Trade Directories - data sheet

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Trade Directories set out to record the “principal inhabitants” of a community, particularly those in a trade or profession. Directories were put together by individuals and publishers for commercial purposes during the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.
Historical trade directories are useful for finding out where people lived and worked, especially for the years between censuses. If someone owned even a small business or shop, there is a reasonable chance that they are listed in the historical trade directories for their city, town, or village. There are plenty of collections of trade directories now freely available. Earlier directories also listed notable people and professionals. Gradually over time more ordinary people were listed.
Historical trade directories were originally compiled to aid businesses and merchants. The earliest known trade directory is a list of London merchants published by Samuel Lee in 1677.
One of the most famous historical trade directories, the Post Office London Directory, was taken over in 1836 by Frederic Festus Kelly, government inspector-general of letter-carriers. He used postmen to update the directory listings, and made it so profitable that he bought it from the Post Office. He sent people to visit each street to ensure that names and addresses were up to date. Kelly began publishing county titles in the 1840s, and a Manufacturers and Merchants Directory from the late 1880s.
Specialist directories limited to one trade were also published, eg: brewers, builders, etc. Publishers updated their directories every few years.
Many directories give an account of each place it lists; information about schools, places of worship, local administrative areas, and transport and carrier details, as well as other pieces of local historical interest.
After the WW2, telephone directories gradually superseded trade directories, but until the 1950s telephones were a luxury so only businesses and better-off residents were listed.
Further information:

Records found = 20 from 128125
ID	Name	Year	Home Parish	Trade	View
ID	Qualification
23258	ADAMS Henry	1856	-	Farmer	-
23258	Craven & Co.'s Commercial Directory of Norfolk, 1856 Page 339 & 341/42
23259	ALGAR John	1856	-	Farmer	-
23259	Craven & Co.'s Commercial Directory of Norfolk, 1856 Page 339 & 341/42
23260	BOND Cornelius	1856	-	Gardener	-
23260	Craven & Co.'s Commercial Directory of Norfolk, 1856 Page 339 & 341/42
23261	BRYANT Henry	1856	-	Farmer	-
23261	Craven & Co.'s Commercial Directory of Norfolk, 1856 Page 339 & 341/42
23263	CLAMP Henry	1856	-	Farmer	-
23263	Craven & Co.'s Commercial Directory of Norfolk, 1856 Page 339 & 341/42
23276	DARBY Rev. George M.A.	1856	-	Rector	-
23276	Craven & Co.'s Commercial Directory of Norfolk, 1856 Page 339 & 341/42
23262	GARROOD Robert	1856	-	Joiner	-
23262	Craven & Co.'s Commercial Directory of Norfolk, 1856 Page 339 & 341/42
23264	GREENWOOD James	1856	-	Farmer	-
23264	Craven & Co.'s Commercial Directory of Norfolk, 1856 Page 339 & 341/42
23265	HASKINS James	1856	-	Farmer	-
23265	Craven & Co.'s Commercial Directory of Norfolk, 1856 Page 339 & 341/42
23266	LOVOCK Ephraim	1856	-	Farmer	-
23266	Craven & Co.'s Commercial Directory of Norfolk, 1856 Page 339 & 341/42
23257	MORTIMER Mary	1856	-	-	-
23257	Craven & Co.'s Commercial Directory of Norfolk, 1856 Page 339 & 341/42
23267	MUSKETT Charles	1856	-	Farmer	-
23267	Craven & Co.'s Commercial Directory of Norfolk, 1856 Page 339 & 341/42
23268	PAGE William	1856	-	Farmer	-
23268	Craven & Co.'s Commercial Directory of Norfolk, 1856 Page 339 & 341/42
23269	PALMER Richard	1856	-	Farmer	-
23269	Craven & Co.'s Commercial Directory of Norfolk, 1856 Page 339 & 341/42
23271	SARE Henry	1856	-	Corn miller	-
23271	Craven & Co.'s Commercial Directory of Norfolk, 1856 Page 339 & 341/42
23270	SMITH Lot	1856	-	Shoemaker	-
23270	Craven & Co.'s Commercial Directory of Norfolk, 1856 Page 339 & 341/42
23273	SPRINGALL Benjamin	1856	-	Grocer, etc.	-
23273	Craven & Co.'s Commercial Directory of Norfolk, 1856 Page 339 & 341/42
23272	WILLIAMS John	1856	-	Parish clerk	-
23272	Craven & Co.'s Commercial Directory of Norfolk, 1856 Page 339 & 341/42
23275	WOMACK Thomas	1856	-	Farmer	-
23275	Craven & Co.'s Commercial Directory of Norfolk, 1856 Page 339 & 341/42
23274	WOODS George	1856	-	Farmer	-
23274	Craven & Co.'s Commercial Directory of Norfolk, 1856 Page 339 & 341/42
SQL: " SELECT * FROM Complete WHERE ParishCode='FERS' AND EventType='Directory' AND EventYear=1856 ORDER BY FullName, EventYear, ID"