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Collections at Derbyshire Record Office

We have a vast collection of original documents relating to Derbyshire, as well as an extensive local studies collection.


The record office guide contains summary information to all the archive collections we hold. Search the guide and use the reference number in brackets to search for fuller descriptions in the online catalogue.

For everything else, check our online catalogue. Many of our catalogues are also available on The National Archives Discovery website.

Our collections include the following.

Research guides

We have a vast collection of original documents relating to Derbyshire, as well as an extensive local studies collection. Visit the Record Office blog to access all the guides, and subscribe to receive updates when new guides are published.

Family history resources

We hold many sources for family history, including registers of parish baptisms, marriages and burials, cemetery, electoral, workhouse, hospital and school registers. You can view our parish registers on Ancestry and our school admission registers and log books on find my past.

Guides are also available for download on this page containing details of holdings for:

  • Derbyshire parish registers
  • non-conformist registers
  • cemetery records

Historic maps

There are thousands of maps in our collections.

Selected maps of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site have been digitised and put on our new Heritage Mapping Portal.

A guide to historical maps is attached to this page.

Old photographs

You can enjoy and order copies of many of the old photographs from our collections on Picture the Past.

Newspapers

We hold an extensive collection of local newspapers. Most newspapers are only available on microfilm. To book a microfilm reader, email: record.office@derbyshire.gov.uk or tel: 01629 536579.

Books and published works

Our Local Studies collection contains books, pamphlets and other published material about Derbyshire or written by Derbyshire authors.

Records of crime and punishment

We hold the records of courts, police and prisons. There is a searchable database of prisoners in the County Gaol and houses of correction between 1729 and 1875.

Hospital and health records

Our collections include NHS trusts, their predecessor bodies, and local hospitals, including the Derbyshire Royal Infirmary, Kingsway Hospital and Pastures Hospital.

Business records

We hold the records of many Derbyshire firms, including the Butterley Company, Ferodo, Bryan Donkin, and companies within the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site such as WG & J Strutt Ltd.

Coal mining records

We hold the records of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) Derbyshire Area and the National Coal Board (NCB).

You can search and download our anonymised data about coal miners' occupational ill health and accidents in Derbyshire on the Miners' Health and Welfare Project website.

Records of people, families and historic houses

We have personal and family collections from across Derbyshire. Large family collections include the Gells of Hopton Hall, Harpur Crewes of Calke Abbey and Fitzherberts of Tissington.

Manorial records

You can search the national Manorial Documents Register to find out what documents exist for the ancient manors in Derbyshire.

Our catalogue also contains an A to Z guide to Derbyshire manors.

Local government records

We hold the records of Derbyshire County Council, Derby City Council, district, parish, town and borough councils. Before these bodies existed, many of their responsibilities were managed by the County Quarter Sessions.