Discover your ancestors’ incredible stories in our Herefordshire family history records

Look into links with Ledbury or roots in Ross-on-Wye with millions of Herefordshire family history records, easily accessible online. Your Herefordshire story begins with your family tree.

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Herefordshire’s long history in short

Herefordshire dates to the beginning of the 10th century and at times has been under Welsh control.

It is now a county in the West Midlands and one of the most rural and sparsely populated regions in England. Hereford is the county town.

Herefordshire has long been a thriving agricultural county, known for its apple and pear orchards, cider, hops, pigs fattened on windfall apples, and the Hereford breed of beef cattle. Other prominent industries throughout history were the woollen and cloth trades.

Herefordshire has two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Malvern Hills are in the east, on the border with Worcestershire. The Wye Valley is south of Hereford.

Hereford Cathedral is home to the Mappa Mundi, a unique treasure and the largest medieval map still known to exist. The composer Sir Edward Elgar lived on the outskirts of Hereford at the height of his career.

Was your ancestor an apple grower or cider maker in Herefordshire? Did they make gloves in a Hereford factory?

First exported from Herefordshire in 1817, Hereford cattle can now be found in over 50 countries.

What will you unearth in Herefordshire archives online?

Whether your Herefordshire ancestor was a soldier, tradesperson, local dignitary, cleric or teacher, you’ll find their stories in our extensive collection of county records.

Herefordshire 1921 census: Collage of life in the 1920s

Herefordshire in the 1920s

What do you really know about your Herefordshire relatives? Only available online at Findmypast, the 1921 Census of England and Wales offers a unique opportunity to turn distant family memories into facts. It chronicles local life in Herefordshire and beyond a century ago.

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Learning about Ledbury...

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Millions of digitised Herefordshire newspaper pages

Did your long-lost relative make headlines in Herefordshire? You’ll uncover local stories lost to time and so much more in our newspaper archives.

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