Breconshire
Local & Family
History Society

 

Cymdeithas Hanes
Lleol & Theuluoedd
Brycheiniog

Listed below are some books that you may find helpful in your local history and family history research in Breconshire or further afield. Many of the books are available for loan from the Powys Library Service or may be ordered at your own local library through the Inter-Library Loan Scheme.

Note: You can search all the publicly accessible library catalogues in Wales using the National Library of Wales search facility: https://www.library.wales/collections/learn-more/screen-sound-archive/discover/search-the-catalogue.

Our booklist (below) is amended and updated regularly.

 

Breconshire specific topics

  • BARRIE, D. S. (1980) The Brecon & Merthyr Railway, Oakwood Press, Tarrant Hinton, Dorset. ISBN 085361 087 8
  • BRYCHEINIOG: The Journal of the Brecknock Society, published annually by the Brecknock Society and Museum Friends, Brecon.
    Search the Journals from 1955-2003 on the National Library of Wales Welsh Journals Online site at https://journals.library.wales/ 
    The later Journals from 2004-2027 are available to read and download at the Brecknock Society website: https://brecknocksociety.co.uk/resources/brycheiniog/
  • BUILTH WELLS & DISTRICT HERITAGE SOCIETY (2009) Photographs of Old Builth Wells, Builth Wells & District Heritage Society. ISBN 978-0-9515114-3-5
  • BOWEN, Elwyn (1992) Vaynor – A Study of the Welsh Countryside, Foxgate Ltd, Merthyr Tydfil. ISBN 0-951-37062-6
  • DAVIES, Dewi (1977) Brecknock Historian, D. G. & A. S. Evans, Brecon. (No ISBN)
  • DAVIES, Dewi (undated) Law and Disorder in Breconshire 1750-1880, D. G. & A. S. Evans, Brecon. (No ISBN)
  • ECKLEY, Robert (2016) Historic Houses and other Historic Buildings in Brecon, BLFHS, Brecon.
  • EISEL, John C. (2002) The Church Bells of Breconshire, Logaston Press, Almeley. ISBN 1-873827-23-7
  • GOODALL, Peter J. R. (2006) Ring the Bell in the Gaols of Brecon, Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, Llanrwst. ISBN 1-84527-027-4
  • HUGHES, Stephen (1990) The Brecon Forest Tramroads, Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, Aberystwyth. ISBN 1-871184-05-3
  • JONES, Theophilus (1805-09 & 1909-1930) A History of the County of Brecknock, (centenary 'Glanusk' edition in 4 vols) Blissett, Davies & Co. and the Brecknock Society, Brecon. (No ISBN)
  • KAIN, Roger J. P., and OLIVER, Richard R. (2001) Historic Parishes of England & Wales, History Data Service, University of Essex, Colchester. ISBN 0-9540032-0-9
  • LEWIS, Michael R. (1992) From Darkness to Light – The Catholics of Breconshire 1536-1851, Old Bakehouse Publications, Abertillery. ISBN 0-9512181-2-3
  • MORGAN, Richard & POWELL, R. F. Peter (1999) A Study of Breconshire Place-Names, Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, Llanrwst. ISBN 0-86381-567-7
  • MUSSON, Chris & DRIVER Toby (2016) Above Brecknock: An Historic County from the Air, The Brecknock Society & Museum Friends in collaboration with The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales and the Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust. ISBN-10: 1869900022 ISBN-13: 978-1869900021
  • NOBLE, Alison (2009) Two Short Walks Around Brecon Town, published by the author, Brecon. (No ISBN)
  • NORRIS, John (2007) The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal, John Norris, Hurstpierpoint. ISBN 0-9517991-4-2
  • PARRY, E. G. (1991) Christ College Brecon 1541-1991 – An Illustrated History, Mid Wales Litho Ltd (printers), Pontypool. (No ISBN)
  • POOLE, Edwin (1886) The Illustrated History and Biography of Brecknockshire, Edwin Poole, Brecon. (No ISBN)
  • SALTER, Mike (2001) The Castles of Mid-Wales, Folly Publications, Malvern. ISBN 1-871731-48-8
  • SALTER, Mike (2003) The Old Parish Churches of Mid-Wales, Folly Publications, Malvern. ISBN 1-871731-62-3
  • THOMAS, W. S. K. (1993) Georgian and Victorian Brecon, Gomer Press, Llandysul. ISBN 0-86383-998-3
  • TIPPER, David (1985) Stone & Steam in the Black Mountains, Blorenge Books, Abergavenny. ISBN 0-9510444-1-9
  • Various authors (1993) Gathered Gold: Tales of Garth Madryn, Garth Madryn Writers' Circle. ISBN 0-9522106-0-6 (SEE BOOK REVIEW)
  • Various authors (1996) More Gathered Gold: Tales of Old Breconshire, Sennybridge and District Writers' Circle. ISBN 0-9522106-1-4 (SEE BOOK REVIEW)

General topics

Welsh History

  • DAVIES, John (1994) A History of Wales, Penguin, London. ISBN 0-14-014581-8
  • DODD, A. H. (1998) A Short History of Wales: Welsh Life and Customs from prehistoric times to the present day, John Jones Publishing Ltd., Ruthin. ISBN 1-871083-36-2
  • FISHER, Deborah C. (1997) Who's Who in Welsh History, Christopher Davies (Publishers) Ltd. Swansea. ISBN 0-7154-0731-7
  • GREGORY, Donald (1989) Wales Before 1066 – A Guide, Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, Llanrwst. ISBN 0-86381-396-8
  • GREGORY, Donald (1993) Wales Before 1536 – A Guide, Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, Llanrwst. ISBN 0-86381-250-3
  • GREGORY, Donald (1995) Wales After 1536 – A Guide, Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, Llanrwst. ISBN 0-86381-318-6
  • HUGHES, Stephen (2006) Thomas Thomas, 1817-88: the first national Architect of Wales, Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, Aberystwyth.
    The first in-depth study of the design work of a Welsh chapel architect, who designed about 1,000 chapels and was hugely influential.
  • MORGAN, Prys (ed) (2001) The Tempus History of Wales 25,000 BC  AD 2000, Tempus Publishing Ltd., Stroud. ISBN 0-7524-1983-8
  • SALTER, Mike (2001) The Castles of Mid-Wales, Folly Publications, Malvern. ISBN 1-871731-48-8

Place-names and Personal names

  • DAVIES, Brian (2001) Welsh Place-Names Unzipped, Y Lolfa Cyf, Ceredigion. ISBN 0-86243-514-5
  • DAVIES, Dewi (undated) Welsh Place-names and Their Meanings, The Cambrian News, Aberystwyth. (No ISBN)
  • DAVIES, Elwyn (1967) Rhestr o Enwau Lleoedd – A Gazetteer of Welsh Place-Names, University of Wales Press, Cardiff. ISBN 0-7083-1038-9
  • HANKS, Patrick, HODGES, Flavia, MILLS, A. D., & ROOM, Adrian (2002) The Oxford Names Companion, Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-860561-7
  • JONES, John (1996) Welsh Place Names, John Jones (Publishing) Ltd., Ruthin, Denbighshire. ISBN 1-871083-10-9
  • LEAVER, Tony (1998) Pronouncing Welsh Place Names, Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, Llanrwst. ISBN 0-86381-482-4
  • LIAS, Anthony (1994) A Guide to Welsh Place-Names, Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, Llanrwst. ISBN 0-86381-289-9
  • MORGAN, Richard & POWELL, R. F. Peter (1999) A Study of Breconshire Place-Names, Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, Llanrwst. ISBN 0-86381-567-7
  • MORGAN, T. J. & MORGAN, Prys (1985) Welsh Surnames, University of Wales Press, Cardiff. ISBN 0-7083-0936-4
  • OWEN, Hywel Wyn (1998) A Pocket Guide – The Place-Names of Wales, University of Wales Press, Cardiff. ISBN 0-7083-1458-9
  • OWEN, Hywel Wyn & MORGAN, Richard (2007) Dictionary of the Place-Names of Wales, Gomer Press, Llandysul. ISBN 978-184323-901-7
  • REANEY, P. H. (1997) A Dictionary of English Surnames, Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. ISBN 0-19-860092-5
  • ROWLANDS, John & Sheila (1996) The Surnames of Wales, Federation of Family History Societies (Publications) Ltd., Birmingham. ISBN 1-86006-025-0

General and Welsh local history and family history research methods and sources

  • CHRISTIAN, Peter & ANNAL, David (2008) Census – the Expert Guide, The National Archives, Kew, Richmond. ISBN 978-1-905615-34-6
    This book has its own website at http://www.spub.co.uk/
  • DIXON, Barbara (1999) Birth and Death Certificates: England and Wales 1837 to 1969, Barbara Dixon, Burnham, Berkshire. ISBN 0-9535304-0-X
  • DIXON, Barbara (2000) Marriages and Certificates in England & Wales, Barbara Dixon, Burnham, Berkshire. ISBN 0-9535304-1-X
  • DRAKE, Michael, & FINNEGAN, Ruth (1994) Sources and Methods for Family and Community Historians: A Handbook, (Volume 4 of Studying Family and Community History – 19th and 20th Centuries) Cambridge University Press (for the Open University), Cambridge. ISBN 0-521-46580-X
  • FINNEGAN, Ruth, & DRAKE, Michael (1994) From Family Tree to Family History, (Volume 1 of Studying Family and Community History – 19th and 20th Centuries) Cambridge University Press (for the Open University), Cambridge. ISBN 0-521-46577-X
  • FITZHUGH, Terrick V. H. (1998) The Dictionary of Genealogy, A & C Black, London. ISBN 0-7136-4859-7
  • FOSTER, Michael Whitfield (1998) A Comedy of Errors, or The Marriage Records of England and Wales 1837 - 1899; ISBN 0-473-05581-3
  • FOSTER, Michael Whitfield (2002) A Comedy of Errors, Act 2; ISBN 0-473-07480-X
  • HARPER, Peter S., & SUNDERLAND, Eric (eds) (1986) Genetic & Population Studies in Wales, University of Wales Press, Cardiff. ISBN 0-7083-0867-8
  • HERBER, Mark (2004) Ancestral Trails – The Compete Guide to British Genealogy and Family History, (2nd edition) Sutton Publishing, Stroud. ISBN 750935103.
  • HEY, David (ed) (1996) The Oxford Companion to Local and Family History, Oxford University Press, Oxford. ISBN 0-19-860215-4
  • HINDLE, Paul (1998) Maps for Historians, Phillimore, Chichester. ISBN 0-85033-934-0
  • HUMPHERY-SMITH, Cecil (ed) (1995) The Phillimore Atlas and Index of Parish Registers, Phillimore & Co. Ltd., Chichester. ISBN 0-85033-950-2
  • JONES, Ieuan Gwynedd & WILLIAMS, David (eds) (1976) The Religious Census of 1851 - A Calendar of the Returns Relating to Wales, (Volume I South Wales) University of Wales Press, Cardiff. ISBN 0-7083-0619-5
  • MILLS, Dennis & SCHURER, Kevin (1996) Local Communities in the Victorian Emunerators' Books, Leopard's Head Press Ltd., Oxford. ISBN 0-904920-33-X
  • POLS, Robert (2002) Family Photographs 1860-1945, Public Record Office, Kew, Surrey, UK. ISBN 1-903365-20-1
  • RICHARDSON, John (2003) The Local Historian's Encyclopedia, (3rd edition) Historical Publications Ltd. ISBN 0-948667-83-4
  • ROGERS, Colin D. (2008) The Family Tree Detective, (4th edition) Manchester University Press, Manchester. ISBN 978-0-7190-7126-3
  • ROWLANDS, John & Sheila (eds) (1998) Welsh Family History – A Guide to Research, (2nd edition) Federation of Family History Societies (Publications) Ltd., Birmingham. ISBN 1-86006-065-0
  • ROWLANDS, John & Sheila (eds) (1999) Second Stages in Researching Welsh Ancestry, Federation of Family History Societies (Publications) Ltd. Birmingham. ISBN 1-86006-066-8
  • SHOWN MILLS, Elizabeth (1997) Evidence!  Citation & Analysis for the Family Historian, Genealogical Publishing Company, Baltimore, MD. ISBN 0-8063-1543-1
  • STEVENSON, N. C. (1989) Genealogical Evidence; a guide to the standard of proof relating to pedigrees, ancestry, heirship and family history, Aegean Park Press, Laguna Hills, CA

Welsh Culture / Miscellaneous

  • BREVERTON, T. D. (2000) The Book of Welsh Saints, Glyndwr Publishing, Cowbridge. ISBN 1-903529-01-8
  • DAVIES, Janet (1999) The Welsh Language – A Pocket Guide, University of Wales Press, Cardiff. ISBN 0-7083-1516-X
  • MAY, John (1994) Reference Wales, University of Wales Press, Cardiff. ISBN 0-7083-1234-9
  • SAGER, Peter (2002) Wales, (4th edition) Pallas Athene, London. ISBN 1873429584