Help with the online archive catalogue
This catalogue contains descriptions of documents held at Plymouth and West Devon Record Office. In some instances an image of a document or photograph will also be available to view.
Our online catalogue is constantly growing and is being added to with newly-deposited and records converted from our paper catalogues. It should be used in conjunction with the Access to Archives website which contains the bulk of our material catalogued prior to 2005. Our ultimate aim is to merge data from both these sources.
The online catalogue also provides access to a number of databases useful to family historians. Please see our projects and family history indexes pages to access them.
How to search
Search terms
Your can undertake a simple search on a single word such as 'school' or on multiple words such as 'Plymstock School' or 'Hoe Grammar School'. The search is not case sensitive.
You can enter any term you like, the most popular being personal names or a property address. Symbols such as £, $, %, and & cannot be used when searching.
Use the following advice to get the most from your searches:
AND/OR/NOT
If you enter more than one word, you will need to click the field containing either <AND> or <OR> or <NOT> depending on how you want to search.
Use <AND> to search for multiple words, eg a search for 'Plymstock' <AND> 'school' will locate all entries containing both words.
Use <OR> to search for similar meaning words, eg a search for 'Reconstruction' <OR> 'Redevelopment' will locate all entries containing either word.
Use <NOT> to search for one word and exclude a second word, eg a search for 'school' <NOT> primary will locate all the school entries but will not show any containing the word primary.
Phrase searches for words next to one another in the catalogue using inverted commas or quotation marks eg "Plymstock School" cannot be undertaken. Please use the <AND> search.
Tips
When searching for a person, try inputting first name and surname only as middle names are not always included. If this is not successful, try a search by surname only.
When searching for an address, include the house number. If this is not successful, try a second search using only the street name.
What you will find
Two main types of entries are shown. These are collection level descriptions or item level descriptions.
Collection level descriptions
This level of description gives details on a number of items which are grouped together as a single collection. The description will either give a summary of the collection or a list of the items contained within each box. If appropriate, details from the collection's administrative history (information on how the records came into existence) are also included. Sometimes items of importance are also highlighted. Occasionally, links from the summary description found here to the full catalogue on the Access to Archives website are included.
Item level descriptions
This level details information about an individual item. If the item has more than one part, a piece level description is sometimes shown, detailing each part. The item level description offers key data such as the informational content and date of creation of the material in question. It does not contain the full text of the document or volume.
What do I do when I have found an entry on the catalogue?
You can obtain more information on what you have found by one of the following ways:
- You can visit us and look at the original document - see our visiting us page for details
- You can obtain a photocopy or digital copy of the document - see our publications and copying charges page for details
- You can commission a researcher to look through the records and provide you with the information you want - see our archive researchers page for details
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