Rhondda Cynon Taf Libraries

We collect materials on all aspects of our area to preserve it for you to see and use in your research.

Our library service is unlike many others in that it does not have one central library. Instead it has three larger libraries situated at Aberdare, Pontypridd and Treorchy.

 

Each of these libraries has a separate reference library that holds the local studies collections for their area. With Aberdare collecting materials on the Cynon Valley, Pontypridd on the Taff Ely district and Treorchy on the Rhondda Valleys.

The following list gives you a basic guide to the most frequently used resources in the local studies collection. For a more detailed description of the resources available please visit the library website.

Census Records: One of the most useful sources for research into your family history. If you find your ancestors listed, you can discover a great deal of information about everyone in the household at that time. Including:

• Full name
• Relationship to the head of the household (except 1841)
• Exact age (except 1841 where ages over 15 are given to the nearest 5 years)
• Marital status
• Occupation
• Place of birth (except 1841)

 

Census returns are closed for 100 years, so the 1901 census is the latest that is currently available.

The library service holds census returns for 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891 and 1901 on microfilm or microfiche. Digital copies can be viewed at all branches by visiting 'Ancestry: Library Edition' on their public access computers.Electoral Registers: These list people in a household who had registered to vote. These names are presented in order of street name and house number and not alphabetically by the surname.

 

There are no electoral registers for 1915 - 1917, and 1941 - 1944. 

Collections vary from library to library, please visit the library website for collection details.

Historical Newspapers: The Rhondda Leader, Pontypridd Observer and Cynon Valley Leader can provide a wealth of useful information including reports on obituaries, funerals and weddings.There is an index to the more recent newspapers but no index exists for the majority of local papers.

Ordnance Survey Maps: Always useful in pinpointing the site of a house in relation to its surrounding. If the house was built in the latter half of the 19th century then the different editions may act as points in time between or before which a house was built. The library service holds copies of the larger scale (1:2,500, or 25”) Ordnance Survey maps including the 1st edition (circa 1870).

Trade Directories: These provide information about local people, occupations, businesses and institutions.

Visit: www.rhondda-cynon-taff.gov.uk/Libraries
or email: nick.e.kelland@rhondda-cynon-taf.gov.uk