Who Lived in My House?
If you want to find out who lived in or owned your house, there are a number of resources to help you
Electoral registers
Electoral registers listing people eligible to vote were compiled annually from 1832. Women don't appear on the register until 1918, and the voting age wasn't lowered to 18 until 1969, so the earlier registers may only be of limited use.
Copies of electoral registers can usually be found at local record offices or local studies libraries.
The National Archives have collected a list of historical versions of the electoral register that you can search online.
Title deeds
The title deeds to your home should include:
- Names of vendors and sellers
- A description of the property
- Amounts of money used in the transfer of ownership
They may be used to trace the owners of the land on which the house was built.
These deeds may be held by the solicitor, bank or building society involved in selling and purchasing your house. Further information for many properties can be obtained from the Land Registry.
Census records
The census has been conducted every 10 years across the country since 1801, although the first 3 returns recorded only numbers of people rather than individual names. Census returns can give a wealth of information on the occupants of a house at a particular time, including names, ages, sex, marital status, birth locations, relationship to the head of the household, and occupation.
Census returns for the years 1841 to 1911 can be found online through the National Archives. Copies are generally available on microfilm or microfiche at local record offices.
Trade directories
Trade directories list, street by street, those who lived in them and their occupations or trades. Local record offices and public libraries generally hold copies of trade directories published from the late 18th century.
Share your discoveries
Are you researching the history of a listed building?
Every snapshot and story you discover is an important piece of the picture. The more pieces of the picture we have, the better we can protect what makes these places special.
