Discover fascinating family stories in millions of Somerset records online

Do your ancestors hail from the county of myth and legend? Solve the mystery of your family history by searching Somerset archives online at Findmypast. Delve into indexes of records held at Somerset Archives to piece together the amazing puzzle of your past.

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A snippet of Somerset history and culture

Somerset's boundaries have moved very little since medieval times. The county has two cities, Bath and Wells. Its county town is Taunton.

Somerset is largely agricultural, though there was some coal mining in the north, where the land is now worked for limestone, sandstone, sand and gravel. Today a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Bath was an important centre of wool production in the Middle Ages. The expansion of the railways meant many towns along Somerset’s 40-mile coastline became popular seaside resorts.

Somerset is home to the second-oldest timber trackway in the British Isles, the Sweet Track, named after its founder, Ray Sweet. Glastonbury Festival, the UK’s biggest music and arts festival, is held here every summer. While legend claims the county is the final resting place of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere.

Britain's oldest complete human skeleton was found at Cheddar Gorge in 1903.

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Turn faint memories and family rumours into facts with millions of Somerset genealogy records. Who knows where your past might take you?

Somerset 1921 census: Collage of life in the 1920s

What was Somerset like in the 1920s?

Open a window into local life in Somerset with the 1921 Census of England and Wales. Only available online at Findmypast, this detailed snapshot reveals where your relatives were, who they were with and what they were doing one summer night over a century ago.

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Scour Somerset newspaper archives online

Glimpse into Somerset society when your ancestors lived by looking at old digitised local newspapers. Immerse yourself in scandalous stories, first-hand accounts and the meaningful moments that shaped your family’s story.

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