Q: How do I find a place I am interested in?

A: The simplest method is from the main home page:

  • Type a place name into the search box (and we ignore punctuation and capital letters). This option searches a simplified list of towns and villages, but if we cannot find anywhere we tell you about other ways of looking. If we find somewhere, we take you to the relevant place page, which will give you various kinds of information about the place. If you are interested in statistical trends you need to look at information about a related administrative unit, and we recommend going to the page for the modern local authority covering your chosen place by clicking on the "(your place name) through time" link below the historical gazetteer description. You will also often find interesting information for historical units named after the place such as parish-level units, local government districts and Poor Law Unions/Registration Districts.
  • Or type a postcode into the search box, and we then take you to a page about that location, including a link to information about the relevant modern local authority.

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