Lancashire’s Archives

While some records used by family historians are indexed or available as transcripts or digitised copies of the originals on-line, the majority are not. To look at the originals it is necessary to visit the record office where they are deposited. Lancashire’s records are deposited in a number of record offices, ranging from The National Archives (at Kew in Surrey) to local libraries around the county. The most useful records offices within the ancient county are:

Cumbria Archive Service at Barrow-in-Furness As a result of the county boundary changes in 1974, many records for the Furness and Cartmel peninsulas are held here (some are also held at Kendal).

Lancashire Record Office houses the records of the ancient county, particularly quarter sessions and wills, although a number of other records were transferred to other record offices after the 1974 reorganisation.

Liverpool Record Office contains documents for England’s largest conurbation outside London in the nineteenth century.

Greater Manchester County Records Office (with Manchester Archives) holds the archives for Manchester City.

Additionally the following hold good collections of local material:

Bolton History Centre

Bury Archive Service

Greater Manchester Police Museum and Archives

Harris Library, Preston

Knowsley Archives

Oldham Local Studies and Archives

Rochdale Local Studies ands Archives

Salford Local History Library

Tameside Local Studies and Archives

Warrington Library, Museum and Archive Service

Wigan Archives Service

Working Class Movement Library

Records for the Warrington area which was transferred to Cheshire are held at Chester by Cheshire Archives and Local Studies

Most of the above have an on-line catalogue to the documents they hold.

Details of other records offices can be found on The National Archives’ ARCHON website.

More information

Discover how our Lancashire ancestors lived

Family History in Lancashire

Lancashire's Family History Societies

Family History Press