Directories

Historical Directories are a fabulous resource full of information, for St. Mary Bourne the earliest one I’ve found is for 1855.

Within the entries you can expect to find details about the place itself along with some of the inhabitants. The inhabitants are generally split between the gentry/private residents and the traders/commercial. They are helpful in many ways, for this study they are particularly helpful when looking at the history of a particular building such as a shop within the parish as a series of them can show the ownership over time.

Currently the collection I have for St. Mary Bourne goes to 1939 when we also see some telephone numbers as part of the entry.