Claremont - our FORMER Headquarters (A look back)
Facilities
Claremont was the headquarters of the Yorkshire Archaeological Society and its specialist Sections from the 1960s until 2017. This Georgian house in Clarendon Road, Leeds was home to one of the most important and unique collections on the history of Yorkshire. For Family Historians it provided a convenient and comprehensive resource.
The Society moved from its Clarendon Road headquarters in Spring 2017 and Claremont's new future as short stay studio apartments has been recorded in several videos. These can be accessed at:
The majority of the collections described below were relocated at Leeds University Library and the Leeds City Central Library in 2016.
For present access details see the Home page of this website
Library
Claremont's library housed a comprehensive collection of materials on the ancient county of Yorkshire. The collection included books, maps and photographic collections directly relating to Yorkshire, unpublished transcripts of some Yorkshire Parish registers, and some Monumental Inscriptions and an extensive collection of publications from other counties and societies.
Archives
Claremont's archives included family collections, estate papers, and manorial records from the whole county of Yorkshire - including the series of court rolls for the Manor of Wakefield covering the period from 1274 to 1925. The diversity of material was one of the major strengths in the library and archive. In reflecting the widely varied interests of the membership, the library was certain to have something of interest for everyone looking into the history of the county of Yorkshire and its people.
You can find a catalogue of the YAS holdings on the West Yorkshire Archive Services web site at http://www.archives.wyjs.org.uk/ or on the A2A web site at http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a
Microfiche
The Section's collection covered The G.R.O. Indexes to Births, Marriages and Deaths for the years 1837 to 1930. The National Probate Calendars for the years 1858 - 1943. The 1881 Census Index for England and Wales. The 1982 edition of the International Genealogical Index (IGI). National Strays fiches and various other Indexes for research purposes. There were microfiche copies of the original parish registers held at Wakefield, Calderdale, Kirklees, Beverley, York, Bradford and Leeds District Register Offices, covering most of the West Riding and some East Riding. Claremont also held some Non-Conformist Registers.