Records Held
The Record Office exists to collect and preserve records of all kinds which contain information about the history of Gwent, and to make them available to the public in its search room.
Many of the records relate to local government in the county, such as the Monmouthshire Court of Quarter Sessions, Monmouthshire and Gwent County Councils (including school records), and borough and district councils. Since Local Government Reorganisation in 1996, the office provides a service for the local authority areas of Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly (Islwyn District), Monmouthshire, Newport and Torfaen.
Other records, dating from about 1250, have been deposited by individuals and organisations: for example, records relating to estates, families, businesses and industries. Ecclesiastical records, including registers of baptisms, marriages and burials for Anglican, Roman Catholic and Nonconformist churches, form a substantial part of the Record Office’s holdings. There is also an extensive collection of maps, including tithe, enclosure and older Ordnance Survey maps.
The Record Office has been appointed by the Lord Chancellor as a place of deposit for Public Records, such as those of Magistrates’ and Coroners’ Courts, and Shipping Registers. The Master of the Rolls has also approved it as a repository for manorial and tithe records.
Records held on microfiche include census returns for Monmouthshire, 1841 to 1901, and the General Register Office Index to Births, Marriages and Deaths (England and Wales), 1837 to 2001. Other resources for local and family history (e.g. census indexes and monumental inscriptions) are also available, on microfiche, microfilm and CD-ROM.
The Record Office is always pleased to accept records of historical interest either as donations or as deposits (the depositor retaining legal ownership).