One of the earliest trade directories was Samuel Lee's list of the City of London merchants published in 1677. It wasn't until 1800 that directories for cities and large towns began to make an appearance and it is Frederic Festus Kelly that we have to thank for the most comprehensive of all directories. The former Inspector General of Letter Carriers took over publication of the Post Office London Directory in 1835 and by 1845 was producing provincial directories for just about everywhere. Until the incorporation of the borough in 1900, Swindon received two entries for the old and new towns. The format for these publications was pretty standard with a general description of the place and a little local history followed by a list of the notable inhabitants followed by commercial enterprises. Kelly's Directory of Wiltshire dated 1899 describes Lydiard Tregoze, now pretty much absorbed into Swindon, as 'a village and parish, 3 miles south east from Wootton Bassett s...