About England & Wales Gazetteer Entries

Search this Collection

New user?

Subscribers

Search this Collection

The Comprehensive Gazetteer of England and Wales, edited by J.H.F. Brabner, FRGS, was published in 1895 by William Mackenzie, London. Originally published in six volumes and comprising over 200 pages, it includes over 25,000 individual entries plus county maps and plans of major cities. The Gazetteer is available on British Origins, as digitised images of the original books, including the maps and town plans, and with the entire text fully searchable.

The Gazetteer was created over several years by an experienced team of compilers. To ensure accuracy, the (extensive) articles on the most important cities and towns were written "on the spot", while the smaller articles were submitted to local authorities to check to verify they information they contained.

Of particular value for genealogical research is the attention paid to churches and other ecclesiastical establishments in the various parishes; this can provide invaluable help in identifying the likely locations of original records for places with which your ancestors may be associated. There is also considerable historical information, mention of the main properties in each place, and the families associated with these properties. Victorian pride is shown by detailed statistics relating to commerce, shipping, manufactures and agriculture. The Publisher's aim was: "to make it the most trustworthy and practically useful work of the kind, whether to the resident or the traveller, to the man of business or the man of leisure - to all, in short, who have any relations with their fellow-countrymen, and who take an interest in the wonderful development of their native country in the closing decade of the nineteenth century".

The publishers of the Gazetteer commented that "The want of a trustworthy modern work of reference on the topography of our own country is one that has long been felt and frequently expressed."

The Gazetteer was published soon after the release of the results of the tenth census (1891) of England & Wales.

See also:	Help on Searching - England & Wales Gazetteer Entries
	Help Viewing Images & Maps
	Search place names across England & Wales (logged in users)