Vehicle Registration

This guide provides information about surviving vehicle registration records for County Durham and Darlington held at The Story. 

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

• In 1903, Durham County Council became a licensing authority and was assigned letter code J.  Records for these vehicle registrations are not known to have survived.
• In 1915, Darlington was assigned HN.
• In 1921, Sunderland was assigned BR and in 1955, GR.
• In 1922, Durham County Council was assigned new letter codes PT and UP.

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

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 when 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.  A copy of this publication is available to view in our Collections Room.

Further information about pre-1974 vehicle registrations is also available on the Old Classic Car website Old Classic Car website

The tables below provides information about surviving records held at The Story for motor vehicle registration numbers ('index marks') for the letters HN, BR, GR, PT, and UP.

For each set of registrations, the tables give:

• The range of index marks, for example, from 1-4900.
• The covering dates for each range issued.
• Catalogue reference numbers required to view these records.  You will still need to check our online collections search for the full reference to request individual volumes.

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