Vehicle Registration records

A guide to records relating to County Durham and Darlington vehicle registrations with the letters HN, BR, GR, PT and UP, held in Durham Record Office.

Introduction

The tables below give the ranges of motor vehicle registration numbers (index marks) included in registers or record cards held by Durham Record Office.

For each set of registrations, you will find ranges of index marks, each with a range of dates issued, and our broad catalogue reference for these records. Consult the catalogue for specific volume reference numbers.

There is considerable variation in the details recorded. Some records show only a dealer’s name, with a general category or make of vehicle. Sunderland records include engine capacity or power, chassis number and vehicle colour, etc.

Darlington County Borough Council: Registration letters HN, 1915-1974

Range from	Range to	Covering dates	Catalogue reference
HN 1	HN 4900	1915-1921	Da/CS 2
HN 6361	HN 9999	1929-1934	Da/CS 2
AHN 1	YHN 999	1934-1955	Da/CS 2
1000 HN	9990 HN	1960-1963	Da/CS 2
1 AHN	122 YHN	1955-1964	Da/CS 2
AHN 1 B	BHN 200 B	1964	Da/CS 2
CHN 1 C	GHN 358 C	1964-1965	Da/CS 2
GHN 601 D	LHN 844 D	1966	Da/CS 2
MHN 1 E	OHN 895 E	1967	Da/CS 2
PHN 1 F	UHN 497 F	1967-1968	Da/CS 2
UHN 601 G	YHN 999 G	1968-1969	Da/CS 2
AHN 1 H	DHN 451 H	1969-1970	Da/CS 2
DHN 601 J	HHN 571 J	1970-1971	Da/CS 2
HHN 601 K	NHN 989 K	1971-1972	Da/CS 2
OHN 1 L	UHN 821 L	1972-1973	Da/CS 2
VHN 1 M	YHN 985 M	1973-1974	Da/CS 2
AHN 1 M	AHN 973 M	1974	Da/CS 2
BHN 1 N	CHN 10 N	1974	Da/CS 2

Sunderland County Borough Council: Registration letters BR, 1921-1933

Range from	Range to	Covering dates	Catalogue reference
BR 1	BR 9999	1921-1933	MT/BR

Sunderland County Borough Council: Registration letters GR, 1955-1965

Range from	Range to	Covering dates	Catalogue reference
GR 1	GR 9999	1955-1965	MT/GR

Durham County Council: Registration letters PT and UP, 1922-1974

Range from	Range to	Covering dates	Catalogue reference
PT 1	PT 9999	1922-1927	MT
UP 1	UP 9999	1927-1934	MT
APT 1	EPT 999	1934-1942	MT
AUP 1	EUP 999	1934-1942	MT
RPT 1	VPT 999	1954-1957	CCP 10
RUP 1	VUP 999	1954-1957	CCP 10
WPT 1	YPT 999	1957-1958	CCP 10
WUP 1	YUP 999	1957-1958	CCP 10
1 APT	999 BPT	1958	CCP 10
1 AUP	999 BUP	1958-1959	CCP 10
1 CPT	999 GPT	1959-1960	MT
1 CUP	999 GUP	1959-1960	MT
1 HPT	999 MPT	1960-1963	CCP 10
1 HUP	750 MPT	1960-1964	CCP 10
1 PT	9999 PT	1960-1962	MT
1 UP	9999 UP	1962-1963	CCP 10
APT 1 B	EPT 999 B	1964	CCP 10
AUP 1 B	EUP 999 B	1964	CCP 10
FPT 1 C	LPT 999 C	1964-1965	CCP 10
FUP 1 C	LUP 62 C	1964-1965	CCP 10
MPT 1 D	RPT 999 D	1966	CCP 10
LUP 74 D	RUP 927 D	1966-1967	CCP 10
SPT 1 E	VPT 999 E	1966-1967	CCP 10
SUP 1 E	VUP 999 E	1967	CCP 10
WPT 1 F	YPT 999 F	1967-1968	CCP 10
WUP 1 F	YUP 999 F	1967-1968	CCP 10
APT 1 F	BPT 999 F	1968	CCP 10
AUP 1 F	BUP 375 F	1968	CCP 10
CPT 1 G	FPT 960 G	1968-1969	CCP 10
CUP 1 G	EUP 999 G	1968-1969	CCP 10
FPT 961 H	KPT 369 H	1969-1970	CCP 10
FUP 1 H	JUP 999 H	1969-1970	CCP 10
KPT 451 J	OPT 753 J	1970-1971	CCP 10
KUP 1 J	NUP 999 J	1970-1971	CCP 10
OPT 751 K	VPT 478 K	1971-1972	CCP 10
OUP 1 K	UUP 999 K	1971-1972	CCP 10
VPT 506 L	YPT 999 L	1972-1973	CCP 10
VUP 1 L	YUP 999 L	1972-1973	CCP 10
APT 1 L	CPT 999 L	1973	CCP 10
AUP 1 L	CUP 401 L	1973	CCP 10
NPT 1 M	TPT 999 M	1973-1974	CCP 10
NUP 1 M	TUP 999 M	1973-1974	CCP 10
UPT 1 N	UPT 999 N	1974	CCP 10
UUP 1 N	UUP 731 N	1974	CCP 10

About vehicle registration in County Durham and Darlington

Before the creation of a national vehicle registration scheme in 1969, implemented in County Durham in 1974, each local council (County or County Borough) was responsible for the registration of new vehicles sold in their area.

County Durham became a licensing authority in 1903 and was initially assigned letter code J, but records for these vehicles are not known to have survived. In 1922, County Durham was assigned new letter codes PT and UP, while Darlington had been assigned HN in 1915 and Sunderland BR and GR in 1921.

Allocation of identification (or registration) numbers was recorded in ledgers or on file cards, many of which are preserved at Durham Record Office.

The first registration numbers used a letter code followed by up to four numbers (e.g. DE1234). When these numbers were used up an extra letter was appended to the front of the letter code and followed by up to three numbers (eg BDE123). The letters I, Q and Z were never used.

This sequence lasted for a few years and was then repeated with the three letter code preceded by a three digit number (e.g. 123BDE). At the same time the sequence was used with just the two letter code preceded by up to four numbers (eg 1234DE).

These series were used up by the 1960s so a fourth series of index marks began, starting again with three letters and three numbers but adding also a final letter which changed approximately once a year, initially towards the turn of the year but later on around August (eg BDE123B). The final letters B to N were used for this, excepting I. If the initial letter reached Y the sequence continued again from A with the next year letter.

The registers were pre-printed with the numbers to be allocated. Where a new vehicle took over the registration of an older vehicle which had been scrapped or re-registered then this ‘retention of number’ was recorded using unallocated lines or blank pages.

In the early 1970s the issue of registration numbers moved to a national system, reaching County Durham in 1974. Some registers continued in use locally, up to 1980, to record, at random, the ‘retention of numbers’.

For further information see “How to trace the history of your car” by Philip Riden (L49 in our library).

Also useful is the Old Classic Car website.

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