These London lists you might have overlooked–one of the important resources for early England is the “list.” There are many–some are comprehensive and some cover just small sections of the city.
- Lists of Londoners. Jeremy Gibson and Heather Creaton. 1991. Available Federation of Family History Societies, P.O. Box 2425, Coventry CV5 6YX England. This wonderful little volume, based on a survey of projects, identifies title, number of names, compiler, or holding archive with locations and addresses.
- “Genealogy and the City of London Records: Archives of the Corporation of London,” P.E. Jones (Deputy Keeper of the Records), Genealogists’ Magazine 11 (Dec 1951): 133-36; (Mar 1952): 167-73. Now called London Metropolitan Archives, many of the records Jones inventories will be made available online via a “chargeable web-based service provider.” Records will still be available for onsite searching. http://www.corpoflondon.org.uk
- Town Records. John West. 1983. This comprehensive guide to surviving documentation for 375 municipal and county boroughs, including London, is an amazing aid. In 1972, towns in England and Wales were given different jurisdictional status. Each chapter has a gazetteer of records with their locations. Available Phillimore, Cirencester Road, Chalford, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL6 8PE England. Use with Village Records. John West. 1962. Available St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Ave., New York NY 10016. Village Records, land and property records (including court materials) pertinent to local townships and villages as well as cities, boroughs, and towns. Descriptions of records and how to use them still relevant today.
- Boyd’s Citizens of London. Sir Percival Boyd compiled a biographical/genealogical dictionary of members of the London Guilds—some 59,000 entries with father, mother, all the kids. This research tool is available on 135 microfilm reels through the Family History Library and its branches worldwide. It is also online http://www.origins.net. (Fee site) The online version includes an additional 10,000 Family Group sheets called Boyd’s Family Units digitized from the Society of Genealogists Library—well over 500,000 added names.
- Boyd’s London Burials, 1538-1835. 16 vols. Originals in Society of Genealogists Library. Over 243,000 burials. Available FHL 6 microfilm reels #0897084-89 and online. Online version increases the database by adding 36,000 burials from 76 later parishes, 1813-1853. http://www.origins.net.
- Dictionary of City of London Street Names. Al Smith. Available David and Charles, Freepost EX2110, Newton Abbot, Devon TQ12 4ZZ England.
- London Inhabitants Within the Walls, 1695 (110 parishes). D.V. Glass. London Record Society, 1966. Available Institute of Historical Research, Senate House, Malet St. London WC1E 7HU. Introduction is especially valuable—strategy to compare and combine 1666 Hearth Tax List, 1673 18-Months Tax List, 1678 Poll Tax List, and the 1695 Assessment on Marriages, Births, Burials.
See also Philip B. Dunn, A Guide to Ancestral Research: London. Rev. ed. 1992. Available London Guide, P.O. Box 2640, Salt Lake City UT 84110-2640. Described as the London researcher’s reference tool—exhaustive list of greater London parishes, research procedures, methodology, guide to archives, maps, and more. Especially valuable: common surnames and how to deal with them in a concentrated population area. And C Beth J. McCarty, “Researching in the City of London,” British, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh Journal (Winter 1992) 159-64; S. Porter Exploring Urban History: Sources for Local Historians. 1990. Available Anova Books, 10 Southcombe St., London W14 OR4 UK.
Your favorite British genealogist, Arlene Eakle http://arleneeakle.com
PS Be sure you watch for my blog on how to use lists in research. Unless your ancestor moved more than normal–and the British population was mobile not stationary–lists yield some extraordinary evidence.