of the age:

• Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809–1892): The Poet Laureate, born in Somersby. In 1856, he was at the height of his fame, having just published Maud and The Idylls of the King shortly after. You may find references to the Tennyson family in the Horncastle and Somersby sections.
• George Boole (1815–1864): Born in Lincoln, Boole was the mathematician who invented "Boolean Algebra," the logic behind all modern computer coding. In 1856, he was working as a Professor at Queen's College Cork, but his Lincoln roots and family may still be listed in the city sections.
• Sir Joseph Banks (Deceased): Though he passed away in 1820, the great botanist and explorer of Captain Cook’s voyages (from Revesby) is frequently mentioned in the historical descriptions of the Horncastle district.

Industrial & Cultural Life in 1856

This directory captures Lincolnshire on the cusp of the Industrial Revolution.

• The Engineering Boom: While Lincolnshire was famously agricultural ("The Breadbasket of England"), 1856 saw the rise of engineering in Lincoln. Companies like Ruston, Proctor & Co. were in their infancy, soon to make the city a world leader in steam engines and excavators.
• Agriculture: The directory is dominated by farmers, maltsters, and millers. You will find a vast array of trades associated with the land, from blacksmiths making ploughs to the merchants exporting wool.
• Sport: Although professional football leagues did not yet exist (the Football Association formed in 1863), cricket was the sporting obsession of the gentry and working classes alike. Look for "Cricket Grounds" in the town descriptions.
• Music: Brass bands were beginning to form in the industrial towns and farming villages, often attached to local churches or the new "Mechanics' Institutes" designed to educate the working class.

Important Disclaimer Regarding Maps

Please be aware that due to the age of the original source material and the way these books were bound, maps were often inserted loosely or removed by previous owners. While every effort has been made to ensure the completeness of this scan, the fold-out county map may not be present in this specific edition. However, if the map is included in your copy, please consider it a fascinating bonus addition to your historical library!