The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales

COFLEIN help page
COFLEIN : introduction
     
 
COFLEIN : start a search
 
 
 
  What is COFLEIN?  
 

Coflein is the online database for the National Monuments of Wales (NMRW) - the national collection of information about the historic environment of Wales. The name is derived from the Welsh cof (memory) and lein (line).

Coflein contains details of many thousands of archaeological sites, monuments, buildings and maritime sites in Wales together with an index to the drawings, manuscripts and photographs in the NMRW archive collections. Sites can be displayed on Ordnance Survey maps and ordered geographically as well as by text queries. The data can be searched by location (place name, area or Ordnance Survey 1:10,000 map sheet), by type (the classification or function of a site, monument or building) or by keyword.

COFLEIN is free-of-charge.

 
       
  The COFLEIN search screen  
 

You must enter information into at least 1 of the fields. Fill in fields that you are sure of - you do not have to fill in every field, however search time may be reduced by narrowing down the criteria, particularly choosing a location from the COMMUNITY, COUNCIL or OLD COUNTY pick lists. If your search is unsuccessful, try other spellings and experiment with different methods of query to see which works best for your research. For example, fill in the NAME field alone and if the number of search results is high, narrow the search by location. Please remember that computerisation is on-going and information for some areas is not yet available. All fields are case-insensitive.

  
       
  Name of site or building:
When entering an address, use the format: street, number, name of city/town/village.		  
       
    for example: or  
       
  Type of site or building:
enter a type or class of the place of interest.		  
       
    for example: or  
       
  Broadclass:
select the broad class of monument you are searching for. 		 
     
    for example: or  
       
  Period:
select the period of monument you are searching for.		  
     
    for example: or  
       
  OS 1:10000 Mapsheet:
if you are not familiar with Ordnance Survey map sheet references, use the Coflein map search. 		 
       
    for example: or  
       
  Unitary Authority:
select the Unitary Authority from the pick list.		  
       
    for example: or  
       
  Old County:
select the Old County from the pick list.		  
     
    for example: or  
       
  Community:
select the Community from the pick list.		  
     
    for example: or  
       
  Archive Collection:
This allows a search for drawings, photographs or items from named collections. These may be collections compiled by or gathered by an individual or an organisation. Select the name of a collection from the pick list on the right.		  
     
    for example: or  
       
  Keywords:
This field allows searches to be made of all textual information connected with a site, apart from the NAME field. Please note that searches cannot be made by year or period.
Examples: Motte Bailey -- will find all records with Motte and Bailey together
Motte and Bailey -- will find all records with Motte and Bailey but not necessarily together
Motte or Bailey -- will find all records with Motte or Bailey		  
     
    for example: or  
       
  When you have filled in the desired fields, click on this button to run the query.  
       
  Clicking on this button will clear all the fields.  
       
  The RCAHMW search results page  
  The maximum number of results displayed at one time is 500.  
           
  Sitemap Clicking on this button produces a new window giving a location map of the selected site or building.  
           
  The COFLEIN map search screen  
 

The map facility enables searches to be made of a geographical area, and the results displayed on a map background. To use the map search, follow the links from the COFLEIN login page. Detailed instructions on how to use the map search can be accessed directly from the map screen at any time.

 
           
  What next?  
 

It is worth noting that information is added to the database on a daily basis. If your search has been unsuccessful, double-check with us in case we do hold information that has not yet been entered. And if your COFLEIN search has been successful, we encourage users to follow up their enquiries.

Visit the NMRW library: National Monuments Record of Wales, Crown Building, Plas Crug, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, SY23 1NJ.
Phone us: +44 (0)1970 621200
Fax us: +44 (0)1970 627701
Email us: nmrw@rcahmw.gov.uk

 
       

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