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After the WW2, telephone directories gradually superseded trade directories, but until the 1950s telephones were a luxury so only businesses and better-off residents were listed.
