Commonly used abbreviations

 

 

 

 

a.d.c.

aide-de-camp

abp.

archbishop

abpric.

archbishopric

acad.

academy

accel.

acceleration, writ of

acct., accts.

account, accounts

adm.

admiral

adn.

archdeacon

adv.

advocate

aft.

after

am

ante meridian

amb.

ambassador

app.

appendix

appr.

apprentice

arr.

arrondissement

art.

article

ass.

assembly

assmt.

assessment

assoc.

association

asst.

assistant

att.

attorney

b.

born

BA

Bachelor of Arts

bap.

baptized

bar.

baron

BCL

Bachelor of Civil Law

BCnL

Bachelor of Canon Law

bd.

board

bdle.

bundle

Beds.

Bedfordshire

bef.

before

Berks.

Berkshire

bet.

between

bk., bks.

book, books

bor.

borough

bp.

bishop

bpric.

bishopric

Brec.

Breconshire

brig.-gen.

brigadier-general

bro.

brother

bt.

Baronet

Bucks.

Buckinghamshire

bur.

buried

c.

circa

c. bar. exch.

chief baron of the exchequer

c.-in-c.

commander-in-chief

c.j.

chief justice

c.p.

common pleas

Caern.

Caernarvonshire

cal.

calendar

called

called to the bar

Cambs.

Cambridgeshire

capt.

captain

Card.

Cardiganshire

Carm.

Carmarthenshire

cart., carts.

cartulary, cartularies

cat.

catalogue

cath.

cathedral

CB

Companion of the Order of the Bath

cdr.

commander

cf.

compare

ch.

child, children

ch., chs.

charter, charters

chan.

chancellor

chap.

chaplain

chap. ord.

chaplain in ordinary

chron(s).

chronicle(s)

circ.

circuit

cllr.

councillor

Co.

company (i.e., trading company)

co.

county (Ireland) (e.g. co. Antrim)

co. Dur.

county Durham

coh.

coheir(ess)

col.

colonel

Coll.

College

commdt.

commandant

commn.

commission

commr.

commissioner

comp.

compiled [by]

comp.

composition

cons.

consecrated

consist. ct.

consistory court

contr.

contract

convoc.

Convocation

Cornw.

Cornwall

corp.

corporation

corresp.

correspondence

cos.

cousin

coy.

company, in regiment

cr.

created

ct.

court

ct.

court

cttee.

committee

Cumb.

Cumberland

cur.

curate

custos rot.

custos rotulorum

d

dorse (of membrane or rotulet)

d.

died

d.s.p.

died without issue (decessit sine prole)

d.s.p.l.

died without legitimate children

d.s.p.m.

died without male issue

d.s.p.s.

died without surviving issue

d.v.p.

died in the lifetime of his father (decessit vita patris)

da.

daughter(s)

DCL

Doctor of Civil Law

DD

Doctor of Divinity

Denb.

Denbighshire

dep.

deputy

Derbys.

Derbyshire

dioc.

diocese

dir.

director

disp.

dispensation

div.

divorced

doc., docs.

document, documents

Dr.

Doctor

Drag.

Dragoons

E.

East

E.I.

East Indies, East India

ed.

edited by

edn.

edition

educ.

educated

esp.

especially

esq.

esquire

et al.

and others

et seq.

and the pages/folios that follow

etc.

et cetera

etc.

et cetera

event.

eventual

exch.

exchequer

exec.

executed

f., ff.

folio, folios

fa.

father

fac.

faculty

fam., fams.

family, families

fell.

Fellow

fell. comm.

fellow commoner

fl.

flourished (floruit)

FRS

Fellow of the Royal Society

FSA

Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries

Ft.

Foot regiment (e.g. 65 Ft.)

g.s.

grammar school

GB

Great Britain

GCB

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath

Gds.

Guards

gen.

genealogy and words derived

gen.

general

gent. pens.

gentleman pensioner

gent., gents.

gentleman, gentlemen

Glam.

Glamorganshire

Glos.

Gloucestershire

gov.

governor

grandda.

grand daughter

grandfa.

grandfather

grands.

grandson

Gren.

Grenadier

gt.

great

h.

heir(ess)

h.s.

high school

Hants

Hampshire

Herefs.

Herefordshire

Herts.

Hertfordshire

Hil.

Hilary

hon.

honorary

Hon.

Honourable

hosp.

hospital

hosp.

hospital

Hunts.

Huntingdonshire

i.p.m.

inquisition post mortem

illegit.

illegitimate

inc.

including

incorp.

incorporated

indep.

independent

inf.

infant

ins.

insurance

inst.

installed

[I]

Ireland

Is.

island(s)

j.c.p.

justice of the common pleas

j.k.b.

justice of the King’s Bench

j.p.

justice of the peace

j.p.q.

justice of the peace of the quorum

jt.

joint

jun.

junior

k.b.

King’s Bench

KB

Knight of the Bath

KC

King’s Counsel

KCB

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath

Kent

Kent

KG

Knight of the Garter

kntd.

knighted

KP

Knight of St Patrick

kpr.

keeper

KT

Knight of the Thistle

l.c.b.

lord chief baron of the Exchequer

l.c.j.

lord chief justice

l.c.j.c.p.

lord chief justice common pleas

Lancs.

Lancashire

ld. kpr.

lord keeper

ld. lt.

lord lieutenant

Leics.

Leicestershire

lic.

licence

Lincs.

Lincolnshire

LLB

Bachelor of Common Law

LLD

Doctor of Common Law

lt.

lieutenant

ltcy.

lieutenancy

m.

married

m., mm.

membrane, membranes

MA

Master of Arts

maj.

major

mat.

maternal

matric.

matriculated

MD

Master of Divinity

Mdx.

Middlesex

mems.

memoirs; memorials

Merion.

Merionethshire

mic.

microfilm

Mich.

Michaelmas

min., mins.

minute, minutes

misc.

miscellanea; miscellaneous; miscellany

Mon.

Monmouthshire

Mont.

Montgomeryshire

MP, MPs

Member of Parliament, Members of Parliament

MP[I]

Member of the Irish Parliament

mq.

Marquess

Mr., Mrs.

Mr, Mrs

ms, mss

manuscript, manuscripts

muns.

muniments

n.

note

N.

North

n.d.

no date

n.s.

new series

née

born as [with maiden name]

nem. con.

nemine contradicente

nom.

nominated

Norf.

Norfolk

Northants.

Northamptonshire

Northumb.

Northumberland

Notts.

Nottinghamshire

nr.

near

NS

new style

o.

only, other

Oxon.

Oxfordshire

p., pp.

page, pages

p.a.

per annum

par.

parish

par. ch.

parish church

parl.

parliament; parliamentorum

parl.

parliamentarian

parlty.

parliamentary

parlty.

parliamentary

paroch.

parochial

pat.

paternal

PC

Privy Councillor

ped., peds.

pedigree, pedigrees

Pemb.

Pembrokeshire

plenip.

plenipotentiary

pm

post meridian

poss.

possibly

posth.

posthumous

pprs.

papers, papers

preb.

prebend, prebendary

pres.

president

priv. sec.

private secretary

prob.

probably

Prot.

Protestant

pt.

part

q. sess.

quarter sessions

q.m.g.

quarter master general

QC

Queen’s Counsel

r

recto (no stop)

r.-adm.

rear-admiral

RA

Royal Artillery

Rad.

Radnorshire

RC

(Roman) Catholic

recs.

records

rect.

rector

recvr.

receiver

reg.

register

Regt.

Regiment

rem.

removed

rep.

report

rep.

representative

rep. peer [I]

representative peer of Ireland

rep. peer [S]

representative peer of Scotland

res.

resigned

rest.

restored

ret.

retired

Rev.

Reverend

RN

Royal Navy

rot., rots.

rotulet, rotuli

roy.

royalist

[S]

Scotland

s.

son(s)

S.

South

s.c.j.

Senator of the College of Justices (of Scotland)

s.p.

sine prole (without issue)

s.p.m.

                 (without male issue)

s.p.s.

                 (without surviving issue)

Salop

Shropshire

sch.

school

sec.

secretary

sen.

senior

sgt.

sergeant (military/Household)

sis.

sister

sjt.

serjeant (-at-arms, -at-law)

Som.

Somerset

sqdn.

squadron

St.

Saint

Staffs.

Staffordshire

suc.

succeeded

Suff.

Suffolk

summ.

summoned (to Lords)

Surr.

Surrey

surv.

surviving

Suss.

Sussex

tp.

troop

transcript

transcript

treas.

Treasurer

Trin.

Trinity

typescript

typescript

unfol.

unfoliated

Univ.

University

unm.

unmarried

unnumb.

unnumbered

unpag.

unpaginated

utd.

united

v

verso, dorse of a folio

v.

vice (in a title, as in vice-admiral, vice-chancellor)

v.p.

vita patris (in the life of his father)

vic.

vicar

vice

vice (i.e., in the place of)

visct.

viscount

vol.

volume

vol.

volunteer

W.

West

w.

wife

W.I.

West Indies, West Indian

Warws.

Warwickshire

Westmld.

Westmorland

wid.

widow

Wilts.

Wiltshire

Worcs.

Worcestershire

Yorks.

Yorkshire.

yr.

younger

yst.

youngest