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Shelfanger : 1856 Trade Directory

( Show general information )

• 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• After the WW2, telephone directories gradually superseded trade directories, but until the 1950s telephones were a luxury so only businesses and better-off residents were listed.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:
  • University of Leicester - Historical Directories of England & Wales
  • TNA - People in business and trades
  • WDYTYA - Where to find historical trade directories online
  • Wikipedia - Kelly’s Directory
  • GenGuide - Directories, Trade, Professional, Telephone & Street, including Scotland

Records found = 31 from 126676
ID	Name	Year	Home Parish	Trade	View
	Qualification
50641	ANNESS Lillestone	1856	Shelfanger, Norfolk	Farmer	-
	-
50642	ANNESS William	1856	Shelfanger, Norfolk	Grocer	-
	-
50643	BAKER Edward	1856	Shelfanger, Norfolk	Farmer	-
	-
50644	CATCHPOLE Thomas	1856	Shelfanger, Norfolk	Farmer	-
	-
50645	CHAPLIN Edward	1856	Shelfanger, Norfolk	Joiner	-
	-
50646	COBB Stimson	1856	Shelfanger, Norfolk	Shoemaker	-
	-
50647	CROSBY David	1856	Shelfanger, Norfolk	Shoemaker	-
	-
50648	CROSBY Henry	1856	Shelfanger, Norfolk	Cooper	-
	-
50649	ELLIS Charles	1856	Shelfanger, Norfolk	Farmer	-
	-
50650	ELLIS Richard	1856	Shelfanger, Norfolk	Farmer	-
	-
50651	ELLIS Robert	1856	Shelfanger, Norfolk	Farmer	-
	-
50652	ELLIS William	1856	Shelfanger, Norfolk	Farmer	-
	-
50653	GOODCHILD Arthur	1856	Shelfanger, Norfolk	Farmer	-
	-
50654	HAMMOND John	1856	Shelfanger, Norfolk	Farmer	-
	-
50655	HART George	1856	Shelfanger, Norfolk	Farmer	-
	-
50656	HOWLETT Joseph	1856	Shelfanger, Norfolk	Blacksmith	-
	-
50638	IRVIN Mary	1856	Shelfanger, Norfolk	Resident	-
	-
50657	JESSUP Solomon	1856	Shelfanger, Norfolk	Victualler	-
	-
50658	KNIGHTS Sarah	1856	Shelfanger, Norfolk	Shopkeeper	-
	-
50659	MACRO Robert	1856	Shelfanger, Norfolk	Farmer	-
	-
50639	MORRIS Rev. Thomas B (M.A.)	1856	Shelfanger, Norfolk	Rector	-
	-
50660	PAGE William	1856	Shelfanger, Norfolk	Farmer	-
	-
50661	REEVE William	1856	Shelfanger, Norfolk	Thatcher	-
	-
50662	ROUT Samuel	1856	Shelfanger, Norfolk	Victualler and butcher	-
	-
50663	SHULVER Fenn	1856	Shelfanger, Norfolk	Wheelwright	-
	-
50664	SPARKALL John	1856	Shelfanger, Norfolk	Farmer	-
	-
50665	SPARROW Charles	1856	Shelfanger, Norfolk	Farmer	-
	-
50666	SPURDENS Batson	1856	Shelfanger, Norfolk	Farmer	-
	-
50640	WINTER Rev. Thomas	1856	Shelfanger, Norfolk	Baptist Minister	-
	-
50667	WRIGHT George	1856	Shelfanger, Norfolk	Joiner	-
	-
50668	WRIGHT Samuel	1856	Shelfanger, Norfolk	Shoemaker	-
	-
SQL: " SELECT * FROM Complete WHERE ParishCode='SHLF' AND EventType='Directory' AND EventYear=1856 ORDER BY FullName, EventYear, ID"

Notes:

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Page last updated: Thursday, 26th February, 2026
© Diss Family History Group & Nigel Peacock 2026