A beginner’s guide to historical investigation
Archives
A2A: Access to Archives
www.a2a.org.uk/
A2A allows people to search and browse for information about archives in 411 local record offices and libraries, universities, museums and national and specialist institutions across England and Wales, dating from the 8th century to the present day.
Archives Network Wales
www.archivesnetworkwales.info/
An index to sources rather than a source itself, this contains standardised descriptions of the extent, type and scope of collections of documents held by record offices, universities and other bodies in Wales. It also provides links to further information and access details for the repositories.
FamilyRecords.gov.uk
www.familyrecords.gov.uk
This aims to help individuals find the government records and other sources they need for family history research. In 'Topics', you will find information on births, marriages and deaths, censuses, migration and more. In 'Partners', you will find details of each of the 12 members of the FamilyRecords.gov.uk consortium, including the Family Records Centre, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, General Register Office for Scotland and Public Record Office of Northern Ireland.
Irish Emigration Database
www.qub.ac.uk/cms/collection/IED.htm
The IED is a computerised collection of primary source documents on Irish emigration to North America in the 18th and 19th centuries. It contains a variety of original material including emigrant letters, newspaper articles, shipping advertisements, shipping news, passenger lists, official government reports, family papers, and extracts from books and periodicals. At the moment, the database can be accessed only through the Centre for Migration Studies at the Ulster American Folk Park in Omagh, at the Public Records Office Northern Ireland (PRONI; see below) and in Northern Ireland libraries through local studies departments and via public access terminals in branch libraries.
London Metropolitan Archives
www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/corporation/family-research/
LMA is the largest local authority archive in the UK. On its website, you can download guides to tracing family history in general and at the LMA; contact the Family History Research Service that, for a fee, will search LMA records in response to specific queries; consult the London Generations database of major family history sources, and London Signatures, a free database through which you can search the thousands of wills held at LMA.
The National Archives
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/
The National Archives – formed from a merger of the Historical Manuscripts Commission and the Public Record Office some years ago – has one of the largest archival collections in the world, spanning 900 years of British history, from the Domesday Book to government papers recently released to the public. It includes records of military service, immigration and emigration, merchant seamen, railway workers and more. You can see this collection at Kew in London, or view an increasing number of documents online. Access to the 10-yearly censuses from 1841 to 1901 carried out in England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man is available free at Kew, or you can access them remotely for a fee.
Beginners should check out the ‘Research, education & online exhibitions’ home page, where they will find lots of pointers on where to locate the information they want. The ARCHON Directory has contact details for record repositories in the UK. The National Archives also advises people on the location of non-public records and manuscripts relating to British history.
National Archives of Ireland
www.nationalarchives.ie
Holds the records of the modern Irish state that document its historical evolution and the creation of its national identity.
National Archives of Scotland
www.nas.gov.uk/
The NAS is the main archive for sources of the history of Scotland as a separate kingdom, its role in the British Isles and the links between Scotland and many other countries over the centuries. It is the repository for records created by the Scottish government, as well as private records created by businesses, landed estates, families, courts, churches and other corporate bodies. These records span the 12th to the 21st centuries, touching on virtually every aspect of Scottish life. The searchable online catalogue details all the items held by NAS.
Proceedings of the Old Bailey
www.oldbaileyonline.org
A fully searchable online edition of the largest body of texts detailing the lives of ‘common’ people ever published, containing accounts of over 100,000 criminal trials held at London's central criminal court from 1674 to 1834.
Public Record Office of Northern Ireland
www.proni.gov.uk/
PRONI holds millions of documents that relate chiefly, but by no means exclusively, to present-day Northern Ireland. The earliest record dates from 1219, with the main concentration of records covering the period 1600 to the present. However, the website is extremely badly designed and it can be very difficult to find what you want. A good starting point is the record index.
ScotlandsPeople
www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk
‘The official government source of genealogical data for Scotland.’ Here you can access the 10-yearly censuses from 1841 to 1901, statutory registers (births: 1855–1906; marriages: 1855–1931; deaths: 1855–1956), old parish registers from 1553 to 1854 (births and baptisms; banns and marriages) and wills and testaments from 1513 to 1901.
