Durham County Record Office is responsible for locating, collecting and preserving records relating to County Durham and Darlington. We have about 4 miles (6.4 km) of records which range from small collections of personal papers to the records of large companies.
The Record Office holds a large number of collections relating to the history of County Durham. These include the records of:
- Durham County Council
- Durham Quarter Sessions
- Other local councils in the County
- Church of England parishes in the Dioceses of Durham and Ripon
- Non-conformist churches (for example, Methodist and Roman Catholic churches)
- National Coal Board
- Pre-nationalisation (pre-1947) colliery companies
- Landed Families and Estates
- Solicitors
- Businesses
- Schools and Colleges
- Societies and Clubs
- Individuals
It is now possible to
search the database of all our collections online. The database gives you access to all the catalogues of documents held in the Record Office and the opportunity to view about 40,000 of our photographs. Apart from the photographs that are available for viewing online, to see the original documents, and photographs not yet online, you must
make an appointment to visit the Record Office.
The database also holds details of the books and pamphlets in the Record Office library. They are not available for loan.
Many of the documents deposited in the Record Office are useful for tracing your family tree. There is a section of this website devoted to family history. It contains very detailed information about our holdings of church registers and information on other types of records of genealogical interest.
