Membership Lists

Where can I find the current list of ICAEW members?

Find a chartered accountant is the ICAEW's official online directory of over 21,000 ICAEW firms. You can also search for individual ICAEW members.

Where can I see old editions of the official ICAEW list of members?

The official ICAEW list of members was first published in 1881 and was published annually from 1881 to 1940 and 1947 to 2012.

Volumes were not published for 1917, 1918 or 1920. The Report of the Council on 2nd April 1919 (printed in the List of Members 1919 on page 920) noted that: 'The list of members, which has not been published since 1916, will be issued as early as possible this summer.' The 1919 edition of the List of Members includes an appendix of Members who died in the service of their country during the war 1914-1918, which was corrected to 13th June 1919.

Although no list of members was published for 1920 it should be noted that the 1919 list of members was issued in September 1919 and the 1921 list of members was issued in December 1920.

The ICAEW Library & Information Service holds a complete collection. Before the 2001 edition the annual volume included a topographical list of members and firms (since 1991 a separate official directory of firms has been published). The Royal Charter, By-laws, and annual report were included in the List of Members until 1947.

Members can consult the collection of lists of members in person at the ICAEW Library (see our map and opening hours) or we can assist you with research remotely. Please call the enquiry desk on +44(0)20 7920 8620 and we can discuss how we can best help you.

How can I find out what historic Lists of Members you hold?

You can check the holdings of the Library & Information Service by clicking on the links below to browse an alphabetical listing of the series we hold, with details of the extent of our collection.

England and Wales

• View an A-Z listing of our holdings of membership lists for England and Wales

International

The collection of the ICAEW Library & Information Service also includes membership lists for accountancy bodies from 46 countries including Australia, Canada, Ireland, Scotland, South Africa and the United States.

• View our complete listing of the membership lists of accountancy bodies (46 countries) that we hold in our store.

The Institute of Accountants: Report of the Council, Rules &c. published in August 1873 contains a list of fellows and associates with some handwritten adjustments reflecting changes of address or status. Similar editions cover 1874 to 1879. Entries show name, address and date of admission (date of admission only included in the editions for 1877, 1878 and 1879).

We also hold a pan-Institute directory of accountants called 'The Accountants' Directory for 1877' which was independently published by Williams & Strahan in December 1876. This directory includes details of accountants in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland prior to the establishment of the ICAEW.

• View the content of The Accountants' Directory for 1877

Practising accountants were listed in London trade directories far earlier than the earliest of the professional accountancy bodies. Accounting historian Peter Boys has undertaken a study of practising accountants listed in London trade directories published before 1840 to help improve our understanding of the number of accountants practising in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in London. It is reproduced here by kind permission of the author.

This study is concerned with practising accountants, that is individuals who are either in practice on their own or in partnership with others and who offer their services to the public at large rather than to a single employer. It presents the results of the first detailed and systematic search for accountants in London trade directories published before 1840.

• Access Practising accountants listed in London trade directories published before 1840