This is a survey of the whole population taken parish by parish. This office holds detailed census returns for the county 1841 - 1891. These records tell you the names of the people who lived in each house, their ages and occupations which can sometimes give you a clue as to the use of your house. We also hold surname indexes for the 1851 and 1881 censuses. All census records are available on microform.
Commercial directories contain names of people with their occupations and addresses.
You had to pay a fee to be listed in a directory, so only some private and commercial residents are recorded These books are on the open shelves of the searchroom and a number of different years are available. Tax Records . The past owner of your house would have had to pay tax and there are various types of tax returns, which may help with house history. The land tax is a useful source to use after you have seen the tithe map, while church and poor rate returns, often found in parish records, can also be useful. Check the parish record catalogues and parish indexes for details.