Researching Cambridgeshire – Some Suggestions by Mike Petty

I have helped people research Cambridgeshire for more than 45 years and am delighted to offer free advice and guidance for any project you are undertaking.

These notes are intended as a suggestion of sources to check for information on Cambridgeshire. They do not claim to be comprehensive nor to cover Genealogical resources such as parish registers, censuses etc. 

I hope they prove of some assistance in your research. Please let me know of others that you discover

Tell me what you’re looking for and what you’ve already looked at. 

I will then complete this checklist and return it to you without cost or commitment.

If, afterwards, you would like me to work FOR you I charge an initial £25 for two hours, followed by £10 an hour for research here at Stretham. Research in Cambridge is charged at £10 to get there, then £10 an hour.

I will only accept commissions if I feel there is a realistic chance of finding something within a reasonable time. I cannot guarantee success.

Please keep me in touch with your progress.

Good luck in finding what you seek! 

What are you Looking For

Reply

Mike Petty research materials

I have extensive files and indexes including

Books 

Newspapers  - various indexes including
Looking Back snippets
Century of Cambridge News
Reeve card index

Illustrations – I have thousands of pictures and indexes

Publicly accessible sources

Cambridgeshire Collection, Lion Yard, Cambridge 
(website cambridgeshire.gov.uk/leisure/archives/local_history/cambs)

Book catalogue (online- ibistro.cambridgeshire.gov.uk)

Newspaper News index
Newspaper cuttings files

Illustrations catalogue (card & online -ibistro.cambridgeshire.gov.uk ) 
Illustrations CAS catalogue
Palmer-Clarke and Ramsey & Muspratt portraits

People
Local Biography index cards
Dictionary of National Biography (online via Cambridgeshire Libraries website)

Maps
Sale particulars
Handbills
Ephemera

Cambridgeshire Archives, Shire Hall, Cambridge 
(website cambridgeshire.gov.uk/leisure/archives/catalogue/holdings)
Catalogue (online cambridgeshire.gov.uk/leisure/archives/catalogue/)

Cambridge University Library 
Book catalogue (online - lib.cam.ac.uk/newton/)
Archives catalogue Janus (online - janus.lib.cam.ac.uk/)
Maps catalogue

Online Sources 
See my Cambridgeshire History on Your Computer notes on my Website
‘Restricted’ sites are available via Cambridge University Library 

Books Online sites (public)
Google Book Search  *
Internet Archive 
Victoria History of Cambridgeshire (online - british-history.ac.uk)
County Directories (online - historicaldirectories.org/hd)

Books Online sites (restricted)
Early English Books Online
Eighteenth-century Collections Online
House of Commons Parliamentary Papers 1801-2000 (online at Cambridge Library) 

Periodicals (public)
Google Scholar 

Periodicals (restricted)
Illustrated London News Historical Archive
JSTOR - an archive of important scholarly journals  
British Periodicals -  includes Fenland Notes and Queries 
19th Century UK Periodicals - articles in 100 Victorian periodicals 

Newspapers Online sites (public)
Cambridge News Ely Standard
Cambridgeshire Times
Wisbech Standard
Lincolnshire Newspaper extracts 1780-1920 

Newspapers Online sites (restricted)
Times Digital Archive (available via Cambridgeshire Libraries website)
British Newspapers 1600-1900
17th & 18th Century Burney Collection
19th-century British Library Newspapers
Annual Register 1758-2007 (available via Cambridgeshire Libraries website)

Overseas newspapers searchable online include
American newspapers, 1880- 
Newspaper Abstracts 
Australian papers 1803-1954 - Australian Newspapers Beta 
New Zealand newspapers from 1839-1920 – Paperspast 

Maps – single sheet
Genmaps  
Old Maps 
Google Maps 

Maps – OS (public)
British History Online – old OS for each village
Cambridgeshire Archives – 25” maps in low resolution
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey Maps
Digimap 

Aerial Photos
Aerial surveys are available at Google Earth and www.flashearth.com 

Illustrations
The Cambridgeshire Collection has the largest selection of prints and photographs. There are various indexes, part of one of which is available on the Collection’s website.  I also have extensive files and indexes
Cambridgeshire Explorer CD-ROMs of Cambridge and Cambridgeshire cost £10 each and contain hundreds of historic and current photographs. Buy it from //www.cambridge-explorer.org.uk. 

 Other sites that include old images of Cambridgeshire include: 
Google – search for topics or places, then click the ‘Images’ choice, 
The British Library Online Gallery’ for engravings 
Cambridgeshire Community Archives Network for various local villages 
The Francis Frith Collection archive 
U.S. Historical Archive 
Norfolk Picture Search includes the fens 

Buildings
The Historic Environment Record includes listed buildings and archaeological information
East Cambs District Council includes an older list 
Research notes available on my website
Cambridgeshire History Websites
Cambridgeshire Collection in Lion Yard
Cambridgeshire Collection Indexes
Cambridgeshire Newspapers
Cambridgeshire Illustrations 
Cambridge Engravers
Cambridgeshire Photographers

Cambridgeshire House History
Cambridge Streets & Houses

Cambridgeshire Village Projects

Other sites
The Cambridgeshire Association for Local History has a link to many other local websites – 
Martin Edwards has links many sources – www.cambridgeshirehistory.com/

Note * indicates items of especial relevance  
# items I have checked

I hope these notes prove of some assistance in your research. Please keep me in touch with your progress.

I am happy to work WITH you freely, offering advice and guidance 
If you would like me to work FOR you I charge an initial £25 for two hours, followed by £10 an hour for research here at Stretham. Research in Cambridge is charged at £25 to get there, then £10 an hour.

I will only accept commissions if I feel there is a realistic chance of finding something within a reasonable time. I cannot guarantee success.

Good luck in finding what you seek! 

Mike Petty MBE 
13a Reads Street, Stretham, Ely CB6 3JT
Phone 01353 648108  
Email mikepetty@tiscali.co.uk 
 website cambridgeshirehistory.com/MikePetty
February 2011.