News
Christmas 1604 ledger shows Shakespeare top of the bill
A set of accounts from James I’s Master of the Revels which record one of the first performances of Shakespeare’s Othello in the run-up to Christmas...
Parliament’s Archive Collections Now Accessible at The National Archives
From today, visitors to The National Archives can request access to records from Parliament’s Archive which are now housed at Kew.
The Beaverbrook...
Rare chance to see Jane Austen’s will in Love Letters exhibition
Two hundred and fifty years after her birth on 16 December 1775, Jane Austen fans will have a rare chance to see her will in The National Archives’ Love...
Bosie’s passionate plea for lover Oscar Wilde in Love Letters exhibition
A passionate plea for clemency from Oscar Wilde’s lover Lord Alfred Douglas goes on show in The National Archives’ Love Letters exhibition, opening...
The National Archives Updates Service Fees
From 2 February 2026, The National Archives will increase fees for some services as we bring charges in line with current delivery costs. This is the...
Project to bring voices of enslaved people to life
The National Archives is working with international academics to make the largest collection of first-person testimony of enslaved people...
Fresh chapter as archives gain accredited status
Six contrasting archives from different parts of Britain have won accredited status for the first time.
They range from records about one of the grandest...
Exhibition to explore the making of America to feature rare Declaration of Independence
We can today announce a major exhibition exploring the birth of the United States of America to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration...
Snapshot of Tudor England in Henry VIII’s ‘Domesday’
The National Archives is helping make accessible a financial survey of the Church ordered by Henry VIII after his break with Rome.
His inspectors counted...
Schools service scoops heritage award for The National Archives
Educators at The National Archives have won a prestigious prize for their history workshops.
The team, all trained teachers, won The Sandford Award...
Gresford Colliery documents head for Wrexham in first for The National Archives
The National Archives is displaying records related to the Gresford Colliery disaster in Wrexham Library to mark the 91st anniversary on 22 September 2025.
Two...
Shakespeare family will found by historian
A 1642 will which caused a legal row about William Shakespeare’s property in Stratford-upon-Avon has been discovered at The National Archives.
The...
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