LibGuides: Primary Sources: UK &amp; Ireland

UK & Ireland

Archives Hub This link opens in a new window A 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 Online This link opens in a new window A 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 Catalogue This link opens in a new window Discover 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 Manuscripts This link opens in a new window A collection of digitised manuscripts and archives in the British Library’s collections.
British Online Archives This link opens in a new window Digital 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, 1635-1928 This link opens in a new window Contains 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 Bodleian This link opens in a new window A 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 Catalogue This link opens in a new window Full 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 The National Archives is home to millions of historical documents, which were created and collected by UK central government departments and major courts of law.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 window Full 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 Parliament Freely 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

British Mercantile Trade Statistics, 1662-1809 This link opens in a new window Documents relating to the colonial, economic, and maritime expansion of British naval and trade globally over 1662-1809.  Documents are image scans with no transcription.
Industrial Revolution: Technological Innovation in the Textile Industry, 1672-1929 This link opens in a new window Papers 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, 1517-1925 This link opens in a new window Archival 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 Archive This link opens in a new window Largest 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 Online This link opens in a new window Digitised 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, 1600-1968 This link opens in a new window Women’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 Literary Manuscripts Online This link opens in a new window Facsimile images of literary manuscripts, including letters and diaries, drafts of poems, plays, novels, and other literary works from the Restoration through the Victorian era , c. 1660-1900. It encompasses extensive materials related to major British literary figures from the Bronte sisters to Sir Walter Scott to Oscar Wilde.

British Periodicals I, II, III and IV. This link opens in a new window Searchable facsimile reproductions of British periodicals published from the 17th through the early 20th centuries.
Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery This link opens in a new window Database 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 1798-1926 This link opens in a new window The 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 Online This link opens in a new window Full 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 Studies This link opens in a new window This 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 Archives This link opens in a new window Full 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, 1766-1900 This link opens in a new window Consists 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 Lives 1690 - 1800 : Crime Poverty and Social Policy in the Metropolis This link opens in a new window Ephemera and primary sources from 18th century London, particularly focusing on working-class Londoners.
London Low Life This link opens in a new window Digitised images of books, ephemera, maps and other materials relating to 18th, 19th and early 20th century street life culture in London.
State Papers Online This link opens in a new window Digitised 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 Collection This link opens in a new window A 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 window The 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 Pathe This link opens in a new window Archive 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 window Searchable facsimile reproductions of British periodicals published from the 17th through the early 20th centuries.
British Politics and Society - Nineteenth Century Collections Online This link opens in a new window Digitised primary sources related to the political climate in Great Britain during the "long" nineteenth century, covering approximately 1749 to 1984. Documents facilitate study of the major political, industrial, social, and economic events during this period.
British Poor Schools in the Nineteenth Century, 1812-1901 This link opens in a new window These 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 Slavery This link opens in a new window Database 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 Archive This link opens in a new window Digital archive of Country Life magazine, from 1901 to 2005. The archive provides insight into upper-class British culture, lifestyle and history.
Dublin Castle Records 1798-1926 This link opens in a new window The 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 Studies This link opens in a new window This 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 Archive This link opens in a new window Archive 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 Archives This link opens in a new window Full 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 Periodicals This link opens in a new window Archive 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, 1766-1900 This link opens in a new window Consists 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 Life This link opens in a new window Digitised images of books, ephemera, maps and other materials relating to 18th, 19th and early 20th century street life culture in London.
Queen Victoria's Journals This link opens in a new window Digitised versions of 141 volumes of Queen Victoria’s private diaries, written between 1832-1837. Entries are transcribed.
Science, Technology, and Medicine, Part II - Nineteenth Century Collections Online This link opens in a new window
Scientific material from the late seventeenth century through the first quarter of the twentieth century, with a primary focus on the nineteenth century. The collection is divided into four major parts: academies of science publications, natural history, public health, and entomology.
Waterloo Directory of English Newspapers and Periodicals:1800-1900 This link opens in a new window A 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, 1824-1900 This link opens in a new window Provides 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 Online This link opens in a new window Archive 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-Present This link opens in a new window Focusing 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.
Britain Under Threat: Civil Defence in the Era of Total War, 1914–1989 This link opens in a new window Comprising over 100,000 images from government files at The National Archives (UK), this collection explores the evolution of British Civil Defence planning, policy, and propaganda spanning 1914-1989.  
British Association for the Advancement of Science (Collections on the History of Science: 1830-1970) This link opens in a new window The 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 Collection This link opens in a new window Short 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, 1939-2009 This link opens in a new window Taken 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 Film This link opens in a new window Contains 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 Pathe This link opens in a new window Archive 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 window Searchable 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 window This 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 War This link opens in a new window This collection is drawn from Ministry of Defence files and records the work of censorship teams to implement and co-ordinate censorship activity. 
Country Life Archive This link opens in a new window Digital 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 Intelligence This link opens in a new window Previously 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, 1943-1991 This link opens in a new window Contains 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 1798-1926 This link opens in a new window The 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 Studies This link opens in a new window This 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 Archive This link opens in a new window Archive 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 Archives This link opens in a new window Full 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 Periodicals This link opens in a new window Archive 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 Life This link opens in a new window Digitised 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 Century This link opens in a new window Contains 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 window The 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: 1981-2009 This link opens in a new window Documenting 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 Administration This link opens in a new window Contains 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, 1938–1957 This link opens in a new window Complete 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 Radicalism This link opens in a new window Archive 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, 1902-1933 This link opens in a new window Contains 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 Periodicals This link opens in a new window This 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 Online This link opens in a new window Archive 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, 1914-1918 This link opens in a new window Documents 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 University This link opens in a new window Contains 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, 1939-2009 This link opens in a new window Taken 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 Archives This link opens in a new window Full 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: 1981-2009 This link opens in a new window Documenting 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.