Durham County Record Office is responsible for locating, collecting and preserving records relating to County Durham. We have over 3 miles (5.2 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 includes all the catalogues of documents held in the Record Office but it does not contain images of the documents. To see the originals, 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. Information on other types of record will be added in the future.
Please note that although the information contained on this website is very detailed, it is not intended to replace a visit to the office as images of the documents are not part of this site.
