The North Yorkshire County Record Office collects, preserves and makes available for study, archive material for the whole of the county of North Yorkshire. We care for millions of documents of all shapes, sizes and ages.

Our catalogue contains documents from a wide range of sources, including national and local government authorities; private homes; solicitors' offices; churches; and others from all over the country. They are kept together for permanent preservation and public access under the care of experts in their conservation, storage and interpretation.

Our catalogue includes:

• the archives of the North Riding court of quarter sessions from 1605;
• the archives of the North Riding and North Yorkshire County Councils;
• the records of local courts;
• the archives of district, borough and parish councils;
• the archives of hundreds of landed families, individuals and institutions from the twelfth to the twentieth centuries;
• parish registers and other ecclesiastical records;
• the registers of the North Riding Register of Deeds containing approximately 1.25 million deeds made between 1736 and 1970;
• manuscript maps from the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries; and
• other business records, etchings, drawings, scrapbooks and even cartoons

The parish registers we hold are from a large part, but not the whole of North Yorkshire. We publish a guide to the location of North Yorkshire and former North Riding parish registers. You can purchase this using the publications leaflet in the useful downloads section.

Searching the catalogue

Summary descriptions of all our holdings are available online. You can search over 4000 summary descriptions from all our archive collections and item level descriptions of selected collections. Searching the catalogue is free.

You can search the catalogue using keywords, document reference, title or date. There is a detailed help section to aid you in your search as well as providing information on how to interpret the search results. You can also provide feedback on your experience to help us improve our service.

This online access has been made possible through the work of the 'North Yorkshire's Archives Revealed' project, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. It has revolutionised access to North Yorkshire's unique and diverse collections. Work on this project started in June 2005 and there are now over 10,000 descriptions in our database with new information being added all of the time.

Publications available for purchase

We publish texts and facsimiles of historical documents; lists and descriptions of records we hold; and studies in local history. For a full list of publications, including an order form, see the publications leaflet in the useful downloads section.

Guides to our records

We publish various guides to the records we hold. These are:

• Guide number 1: calendars, transcripts and microfilms;
• Guide number 2: parish registers, census returns, land tax assessments, tithe apportionments and enclosure awards;
• Guide number 3: maps and plans, a list of North Yorkshire and North Riding maps and plans;
• Guide number 4: a detailed list of enclosure awards;
• Guide number 5: North Yorkshire parish registers including dates and whereabouts of parish registers, transcripts and microfilms;
• Guide number 6: North Yorkshire gazetteer of townships and parishes;
• Guide number 7: list of non-conformist and chapel registers and of monumental inscriptions;
• Guide number 8: list of North Yorkshire and North Riding plans of railway lines and buildings available for consultation;
• Guide number 9: mining plans; and
• Guide number 10: list of architectural plans

These guides can be ordered using the publications leaflet in the useful downloads section.

Birth, marriage and death certificates

The County Record Office does not hold birth, marriage or death certificates for North Yorkshire. These are held by certificate services in Harrogate. For more information, including how to order certificates, see the respective pages on Birth - historical searches, Registration - copy certificates and Death - historical searches.

Online archives Search through our catalogue of over 4000 summary descriptions from all our archive collections and item level descriptions of selected collections.

Useful downloads List of County Record Office publications and order form [67kb] This document provides a list of County Record Office publications available for purchase. An order form is included at the end. Please follow the instructions to order items from the County Record Office.   Weblinks Please note: All external websites open in a new browser window. North Yorkshire County Council is not responsible for the content of external websites. A2A: Access to Archives A2A is part of the UK archives network. The A2A database contains catalogues describing archives held locally in England and Wales and dating from the eighth century to the present day. Archives Hub A national searchable database of archive collections in UK universities and colleges. Borthwick Institute of Historical Research The Borthwick Institute for Archives in York is one of the biggest archive repositories outside London. During a 50 year history it has collected archives from all around the world, from the twelfth century to the present day. Durham County Record Office (archives) Durham County Record Office is responsible for collecting and preserving documents relating to County Durham and Darlington and for making those records available for study and research. Durham University special collections Founded in 1833 and occupying listed buildings within the Durham World Heritage site, the Palace Green Library of Durham University houses archives, early printed books and other special collections. English Heritage English Heritage exists to protect and promote England's spectacular historic environment and ensure that its past is researched and understood. GENUKI - UK & Ireland genealogy A large collection of genealogical information pages for England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) The MLA promotes best practice in museums, libraries and archives, to inspire innovative, integrated and sustainable services for all. The National Archives The National Archives is the UK government's official archive, containing over 1,000 years of history, from the Domesday Book to the present day. York City Archives The York City archive service holds records and documents covering 800 years of life in York. York Minster library & archives online York Minster contains Britain's largest cathedral library online. Their collections include a general collection of approximately 100,000 books on topics such as theology, art history, stained glass, history, literature and religious texts. Contacts County record office Full contact details for the County Record Office, including opening hours, can be found below. archives@northyorks.gov.uk Tel: 01609 777585 Fax: 01609 777078 Full details for County record office