Victorians 1850 - 1901 | The National Archives

The world's largest empire is governed from Whitehall. Our collections offer an invaluable insight into the politics of empire and the daily lives of its citizens.

Our massive photographic holdings covering Britain and its colonies vividly bring the period to life.

Topics
- Victorian Nation
  Happy, healthy and wealthy or divided, lawless and poor?
  
  Key stage 2 - 4
- Moving Here
  200 years of the history of migration to England
  
  Key stage 2 - 4
- Focus on the Census
  What is the census and what can it tell us?
  
  Key stage 2 - 4
- - Citizenship
    A history of people, rights and power
  - Human Rights
    800 years of the struggle for rights
  - British Battles
    British forces in action in conflicts from the Crimea to Korea
  - Women in Uniform
    Service in the Crimea, Western Front and Second World War
  - Caribbean Histories Revealed
    Explore our collections on the history of the British Caribbean
  - Treasures
    Highlights from the collections of The National Archives
  - Crime and Punishment
    From heretics and poachers to car crime and walkie-talkies
    
    Key stage 2 - 5
  - British Empire
    Rise and decline of the first global empire
    
    Key stage 3 - 4
  - Prisoner 4099
    What was life like for young offenders in the 19th century?
    
    Key stage 2 - 4
  - Power, Politics and Protest
    The growth of political rights in 19th century Britain
    
    Key stage 3 - 5
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Lessons
- Census Detective
  What can you find out?
  
  Key stage 2
- Victorian Homes
  Was there much difference between rich and poor homes?
  
  Key stage 2 - 3
- A Victorian Prison
  Why were Victorian Prisons so tough?
  
  Key stage 3 - 4
- - Florence Nightingale
    Why do we remember her?
    
    Key stage 1 - 2
  - 19th Century People
    What can we tell from this photograph?
    
    Key stage 2 - 3
  - Trimdon
    What was it like living in a late 19th century mining town?
    
    Key stage 2 - 3
  - Say "Cheese"
    What can Queen Victoria's family photographs tell us?
    
    Key stage 2 - 3
  - Past Pleasures
    How did the Victorians have fun?
    
    Key stage 2 - 3
  - Victorian Children in trouble with the law
    Did the punishment fit the crime?
    
    Key stage 2 - 3
  - Victorian Family History
    How can we find out about the life of a Victorian child using family sources?
    
    Key stage 2
  - Rob Roy
    A Victorian Railway Accident
    
    Key stage 2
  - 19th Century Mining Disaster
    What happened at the Trimdon Grange Mining Disaster?
    
    Key stage 2 - 3
  - Mining Explosion
    The Trimdon Grange mining accident
    
    Key stage 2
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Workshops
- Jack the Ripper
  Why couldn't the police bring him to justice?
  
  Key stage 3 - 4
- Four Days Hard Labour
  Writing poetry using Victorian prison records
  
  Key stage 2
- What is History? (KS 3/4)
  What can different kinds of sources tell us about the past?
  
  Key stage 3 - 4
- - What is History? (KS1)
    How documents help us find out about the past
    
    Key stage 1
  - Mapping the City
    See London develop over four centuries
    
    Key stage 2
  - Crime and Punishment
    How have they changed over the centuries?
    
    Key stage 3 - 4
  - The British Empire
    Debate the rights and wrongs of the world's largest empire
    
    Key stage 3 - 4
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Videoconferences
- Four Days Hard Labour
  Writing poetry using Victorian prison records
  
  Key stage 2
- Jack the Ripper
  Why couldn't the police bring him to justice?
  
  Key stage 3 - 4
- What is History? (for Welsh Schools)
  Follow a successful quarry town across the centuries
  
  Key stage 3 - 4
- - Crime and Punishment
    How have they changed over the centuries?
    
    Key stage 3 - 4
  - What is History? (KS 3/4)
    What can different kinds of sources tell us about the past?
    
    Key stage 3 - 4
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Virtual classroom
- What is History? (KS 3/4)
  What can different kinds of sources tell us about the past?
  
  Key stage 3 - 4
- Four Days Hard Labour
  Writing poetry using Victorian prison records
  
  Key stage 2
- Jack the Ripper
  Why couldn't the police bring him to justice?
  
  Key stage 3 - 4
- - Crime and Punishment
    How have they changed over the centuries?
    
    Key stage 3 - 4
  - What is History? (for Welsh Schools)
    Follow a successful quarry town across the centuries
    
    Key stage 3 - 4
  Show/hide more items

Podcasts
- The Problem of the Poor
  An A level masterclass lecture on faith, science and poverty
  
  Key stage 5
- The Real Little Dorrit
  Charles Dickens and the debtors' prison
  
  Key stage 4 - 5
- Prison
  The story of five hundred years behind bars
  
  Key stage 5