Search British Isles Gazetteers Browse

Gazetteers are geographical directories that offer detailed descriptions of places, such as towns, villages, parishes, and landmarks, capturing how they were understood in their time. These 19th-century volumes, digitised from the collections of the National Library of Scotland, often include information on population, administrative boundaries, notable buildings, local trades, and postal routes. For family historians, gazetteers are an essential resource: they help pinpoint ancestral locations, reveal historical place names, and provide a window into the communities where ancestors lived. You can browse all the volumes in full to explore the historical landscape that shaped their lives.

Here is a list of the types of information you will discover in the gazetteers:

• Place names with alternative spellings or historic names
• Descriptions of towns, villages, parishes, and counties
• Population figures from contemporary censuses
• Local industries and trades
• Religious institutions (churches, chapels, denominations)
• Postal and transport links (mail routes, railways, coaching roads)
• Administrative divisions (hundreds, poor law unions, registration districts)
• Landowners or notable residents
• Historic events or features
• Geographical features (rivers, hills, coastlines)
• Distances to nearby towns
• Fairs and markets
• Maps and illustrations of towns or regions