The Record Office

The Record Office for Leicestershire, Leicester & Rutland,
Long Street, Wigston Magna, Leicester, LE18 2AH
Telephone: 0116 257 1080

Admission: Free

Opening Times:

Monday	09.15 - 17.00	Tuesday	09.15 - 17.00
Wednesday	09.15 - 19.30	Thursday	09.15 - 17.00
Friday	09.15 - 16.45	Saturday	09.15 - 12.15

What is the Record Office & how can it help you?

The Record Office is a service provided by Leicestershire County Council in partnership with Leicester City Council and Rutland County Council.

The Record Office exists to preserve and provide access to a wide range of resources which can be used to research the history and culture of Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland.

The extensive collections, dating from the Domesday Book to yesterday, include archives, books, newspapers, maps, photographs, videos and sound recordings.

The Record Office enables you to access all these resources to find out about your family tree, house history, local study, school, college or university projects, and a host of other topics.

Access to the collections is freely available to everyone and staff are on hand to help you find the information you need.

The building is fully accessible for people with physical disabilities. For more details please go to : Guide to Physical Access

What sorts of resources does the Record Office hold?

Archives of :

Leicestershire and Rutland County Councils
Borough and City of Leicester
Quarter Sessions, Petty Sessions and other local Courts
Poor Law Unions and workhouses
Archdeaconry of Leicester (including wills and inventories from 1496)
Probate Registry (wills from 1858)
Anglican and nonconformist churches
Leicestershire Regiment and other military bodies
Landed estates and families
Solicitors, manufacturers and other commercial businesses
Schools, clubs, societies and other organisations

Also :

Census returns for Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland 1841-1901
Enclosure and tithe maps
Ordnance Survey maps
Books, magazines and leaflets on local people, places and subjects
Commercial directories and electoral registers
Local newspapers
Works by local authors
Illustrations and information on local people and places
Photographs and local films and videos
Oral history tapes and other sound recordings

Other services available

In the public searchrooms there are :

self-service microfilm and microfiche readers & printers
computers for access to information on the Internet or CD-ROMs
facilities for use of laptop computers
facilities for listening to sound recordings and viewing videos (advance booking required - contact the Record Office for details)

The Record Office also offers :

a range of paid-for analogue and digital copying services
a paid research service (contact the Record Office for details)
a varied stock of publications, leaflets, handlists, maps, plans & souvenirs for sale
a programme of exhibitions and displays on local themes
a meeting room for education visits and events
talks and tours of the Record Office

Collections online :

Access to Archives (A2A) is the virtual national archive catalogue for England. Catalogues of many archive collections at the Record Office are now available at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a

We store and provide access to the important and growing collection of the East Midlands Oral History Archive - see the EMOHA website and online catalogue at www.le.ac.uk/emoha

Three Centuries of Transport (www.transportarchive.org.uk) is a gateway to over 7000 images and information including the Newton photographic archive of the building of the Great Central Railway.

emsource (www.emsource.org.uk) is an online archive and education resource with images and information on topics including Leicester in World War Two.

How do we collect and care for the unique resources we hold?

The records are stored in strongrooms conforming to British Standards and housing over 10km of shelving. Repair of damaged documents is carried out by specialist conservators. Microfilming and digital copying of documents which are in heavy demand saves wear and tear.

We welcome new donations of deposits. We are always interested to hear of documents, maps, books, photographs of historical importance relating to Leicestershire, Leicester or Rutland, particularly if they are at risk. We can survey documents and offer advice.

We aim to widen the collections to reflect the modern communities we serve and would welcome records of all sorts from faith groups, communities and businesses.

Catalogue

Online Catalogue - The catalogue contains listings of records held among our collections.

Enquiries

Only very limited enquiry work can be undertaken by Record Office staff. A paid research service is available.

Copy Services

Copies of items in the collections can be supplied, subject to copyright or other restrictions. Order forms are available here

Certificates

The Record Office does not provide birth, marriage or death certificates. To obtain these you will need to contact :

For LEICESTER : Superintendent Registrar, Register Office, Town Hall, Leicester. Tel. 0845 0450901.

For LEICESTERSHIRE : Superintendent Registrar, Leicestershire Registration Service, County Hall, Glenfield, Leicester LE3 8RN. Tel. 0116 305 6565.

For RUTLAND : Superintendent Registrar, Register Office, Catmose, Oakham, Rutland LE15 6JU. Tel. 0152 756547 or 756563.

Friends

There is a Friends group associated with the Record Office. Please go to the Friends page for details of their activities, publications and benefits of membership.