Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies is the specialist centre for the discovery of Hertfordshire’s history. Our online catalogue enables you to search the catalogues of our archival holdings.

At present this catalogue is a work in progress. Information available on the Online Archive Catalogue is updated on a regular basis. Please see About the catalogue for details of the records currently available to search, and for further online search options available for our resources. Alternatively please contact us for further advice (see Contact us section for details).

We have over 3 million records on over 5 miles of shelving dating from 1060 to the present day. Resources include: estate papers and manorial records; maps and plans; parish and non-conformist records; personal papers and wills; records of businesses and organisations; school and hospital records; local government records; records of Hertfordshire’s criminal courts and Poor Law institutions; electoral registers, local newspapers and trade directories; local books; photographs, prints and drawings.

Image of the decorated border from the James I Hertford Borough Charter (ref HBR) reproduced by kind permission of Hertford Town Council