Archives HubThis link opens in a new windowA gateway to archive collections held in UK universities. Subject coverage includes the arts, humanities, social science, sciences and health, and source materials include personal writings, documentation, images and ephemera.
British History OnlineThis link opens in a new windowA collection of printed primary and secondary sources from the medieval and early modern periods of British history. Subject coverage includes biographies, religious history, local and parliamentary histories and urban history.
British Library Archives and Manuscripts CatalogueThis link opens in a new windowDiscover the British Library’s unique archive and manuscript collections.
The catalogue contains descriptions of the majority of the British Library's manuscripts, paper-based archives, photographs and an increasing number of digital archives.
The Library's sound archive collections and moving image collections are not included and Asian and African manuscripts are only partially represented.
British Library Digitised ManuscriptsThis link opens in a new windowA collection of digitised manuscripts and archives in the British Library’s collections.
British Online ArchivesThis link opens in a new windowDigital primary source collections, covering a wide range of historical topics.
Permanent access is available to all collections.
Church of England and Social Change in Manchester, 1635-1928This link opens in a new windowContains the parish registers and capitular records of Manchester Cathedral and its predecessor, the Collegiate Church, from 1635 to 1928. The parish registers include records of baptisms, burials, marriages, summary marriages, and banns objections. The capitular records detail the management of Chapter Estates and finances.
Digital BodleianThis link opens in a new windowA collection of primary and contemporary material across a wide range of subjects, with scanned images of the Bodleian Libraries special collections, including rare books and manuscripts, classical papyri, maps, music, art and printed ephemera.
Discovery, the National Archives CatalogueThis link opens in a new windowFull catalogue of the holdings of the National Archives and thousands of other archives in the UK. The National Archives is home to millions of historical documents, which were created and collected by UK central government departments and major courts of law. Wide subject coverage.
Early English Books Online (EEBO)This link opens in a new windowFull text digital versions of nearly every work printed in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and British North America, spanning from 1473 to 1700, plus works in English printed elsewhere. The collection includes pamphlets, books, broadsheets, manuscripts and periodicals.
History of ParliamentFreely available online access to British political, social and local history. Search for MP biographies, information on constituencies, parliament accounts and surveys. Date range: 14th to 19th centuries
Industrial Revolution: Technological Innovation in the Textile Industry, 1672-1929This link opens in a new windowPapers from two prominent families in Bolton's textiles industry: the Cromptons and the Heywoods. Most of the papers are correspondence, but the collection also includes property descriptions and valuations, newspaper cuttings, and travel journals.
Pandemics, Society, and Public Health, 1517-1925This link opens in a new windowArchival materials charting the course and consequences of pandemics over 5 centuries, centred on on four diseases that have left a significant mark upon British history: plague, cholera, smallpox, and influenza. Collection is curated along thematic lines: economics and disease, control measures, international relations, medicine and vaccination, and public responses.
Social History ArchiveThis link opens in a new windowLargest single online collection of mainly British & Irish historical primary source material although some U.S and European records are included. Includes birth, marriage and death records, local, regional, and national UK newspapers, electoral records and census returns, army and war records, crime reports and migration records.(Content, when fully migrated, will be the same as content in Find My Past)
State Papers OnlineThis link opens in a new windowDigitised manuscripts of British government papers from 1509 to 1782. Content includes correspondence, reports, memoranda, and parliamentary drafts. Parts I-IV Early Modern and Parts I-IV 18th Century available:
Parts I & II: The Tudors, 1509-1603 Henry VIII-Elizabeth I .
Parts III & IV: The Stuarts and Commonwealth, James I - Anne I, 1603-1714 .
C18 Parts I-IV: 1714-1782, papers domestic and foreign
Stuart and Cumberland papers from the Royal Archives
Enhanced access: Parts I-IV Early Modern, Parts I-IV 18th Century, Stuart and Cumberland papers now available.
Women’s Voices and Life Writing, 1600-1968This link opens in a new windowWomen’s Voices and Life Writing, 1600-1968 brings together diaries and oral histories for the study of the lives and experiences of less well-known women, told through their own words. Hundreds of individuals from a diverse range of backgrounds are represented. Sources are UK and Irish archives and most documents are diaries, though there is a wide range of other material also included.
British Periodicals I, II, III and IV.This link opens in a new windowSearchable facsimile reproductions of British periodicals published from the 17th through the early 20th centuries.
Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British SlaveryThis link opens in a new windowDatabase containing, first, the identity of all slave-owners in the British colonies at the time slavery ended and, second, all the estates in the British Caribbean colonies. You can also browse maps, details of estates or explore thematically by type of legacy.
Dublin Castle Records 1798-1926This link opens in a new windowThe Dublin Castle administration in Ireland was the government of Ireland under English and later British rule, from the twelfth century until 1922, based at Dublin Castle. Dublin Castle Records, 1798-1926 contains records of the British administration in Ireland prior to 1922, a crucial period which saw the rise of Parnell and the Land War in 1880 through to the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1921. This collection comprises materials from Series CO 904, The National Archives, Kew, UK.
Eighteenth Century Collections OnlineThis link opens in a new windowFull text digital versions of over 180,000 works published during the 18th Century. The collection includes books, pamphlets, essays, broadsides and more, reflecting the social, cultural and literary history of the time.
Empire StudiesThis link opens in a new windowThis collection offers a rich array of sources for the study of the British Empire. It features material on British colonial policy and government; perspectives on life in British colonies. Content dates from the mid 18th to mid 20th centuries.
Irish Newspaper ArchivesThis link opens in a new windowFull text searchable and browsable Irish newspaper titles from the mid-1700's to present day, providing a unique perspective on Irish history as reported in the national and regional press of the day. English language. Date coverage: 1700-current
Liverpool Through Time: From Slavery to the Industrial Revolution, 1766-1900This link opens in a new windowConsists of the directories of Liverpool first established by John Gore in 1766. These contained lists of merchants, tradesmen, and principal inhabitants of Liverpool, initially being published sporadically but later published biennially.
London Low LifeThis link opens in a new windowDigitised images of books, ephemera, maps and other materials relating to 18th, 19th and early 20th century street life culture in London.
State Papers OnlineThis link opens in a new windowDigitised manuscripts of British government papers from 1509 to 1782. Content includes correspondence, reports, memoranda, and parliamentary drafts. Parts I-IV Early Modern and Parts I-IV 18th Century available:
Parts I & II: The Tudors, 1509-1603 Henry VIII-Elizabeth I .
Parts III & IV: The Stuarts and Commonwealth, James I - Anne I, 1603-1714 .
C18 Parts I-IV: 1714-1782, papers domestic and foreign
Stuart and Cumberland papers from the Royal Archives
Enhanced access: Parts I-IV Early Modern, Parts I-IV 18th Century, Stuart and Cumberland papers now available.
19th Century Pamphlets CollectionThis link opens in a new windowA selection of 19th Century British pamphlets providing insight into the politics and culture of Victorian Britain.
British Association for the Advancement of Science (Collections on the History of Science: 1830-1970)This link opens in a new windowThe BAAS collection documents the efforts of the British scientific community to establish science as a professional activity and make Britain into a globally competitive centre for science. This collection features content from the BAAS archives and connected UK university collections. Explore historical documents on astronomy, biology, technology, industrial design, chemistry, engineering, mathematics, agriculture, meteorology, physics, history of science and STEM. Content includes administrative records, correspondence, illustrations, manuscripts, photographs, prototypes, news clippings, personal papers, gray literature and government scientific research grants. The University of Exeter's Norman Lockyer collection is included in this database.
British PatheThis link opens in a new windowArchive of vintage film footage covering 20th century UK domestic and worldwide themes, events and news. Date coverage: 1897-1970
British Periodicals I, II, III and IV.This link opens in a new windowSearchable facsimile reproductions of British periodicals published from the 17th through the early 20th centuries.
British Poor Schools in the Nineteenth Century, 1812-1901This link opens in a new windowThese reports cover the history of poor schools and the societies that ran them in Britain. Included are papers from the Anglican and Wesleyan denominations as well as secular and Catholic schools.
Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British SlaveryThis link opens in a new windowDatabase containing, first, the identity of all slave-owners in the British colonies at the time slavery ended and, second, all the estates in the British Caribbean colonies. You can also browse maps, details of estates or explore thematically by type of legacy.
Country Life ArchiveThis link opens in a new windowDigital archive of Country Life magazine, from 1901 to 2005. The archive provides insight into upper-class British culture, lifestyle and history.
Dublin Castle Records 1798-1926This link opens in a new windowThe Dublin Castle administration in Ireland was the government of Ireland under English and later British rule, from the twelfth century until 1922, based at Dublin Castle. Dublin Castle Records, 1798-1926 contains records of the British administration in Ireland prior to 1922, a crucial period which saw the rise of Parnell and the Land War in 1880 through to the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1921. This collection comprises materials from Series CO 904, The National Archives, Kew, UK.
Empire StudiesThis link opens in a new windowThis collection offers a rich array of sources for the study of the British Empire. It features material on British colonial policy and government; perspectives on life in British colonies. Content dates from the mid 18th to mid 20th centuries.
Illustrated London News Historical ArchiveThis link opens in a new windowArchive of the Illustrated London News, a weekly newspaper published in London (UK) and the world's first fully illustrated newspaper. It presented a vivid picture of British and world events, including news of war, disaster, ceremonies, the arts, and science. Digitised article and full page scans, and OCR text. Date coverage: 1842-2003
Irish Newspaper ArchivesThis link opens in a new windowFull text searchable and browsable Irish newspaper titles from the mid-1700's to present day, providing a unique perspective on Irish history as reported in the national and regional press of the day. English language. Date coverage: 1700-current
Leftist Newspapers and PeriodicalsThis link opens in a new windowArchive of over 153 newspapers and periodicals focusing on Communist, Socialist and Marxist thought, theory and practice. Mainly U.S. content as well as a significant number of UK titles. Digitised page scans. Date coverage: 1845-2015
Liverpool Through Time: From Slavery to the Industrial Revolution, 1766-1900This link opens in a new windowConsists of the directories of Liverpool first established by John Gore in 1766. These contained lists of merchants, tradesmen, and principal inhabitants of Liverpool, initially being published sporadically but later published biennially.
London Low LifeThis link opens in a new windowDigitised images of books, ephemera, maps and other materials relating to 18th, 19th and early 20th century street life culture in London.
Waterloo Directory of English Newspapers and Periodicals:1800-1900This link opens in a new windowA bibliography of newspapers and periodicals published published across the UK, Europe and the English speaking world in the 19th century. A useful tool to discover local and regional newspapers , and where copies of these newspapers can be found. Includes some European languages newspaper titles. Not full text. Date coverage: 1800-1900
Wellesley Index to Victorian Periodicals, 1824-1900This link opens in a new windowProvides an index to the authorship of articles in 45 Victorian periodicals, and a bibliography of articles written by each contributor, and using each pseudonym. Citations of evidence are provided to support attributions of authorship, along with brief biographical and vocational details. Poetry is not indexed, but links to full text in other databases are provided where available.
Welsh Newspapers OnlineThis link opens in a new windowArchive of 19th and early 20th century Welsh newspapers held at the National Library of Wales. With English and Welsh language content. Digitised full page scans. Date coverage: 1804-1919
African Diaspora, 1860-PresentThis link opens in a new windowFocusing on communities in the Caribbean, Brazil, India, United Kingdom, and France, this archive represents the voices of people of African descent. The archive includes personal papers, organizational papers, journals, newsletters, court documents, letters, and ephemera. Includes Hansib publications and the writings of George Padmore.
British Association for the Advancement of Science (Collections on the History of Science: 1830-1970)This link opens in a new windowThe BAAS collection documents the efforts of the British scientific community to establish science as a professional activity and make Britain into a globally competitive centre for science. This collection features content from the BAAS archives and connected UK university collections. Explore historical documents on astronomy, biology, technology, industrial design, chemistry, engineering, mathematics, agriculture, meteorology, physics, history of science and STEM. Content includes administrative records, correspondence, illustrations, manuscripts, photographs, prototypes, news clippings, personal papers, gray literature and government scientific research grants. The University of Exeter's Norman Lockyer collection is included in this database.
British Council Film CollectionThis link opens in a new windowShort documentary films made by the British Council during the 1940s, designed to show the world how Britain lived, worked and played.
British Government Information and Propaganda, 1939-2009This link opens in a new windowTaken from the British Library, this collection is a curated selection of materials produced by the British Ministry of Information (MOI) and Central Office of Information (COI) during the period 1939-2009. Items include posters, stickers, pamphlets and guidance booklets. Most of the items were published during the post-war period, but some date from the First and Second World Wars.
British Newsreels, 1911-1930: Culture and Society on FilmThis link opens in a new windowContains 6000+ films from the Topical Film Company from the BFI and Imperial War Museum collections. Covers key events from the period as well as everyday topics such as sport and fashion. The collection is browseable by theme or series; films are also indexed by subject, place, people, issue number and cameramen.
British PatheThis link opens in a new windowArchive of vintage film footage covering 20th century UK domestic and worldwide themes, events and news. Date coverage: 1897-1970
British Periodicals I, II, III and IV.This link opens in a new windowSearchable facsimile reproductions of British periodicals published from the 17th through the early 20th centuries.
British Political Opinion Polls and Social Surveys (1960-1988)This link opens in a new windowThis collection offers the complete text of the polls and surveys, along with the statistical results from the Tom Harrisson Mass-Observation experiment, Britain's war-time Home Intelligence Report, MORI (Market and Opinion Research International), NOP (National Opinion Polls Market Research); HARRIS (The Harris Research Centre), MARPLAN and GALLUP.
Censorship: policy and practice during the Second World WarThis link opens in a new windowThis collection is drawn from Ministry of Defence files and records the work of censorship teams to implement and co-ordinate censorship activity.
Country Life ArchiveThis link opens in a new windowDigital archive of Country Life magazine, from 1901 to 2005. The archive provides insight into upper-class British culture, lifestyle and history.
Declassified Documents Online: Twentieth Century British IntelligenceThis link opens in a new windowPreviously classified documents from the government intelligence services of Britain. Includes decrypts, weekly summary reports, official unit and wartime histories from across the 20th century British Empire.
Democratic Centralism during the Cold War, 1943-1991This link opens in a new windowContains minutes, handwritten notes and reports from the monthly Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) Executive Committee meetings, which based their decision making on the Leninist principle of democratic centralism. Most focus on the politics of the Cold War and the direction of the party. This is one of several collections of the CPGB archives.
Dublin Castle Records 1798-1926This link opens in a new windowThe Dublin Castle administration in Ireland was the government of Ireland under English and later British rule, from the twelfth century until 1922, based at Dublin Castle. Dublin Castle Records, 1798-1926 contains records of the British administration in Ireland prior to 1922, a crucial period which saw the rise of Parnell and the Land War in 1880 through to the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1921. This collection comprises materials from Series CO 904, The National Archives, Kew, UK.
Empire StudiesThis link opens in a new windowThis collection offers a rich array of sources for the study of the British Empire. It features material on British colonial policy and government; perspectives on life in British colonies. Content dates from the mid 18th to mid 20th centuries.
Illustrated London News Historical ArchiveThis link opens in a new windowArchive of the Illustrated London News, a weekly newspaper published in London (UK) and the world's first fully illustrated newspaper. It presented a vivid picture of British and world events, including news of war, disaster, ceremonies, the arts, and science. Digitised article and full page scans, and OCR text. Date coverage: 1842-2003
Irish Newspaper ArchivesThis link opens in a new windowFull text searchable and browsable Irish newspaper titles from the mid-1700's to present day, providing a unique perspective on Irish history as reported in the national and regional press of the day. English language. Date coverage: 1700-current
Leftist Newspapers and PeriodicalsThis link opens in a new windowArchive of over 153 newspapers and periodicals focusing on Communist, Socialist and Marxist thought, theory and practice. Mainly U.S. content as well as a significant number of UK titles. Digitised page scans. Date coverage: 1845-2015
London Low LifeThis link opens in a new windowDigitised images of books, ephemera, maps and other materials relating to 18th, 19th and early 20th century street life culture in London.
Marxist History and Historians in the 20th CenturyThis link opens in a new windowContains the Dona Torr Papers: Dona Ruth Anne Torr (1883-1957) was a Marxist historian, translator and activist. Despite being born into an aristocratic family, Torr became a founding member of the Communist Party of Great Britain. This collection contains Torr’s personal papers, including research notes and other materials relating to her biography of noted labour activist Thomas Mann.
Mass Observation Online (1937-1967)This link opens in a new windowThe papers of Mass Observation, a pioneering social research organisation. Provides insights into the cultural and social history of Britain from 1937 to 1967.
Mass Observation Project: 1981-2009This link opens in a new windowDocumenting the social history of Britain by recruiting volunteers to write about their lives and opinions. This collection consists of the directives (questionnaires) sent out by Mass Observation in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s and the thousands of responses to them from the hundreds of Mass Observers. An important source of qualitative social data in the UK.
Northern Ireland: A Divided Community, 1921-1972 Cabinet Papers of the Stormont AdministrationThis link opens in a new windowContains a complete digital facsimile of the Cabinet Conclusion files of the Northern Ireland Government, filed as CAB/4 at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. Offers a full record of every debate and transaction for the entire duration of the Stormont administration, the devolved government of Northern Ireland during this period.
Picture Post Historical Archive, 1938–1957This link opens in a new windowComplete archive of the popular UK magazine Picture Post. It provides a visual snap-shot of British life from 1930 to the end of the 1950s, and covers major social and political issues of the time through the use of photojournalism. Digitised article and page scans, and OCR text. Date coverage: 1930-1957
Political Extremism and RadicalismThis link opens in a new windowArchive of extremist and radical materials from 20th Century Far-Right and Far-Left political groups in the US, Europe and Australia.
Scottish Women's Suffrage Movement, 1902-1933This link opens in a new windowContains documents from the Glasgow and West of Scotland Society for Women's Suffrage - a non-militant movement running during the period 1902-1933. Includes committee meeting minutes, letter books, and reports, which cover everything from the recruitment and selection of female candidates to fundraising for local hospitals. Campaigns include those for equal voting rights and the free distribution of information on birth control.
Socialist and Radical PeriodicalsThis link opens in a new windowThis collection sheds light on the 20th/21st–century history of a variety of movements and ideologies on the political left, including Marxist, socialist, communist, social democratic, and Fabianist publications.
Welsh Newspapers OnlineThis link opens in a new windowArchive of 19th and early 20th century Welsh newspapers held at the National Library of Wales. With English and Welsh language content. Digitised full page scans. Date coverage: 1804-1919
Women, War and Society, 1914-1918This link opens in a new windowDocuments covering the First World War from the Imperial War Museum. Includes charity and international relief reports, pamphlets, photographs, press cuttings, magazines, posters, correspondence, minutes, records, diaries, memoranda, statistics, circulars, regulations and invitations.
World Communism: Pamphlets from McMaster UniversityThis link opens in a new windowContains un-catalogued pamphlets pertaining to communism, socialism, and class struggle. The pamphlets are global in scope, although mostly in English and cover 1901-1969. The bulk of the collection originates from China and Soviet Russia during the post-WWII period, although Cuba and Britain are strongly represented as well.
British Government Information and Propaganda, 1939-2009This link opens in a new windowTaken from the British Library, this collection is a curated selection of materials produced by the British Ministry of Information (MOI) and Central Office of Information (COI) during the period 1939-2009. Items include posters, stickers, pamphlets and guidance booklets. Most of the items were published during the post-war period, but some date from the First and Second World Wars.
Irish Newspaper ArchivesThis link opens in a new windowFull text searchable and browsable Irish newspaper titles from the mid-1700's to present day, providing a unique perspective on Irish history as reported in the national and regional press of the day. English language. Date coverage: 1700-current
Mass Observation Project: 1981-2009This link opens in a new windowDocumenting the social history of Britain by recruiting volunteers to write about their lives and opinions. This collection consists of the directives (questionnaires) sent out by Mass Observation in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s and the thousands of responses to them from the hundreds of Mass Observers. An important source of qualitative social data in the UK.
