Stories from the collection

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875–1912) was a trailblazing British composer and conductor from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

We hold one of the lesser known records from the Battle of Trafalgar, the Surgeon’s journal for HMS Victory by William Beatty.

This 15th-century list of ‘alien’ residents, gathered for tax purposes, gives us a remarkable insight into London’s medieval immigrant population.

Over three days in April 1981, violence broke out in Brixton, London between young people and the Metropolitan Police. What did the inquiry about it find out?

This book caused confusion and disagreement among family members, but also provided an unusually intimate view of this well-known household.

This roll provides a glimpse into how medieval Ireland was governed, but today plays a starring role in the development of scientific methodologies.

Medical case sheets from the 28th General Hospital, Salonika, reveal an especially deadly peril on the front lines: malaria. How was it fought?

Our records tell the story of Emily Capper's desperate campaign to recover the bodies of the victims, including that of her son.

Sarah Parker Remond (1826–1894) fought for a more equal world as an abolitionist and suffrage supporter. Why and how did she apply for British citizenship?

In the summer of 1948, neurologist Ludwig Guttmann set up a sporting competition between patients. It was the birth of the Paralympic Games.

Unexpectedly surviving among some court papers, this medical belt was one of a number of Victorian devices that claimed to use the power of electricity to cure.

In 1941, four Government Code and Cypher School cryptanalysts, including Alan Turing, made a stunning appeal directly to Winston Churchill.