England Business Records and Commerce

Records or histories of businesses and commercial companies usually do not give dates or places of births, marriages, or deaths. They do, however, contain names, addresses, company owners and shareholders, and financial information. Most sources discuss business and company dealings and general history.

People who were involved in various occupations, trades, or businesses often appear in occupational records or commercial directories. See the "Occupations" and "Directories" sections of this outline to learn more about these subjects.

For a survey of the records of approximately 700 companies in England and Wales that began business between 1856 and 1889 and were still in existence in 1980, see:

Richmond, Lesley, and Bridget Stockford. Company Records. Aldershot, Hampshire: Gower Publishing Company Limited, 1986. (FHL book 942 U34r.) Each entry lists the history and extant records of each company along with a current address.

For help with locating English business records, write:

Business Archives Council 185 Tower Bridge Road London, SE1 2UF England Internet: http://www.businessarchivescouncil.org.uk/about/statement/

For more information about company records, see:

Watts, Chris T., and Michael J. Watts. "Company Records as a Source for the Family Historian", Genealogist’s Magazine, June 1983, pp. 44–54. (FHL book 942 B2gm.)

To find business-related records in the Family History Library, look in the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog under one of the following:

ENGLAND - BUSINESS RECORDS AND COMMERCE

ENGLAND, [COUNTY] - BUSINESS RECORDS AND COMMERCE

ENGLAND, [COUNTY], [CITY] - BUSINESS RECORDS AND COMMERCE