I’ve added another database to the Databases for Sale site, it is the Topographical Dictionary of England 1831, by Samuel Lewis. Each of the 15,756 places mentioned includes a description, and is localized, usually giving the county, parish, and hundred or wapentake within which it is located.

This has some great historical information on English localities. It often mentions who the local ’squire’ was at that time (1831), and describes the condition of antiquities like ancient castles and prehistoric features. You can find out how much the local Church of England parson was paid, and just where the money came from. Historical events, such as battles or the construction of old monasteries and chapels are also noted. Some descriptions include information on the origin of the place name, and notes about the forms of local government, schedule of fairs and markets, and details on the primary industries connected with the locality.

As with our other databases, this one is 1/2 price for the first 30 days — get it now while it’s hot. This content it not available in its entirety anywhere on-line (so far as I know — exact match string searches do not get any ‘hits’), but of course you can expect it start appearing soon — get in fast to get indexed as an original source!