British Record Society
A British learned society that publishes indexes and edited texts relating to historical records, especially English probate records and Hearth Tax returns.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The British Record Society is a British learned society devoted to making historical records more accessible through publication, particularly by producing indexes and transcriptions of archival material. Its work sits at the intersection of historical scholarship, genealogy, archival preservation, and public access to records. Rather than operating as a conventional commercial brand, the Society functions as a specialist publishing and learned-society institution whose principal output is a continuing series of scholarly volumes. The Society was established in 1889 to assume responsibility for the Index Library, a publication initiative that had begun in 1888 as W. P. Phillimore's private project. The original purpose was to publish indexes to British public records, helping researchers locate information that was otherwise difficult to search across dispersed archival collections. At its foundation, the Society also took an interest in the preservation of records and in advocacy for the people and institutions responsible for maintaining them. Its activities included support for the development of county record offices and county record societies, as well as broader efforts to improve archival access. The emergence of an official Lists and Indexes series in 1892 changed the Society's publishing environment. Because the official series reduced the need for private publication of indexes to records held by the Public Record Office, the British Record Society increasingly directed its attention toward records held in other repositories. This helped shape its long-term identity as a publisher working with local, county, and specialist archival collections rather than simply duplicating official national-record publications. The Society's organizational history includes important changes in scope. In 1898, its Scottish section became the independent Scottish Record Society. In 1933, its Record Preservation Section was transferred to the newly established British Records Association. After these changes, the British Record Society became primarily a publishing society focused on English historical records, often collaborating with county historical societies and related scholarly organizations. In the modern period, its publications have concentrated substantially, though not exclusively, on name indexes to English probate records and on editions of Hearth Tax returns from the 1660s and 1670s. Probate indexes can assist family historians and researchers in identifying wills, administrations, and related records, while Hearth Tax publications provide evidence for studying households, property, taxation, and social structure in seventeenth-century England. The Society's publications are intended for researchers who need reliable finding aids or edited documentary sources rather than popular historical summaries. By 2012, the Index Library had reached 126 volumes published over 123 years, in addition to two extra volumes and some microfiche material. The scale and continuity of this series are central to the Society's reputation. Its work is also documented in bibliographic guides, including E. L. C. Mullins's Texts and Calendars volumes and later listings maintained through the Royal Historical Society. The Society's historical development and current activities are further described through its official website. Overall, the British Record Society remains best understood as a specialist archival publishing body and learned society whose value lies in the systematic indexing, transcription, and dissemination of historical records.
History
The British Record Society originated in the late nineteenth-century expansion of organized record publication in Britain. In 1888, W. P. Phillimore began the Index Library as a private scheme for publishing indexes to British public records. The following year, in 1889, the British Record Society was founded to take over and develop that initiative. Its formation reflected a growing recognition that historical records were valuable not only as institutional documents but also as research resources requiring systematic indexing, editing, preservation, and dissemination. From the beginning, the Society's remit extended beyond publication. It was concerned with the preservation of records and acted in an advocacy capacity on behalf of archives and their users. In modern terms, this included encouraging the establishment of county record offices and county record societies. Such institutions were important because many historical records were held locally and could not be effectively served through a single national repository. The Society therefore participated in a wider movement to strengthen the infrastructure of British historical research. The creation of an official Lists and Indexes series in 1892 altered the practical need for the Society to publish indexes to material held in the Public Record Office. Rather than competing directly with official national publications, the British Record Society increasingly turned toward records held in other repositories. This redirection established a durable role for the Society as a partner and publisher for local and county-based archival work. The Society's original geographical scope also changed over time. In 1898, its Scottish section separated and became the independent Scottish Record Society. A further institutional change occurred in 1933, when the Society's Record Preservation Section was taken over by the newly founded British Records Association. These developments narrowed the Society's principal focus and left it primarily concerned with the publication of English records. From the 1930s onward, the British Record Society operated mainly as a publishing society, often working alongside county historical societies. Its output included indexes and documentary texts designed to provide researchers with structured access to records that could otherwise require extensive archival investigation. The Society's publishing program was especially important for records whose value is distributed across many names, places, and local jurisdictions. During the second half of the twentieth century and into the early twenty-first century, the Society concentrated heavily on name indexes to English probate records and on the publication of Hearth Tax returns dating from the 1660s and 1670s. Probate materials are particularly significant for genealogy and social history, while Hearth Tax returns support research into household distribution, property, taxation, and local communities in seventeenth-century England. The Society's emphasis has not been exclusively limited to these categories, but they represent its most recognizable modern areas of specialization. The Index Library became the principal long-running vehicle for this work. By 2012, 126 volumes had been published across 123 years, together with two additional volumes and some microfiche publications. This continuity demonstrates the Society's role as a cumulative research institution rather than a short-term publishing project. Bibliographic information about its publications has also been recorded in reference works such as E. L. C. Mullins's Texts and Calendars, published in two volumes by the Royal Historical Society in 1958 and 1983, with later publication details available through the Royal Historical Society. The Society's current identity remains tied to specialist historical-record publishing. Its work serves academic historians, genealogists, local historians, archivists, and other users who need dependable indexes or edited documentary sources. The Society's development from Phillimore's private indexing scheme into a long-standing learned publisher illustrates the institutional evolution of British archival access: from individually produced finding aids toward coordinated, society-based publication and collaboration with local record organizations.
- 2012
Index Library reaches 126 volumes
[1]By this point, the Index Library had published 126 volumes over 123 years, alongside two additional volumes and microfiche material.
- 1933
Record Preservation Section transferred
[1]The Society's Record Preservation Section was taken over by the newly established British Records Association.
- 1898
Scottish section becomes independent
[1]The Society's Scottish section separated to form the independent Scottish Record Society.
- 1892
Official Lists and Indexes series changes publishing priorities
[1]The creation of an official Lists and Indexes series reduced the need for private indexing of Public Record Office material and encouraged the Society to focus on records in other repositories.
- 1889
British Record Society founded
[1]The Society was founded to take over and continue the Index Library initiative.
- 1888
Index Library established as a private initiative
[1]W. P. Phillimore began the Index Library as a private project to publish indexes to British public records.
Products and positioning
A specialist learned-society publisher focused on making British and especially English historical records searchable and usable for historians, genealogists, archivists, and local-history researchers.
Historical record indexes · 1888
The Index Library
The Index Library is the Society's principal continuing publication series. It provides structured indexes and related research aids for historical records, enabling users to locate people, places, and documents without searching every original record individually. The series developed from Phillimore's late-nineteenth-century indexing initiative and became a major vehicle for the Society's long-term publishing program.
Genealogical and archival indexes
English probate record indexes
These publications provide name-based access to English probate materials, helping genealogists and historians identify wills, administrations, and associated records. Their value lies in turning dispersed or difficult-to-search archival material into usable finding aids. Probate indexes have been one of the Society's principal areas of concentration during the modern period.
Edited historical documents
Hearth Tax publications
The Society publishes texts and related research editions of Hearth Tax returns from the 1660s and 1670s. These records support research into households, taxation, property, and local social structure in seventeenth-century England. The publications are intended to make documentary sources more accessible to both specialist and local historians.
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