This dataset consists of invertebrate species records, sampled from headwater streams during a survey in 1998. Macro-invertebrates were sampled using standard protocols. The sample area in each stream was a single area of stream-bed whose major habitat types can be sampled within the recommended sampling period of three minutes of active sampling, supplemented by a one minute hand search. The length of river surveyed would normally vary from 5 to 15m. Samples were collected using a standard 1mm mesh pond net and returned to the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (formerly Institute of Freshwater Ecology) for later sorting and identification. Supplemental physical measurements (width, depth, substrate composition) required to run RIVPACS (River Invertebrate Prediction and Classification System) were taken. Data were collected under the Countryside Survey long term monitoring project managed by the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. The Countryside Survey is a unique study or 'audit' of the natural resources of the UK's countryside. The sample sites are chosen from a stratified random sample, based on a 15 by 15 km grid of GB. Headwater stream surveys have been carried out in 1990, 1998 and 2007 with repeated visits to the majority of sites. The countryside is sampled and surveyed using rigorous scientific methods, allowing us to compare new results with those from previous surveys. In this way we can detect the gradual and subtle changes that occur in the UK's countryside over time. In addition to headwater stream data, soil data, habitat areas, vegetation species data and linear habitat data are also gathered by Countryside Survey. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/fd0ce233-3b4d-4a5e-abcb-c0a26dd71c95