Skip to main content
Funded and Managed by
City of London Corporation
The London Archives

Vehicle Registration and Licensing Records

Research Guide
Mayor of Ealing in a car in 1923

1. About this Guide

This guide explains the records we hold relating to both vehicle registration and driver licensing, as well as the records that we hold in relation to Hackney Carriages.

2. Vehicle registration and driver licensing from 1903 to 1978

Under the terms of the 1903 Motor Car Act, all motor vehicles and motorcycles had to be licensed by their local county or county borough council for use on public roads, and were assigned individual registration numbers. All drivers were likewise to be licensed by their local authority.

From 1903 to 1965, The former London and Middlesex County Councils were the licensing and registration authorities for their respective areas. The Greater London Council assumed the role on 1 April 1965.

On 1 November 1976, the Department of Transport's Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre at Swansea took over the issue of drivers' licences. On 18 March 1978, the Department took responsibility for vehicle registration and licensing.

London County Council

Under the London County Council (LCC), vehicle registration was dealt with by the Public Control Department. Only one register of vehicle registration survives which covers the period 1917 to 1919 (reference code LCC/PC/VR/01/002). The index mark referred to is 'LT' and the register covers LT4001-LT4400.

No records relating to the licensing of drivers has survived apart from a very small sample of driving licences, and some reports ranging from 1891 to 1971 (reference code LCC/PC/VR/02).

Middlesex County Council

Under the Middlesex County Council (MCC), vehicle registration was dealt with by the Local Taxation Department, who reported to the General Purposes Committee. Surviving records range from 1916 to 1965 (reference code MCC/LT/VE). A variety of index marks were used, including 'H', 'MC', 'MD', 'MX', 'ME' (1922) and 'MF' (1923).

Only one register of vehicle registration survives, dating from 1916 to 1919 (reference code MCC/LT/VE/001). The areas covered in this register are: Edgware, Kingsbury, Little Stanmore, Great Stanmore, Finchley, Hendon, Wembley, and Willesden. The register is arranged by the name of the car owner, rather than of vehicle index number. These index numbers are highly varied and of no set pattern.

No records of driver licensing have survived in the MCC collection.

Greater London Council

No vehicle registrations or driver licensing records survive in the Greater London Council (GLC) collection. All records relate to policy and administration only and can be found among the papers of the relevant GLC committees:

  • Licensing Committee Agendas from 1964 to 1968 (reference code GLC/DG/AGE/127)
  • Licensing Committee Minutes from 1964 to 1968 (reference code GLC/DG/MIN/127)
  • Licensing Committee Presented Papers from 1965 to 1968 (reference code GLC/DG/PRE/127)
  • Public Services Committee Agenda from 1968 to 1977 (reference code GLC/DG/AGE/186)
  • Public Services Committee Minutes from 1968 to 1977 (reference code GLC/DG/MIN/186)
  • Public Services Committee Presented Papers from 1968 to 1977 (reference code GLC/DG/PRE/186)
  • There are also a few administrative files in the Director-General's Department: Public Services and Fire Brigade Committee series dating from 1964 to 1984 (reference code GLC/DG/PSFB/02). This material needs to be requested in advance via email.

3. Hackney Carriages

Hackney coaches for hire in London, Westminster and the surrounding areas were first required to be licensed in 1662.

The only records of licensing of Hackney Carriages held at The London Archives are for the City of London area (the square mile). These cover the years 1678 (reference code COL/SJ/06/018-020) and 1685 (reference code COL/SJ/06/024-025).

There are other papers relating to Hackney Carriages in the City of London, including orders and regulations, dating to various years between 1693 to 1910 (reference code COL/SJ/06/017-038).

No records of licensing for the Counties of London and Middlesex are held.

A small series of minutes and accounts of The Hackney Carriages Proprietors Benevolent Fund are held covering the years 1873 to 1904 (reference code ACC/3563).

4. Records held elsewhere

The surviving administrative records of the Hackney Coach Commissioners, the Board of Stamps (from 1833 the Board of Stamps and Taxes), the Board of Inland Revenue, and the Public Carriage Office are held by The National Archives. This includes minutes, accounts and correspondence of the Hackney Coach Commissioners, and correspondence and files relating to the Public Carriage Office. No registers of licences appear to have survived. Many records were lost when the office of the Hackney Coach Commissioners was destroyed by fire in 1770.

The Public Carriage Office, Palestra House, 197 Blackfriars Road, London SE1 8NJ is currently responsible for the licensing of taxi drivers within the metropolitan area of London. They retain records of individual taxi drivers for six years only after the death or retirement of a driver.

5. Further Resources in our Library

Our reference library has books which can help provide more information on the vehicle registration, driver licensing and Hackney Carriages, including:

  • Gondolas and growlers: the History of the London Horse Cab by Trevor May, shelfmark 27.21 MAY
  • How to Trace the History of your Car: a guide to motor vehicle registration records in Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man and Channel Islands by Philip Riden, shelfmark 60.36 RID