Apprenticeships (indentured labour) were official contracts, whereby the employer would agree to feed, clothe and house the worker for a set period, taking them into their trade. The employer would often receive money on entering into the contract.

As well as the official apprenticeship contracts, apprentice tax records were also kept for the duration of the term between 1710 and their abolishment in 1804.

Together, these documents are exceptionally valuable to the family historian. They will generally provide details as to the apprentice's parent / guardian, the place they came from, their father's occupation, the new employer's details, trade and location.

There are over a million names to be found in these registers alone, and findmypast will be adding more apprenticeship records in the near future.