Grow YourFamily Tree
Research 1974 county boundary changes
As you dive into your family tree it’s vital you know where to look for records. Daniel Booth explains why you need to…
It’s essential to know where genealogy records are held or you might end up on a wild goose chase. They are divided into different administrative units, one of the largest being counties – so you need to be aware of changes to county borders. The biggest change in recent years came in 1974 with the Local Government Act, which abolished many traditional counties.
Visit Association of British Counties
Start on the website of the Association of British Counties (ABC, https://abcounties. com), which is dedicated to promoting the UK’s 92 historic counties (39 in England, 34 in Scotland, 13 in Wales and six in Northern Ireland). It has an excellent PDF factsheet (www.snipca. com/53474) explaining how the definition of historic counties has changed over the centuries.