Introduction

Information contained in directories varies according to the date of publication, but in general, the more recent the date the more detailed the coverage. For local historians the most useful entries are those for particular settlements. These give a short account of the community and its facilities in that year, with a list of inhabitants. In early directories, only towns are treated in this way, and the residents' lists are restricted to gentry and principal tradesmen. From the 1850s, however, most villages have entries and by the 1880s directories were being published which included the names of all householders. Compilation took time, so that the information published in, say, an 1840 directory may already have been a year or two out of date.
The earliest directory we hold is a reprint of the Universal British Directory of Trade, Commerce and Manufacture originally published between 1793 and 1798. This is arranged alphabetically by town. Stratford is to be found at Vol 4, p 534. Other local towns included are Alcester, Bidford-on-Avon, Chipping Campden, Evesham, Henley-in-Arden and Shipston-on-Stour.

Warwickshire Directories

Our main series of Warwickshire directories begins with James Pigot's National Commercial Directory for 1828/9. In 1839 he went into partnership with Isaac Slater, under whose name alone directories from 1844 appeared. His firm was taken over by Frederic Kelly, who had been publishing provincial Post Office directories since 1845. This latter series had been far superior to its rivals, with separate entries for most villages.
R. Spennell was a Warwick publisher who produced an annual directory from 1880 to 1927. The first edition covered Warwick only but from 1881 it expanded to include Leamington Spa, Kenilworth, Stratford-upon-Avon and neighbouring villages. These directories were a great advance on Kelly's, with a more or less complete list of heads of household arranged (in the towns) in three different ways; by name, by street and by trade. After 1927, Kelly's took over the publication of this directory, though villages were not included after 1956. Stratford and Kenilworth were likewise dropped in 1972.
Other important Warwickshire directories were William West's, published in 1830 and William White's dating from 1850 and 1874. West's contains gentry and trademen's lists for the larger settlements only: White's has similar lists for all towns and most villages.

Other Directories

Until changes in the county boundaries in the 1930s, some villages now in Warwickshire lay in Gloucestershire or Worcestershire. Holdings for these (and other counties) are listed separately.

Telephone Directories

Telephone directories eventually superseded all commercial directories. We hold the Telephone Directory for 1900-1901 which has entries for Stratford-upon-Avon and all other towns in the U.K. We maintain a collection of commercial telephone directories from 1958 and the Thomson Local Directory South Warwickshire area from 1982. Residential telephone directories have been collected since 1960, Stratford being included in the Coventry area issue. Other early telephone directories, regional in scope, are held on microfilm; viz. 1909, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940 and 1950.

For more information on the publication of directories and a comprehensive list of national library holdings, see:

• Norton, Jane E., Guide to the National and Provincial Directories of England and Wales, published before 1856.
• Shaw, Gareth and Tipper, Allison, British Directories: A Bibliography and Guide to Directories published in England and Wales (1850-1950) and Scotland (1773-1950)

Warwickshire Directories - whole county unless otherwise indicated.

1793-8 Towns only (Universal British)
1822 (Pigot)
1828 (Pigot)
1830 (Pigot)
1830 (West)
1835 (Pigot)
1839 Stratford-upon-Avon (Pigot)
1841 (Pigot)
1850 (White)
1850 (Slater)
1851 Stratford-upon-Avon (Slater)
1854 (Kelly)
1862 (Slater)
1868 (Kelly)
1872 Stratford-upon-Avon (Kelly)
1874 (White)
1875 Stratford-upon-Avon and local villages (Palmer)
1876 (Kelly)
1880 (Kelly)
1880 Warwick only (Spennell)
1881 Warwick, Leamington, Kenilworth and district (Spennell)
1882 Warwick, Leamington, Kenilworth and district (Spennell)
1883 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Spennell)
1884 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Spennell)
1885 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Spennell)
1886 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Spennell)
1887 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Spennell)
1892 Stratford-upon-Avon (Eaton)
1892 (Kelly)
1893 Stratford-upon-Avon (Eaton)
1896 (Kelly)
1897 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Spennell)
1898 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Spennell)
1899 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Spennell)
1899 Stratford only but no trade or residents listing (Stanley & Bolton)
1900 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Spennell)
1900 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Spennell)
1901 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Spennell)
1902 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Spennell)
1904 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Spennell)
1904 (Kelly)
1906 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Spennell)
1907 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Spennell)
1908 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Spennell)
1908 (Kelly)
1911 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Spennell)
1912 (Kelly)
1914 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Spennell)
1916 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Spennell)
1916 (Kelly)
1921 (Kelly)
1921 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Spennell)
1922 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Spennell)
1924 (Kelly)
1925 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Spennell)
1926-7 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Spennell)
1927 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Kelly)
1928 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Kelly)
1929 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Kelly)
1930 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Kelly)
1931 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Kelly)
1932 (Kelly)
1933 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Kelly)
1934 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Kelly)
1936 (Kelly)
1936 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Kelly)
1937 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Kelly)
1938 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Kelly)
1940 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Kelly)
1940 (Kelly)
1941 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Kelly)
1943 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Kelly)
1945 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Kelly)
1948 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Kelly)
1950 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Kelly)
1953 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Kelly)
1956 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Kelly)
1959 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Kelly)
1961 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Kelly)
1963 Stratford only (Barretts)
1964 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Kelly)
1966 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Kelly)
1967 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Kelly)
1968 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Kelly)
1969 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Kelly)
1970 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Kelly)
[1970] (Blair)
1971 Warwick, Leamington Stratford, Kenilworth and district (Kelly)
1972 Warwick & Leamington Spa (Kelly)
1974 Warwick & Leamington Spa (Kelly)

Directories of neighbouring counties and districts

Birmingham

1777 (Pearson and Rollason)
1793-8 (Universal British)
1818 (Wrightson's)
1823 (Wrightson's)
1829-74 (Included in Warwickshire volumes)
1896 (Kelly)
1896 A reprint of Pearson and Rollason, 1777, with additions (Birmingham 120 years ago)
1904 (Kelly)
1932 (Kelly)
1940 (Kelly)
1951 (Kelly)
1969-71 (Kelly)

Gloucestershire

1793-8 Towns only (Universal British)
1820 Bradshaw
1830 (Pigot)
1842 (Pigot)
1844 (Pigot)
1850 (Slater)
1859 (Slater)
1863 (Post Office)
1870 (Post Office)
1879 (Kelly)
1885 (Kelly)
1889 (Kelly)
1894 (Kelly)
1896 (Kelly)
1897 (Kelly)
1902 (Kelly)
1910 (Kelly)
1923 (Kelly)
1931 (Kelly)
1939 (Kelly)

Northamptonshire

1793-8 Towns only (Universal British)
1841 (Pigot)
1849 (Whellan)

Oxfordshire

1793-8 Towns only (Universal British)
1823 (Pigot)
1830 (Pigot)
1842/4 (Pigot)
1851 (Rusher)Banbury only
1869 (Post Office)
1876 (Harrod)
1891 (Kelly)
1907 (Kelly)
1920 (Kelly)
1928 (Kelly)

Staffordshire

1793-8 Towns only (Universal British)
1830 (Pigot)
1835 (Pigot)
1841 (Pigot)
1854 (Post Office)
1896 (Kelly)
1904 (Kelly)
1932 (Kelly)
1940 (Kelly)

Worcestershire

1793-8 Towns only (Universal British)
1820 Worcester, Droitwich, Bromsgrove, Stourbridge (Lewis)
1828/9 (Pigot)
1830 (Pigot)
1835 (Pigot)
1840, Bromsgrove, Droitwich and Redditch (Bentley)
1841 (Pigot)
1850 (Slater)
1854 (Post Office)
1855 (Billing)
1862 (Slater)
1868 (Kelly)
1872 (Post Office)
1884 (Kelly)
1896 (Kelly)
1904 (Kelly)
1916 (Kelly)
1924 (Kelly)
1932 (Kelly)
1940 (Kelly)