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  <title>The National Archives - The collection blog</title>
  <subtitle>Learn how the stories hidden in our documents are uncovered by our experts. Find out how we care for our records, and get tips for your own research.</subtitle>
  <link href="https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/feeds/blogs/420.xml?format=atom" rel="self" />
  <updated>2026-03-06T08:58:37Z</updated>
  <id>https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/420/</id>
  <icon>https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/static/assets/images/icon-256x256.png</icon>
  <entry>
    <title>Researching Love Letters</title>
    <link href="https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/the-collection-blog/researching-love-letters/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&amp;utm_medium=atom" />
    <published>2026-02-13T09:00:00Z</published>
    <updated>2026-02-13T14:01:52.536032Z</updated>
    <id>https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/987/</id>
    <summary>Discover how expressions of love have been uncovered in unexpected places by The National Archive.</summary>
    <author>
      <name>Amanda Bevan</name>
      <uri>https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/people/amanda-bevan/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&amp;utm_medium=atom</uri>
    </author>
    <author>
      <name>Vicky Iglikowski-Broad</name>
      <uri>https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/people/vicky-iglikowski-broad/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&amp;utm_medium=atom</uri>
    </author>
    <author>
      <name>Ralph Thompson</name>
      <uri>https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/people/ralph-thompson/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&amp;utm_medium=atom</uri>
    </author>
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  <entry>
    <title>A place of refuge in the colonies</title>
    <link href="https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/the-collection-blog/a-place-of-refuge-in-the-colonies/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&amp;utm_medium=atom" />
    <published>2026-01-26T09:00:00Z</published>
    <updated>2026-01-26T14:35:12.805687Z</updated>
    <id>https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/748/</id>
    <summary>The National Archives holds powerful material relating to the Holocaust. With over 11 million records on the topic, what stories can we uncover?</summary>
    <author>
      <name>The National Archives</name>
    </author>
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  <entry>
    <title>From curiosity to career: my first year in archives</title>
    <link href="https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/the-collection-blog/from-curiosity-to-career-my-first-year-in-archives/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&amp;utm_medium=atom" />
    <published>2025-11-26T09:00:00Z</published>
    <updated>2025-11-26T09:03:07.619321Z</updated>
    <id>https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/762/</id>
    <summary>Over the last year, Liv Page has been working at The National Archives as a Level 7 Archivist and Records Manager apprentice.</summary>
    <author>
      <name>The National Archives</name>
    </author>
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  <entry>
    <title>Catalogue Week 2025</title>
    <link href="https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/the-collection-blog/catalogue-week-2025/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&amp;utm_medium=atom" />
    <published>2025-11-24T09:00:00Z</published>
    <updated>2025-11-28T14:44:41.066112Z</updated>
    <id>https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/775/</id>
    <summary>Archivist Jane Langford introduces our annual celebration of cataloguing projects at The National Archives.</summary>
    <author>
      <name>Jane Langford</name>
      <uri>https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/people/jane-langford/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&amp;utm_medium=atom</uri>
    </author>
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  <entry>
    <title>Cataloguing transatlantic slavery records: an archival history</title>
    <link href="https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/the-collection-blog/cataloguing-transatlantic-slavery-records-an-archival-history/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&amp;utm_medium=atom" />
    <published>2025-11-21T11:04:00Z</published>
    <updated>2025-11-21T11:34:59.395784Z</updated>
    <id>https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/754/</id>
    <summary>Cataloguer Adrian Browne traces the custodial history of the Detached Papers, investigating the legacies of Victorian-era recordkeeping.</summary>
    <author>
      <name>Dr Adrian Browne</name>
      <uri>https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/people/dr-adrian-browne/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&amp;utm_medium=atom</uri>
    </author>
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  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Cataloguing West African records</title>
    <link href="https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/the-collection-blog/from-our-volunteers/cataloguing-west-african-records/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&amp;utm_medium=atom" />
    <published>2025-11-21T09:00:00Z</published>
    <updated>2025-11-21T15:34:25.778749Z</updated>
    <id>https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/756/</id>
    <summary>Our volunteers have finished cataloguing Colonial Office correspondence from Cameroons and Togoland, explore these records here.</summary>
    <author>
      <name>Keith Mitchell</name>
      <uri>https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/people/keith-mitchell/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&amp;utm_medium=atom</uri>
    </author>
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  <entry>
    <title>Tracing medical records from the First World War</title>
    <link href="https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/the-collection-blog/from-our-volunteers/tracing-medical-records-from-the-first-world-war/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&amp;utm_medium=atom" />
    <published>2025-11-14T09:00:00Z</published>
    <updated>2025-12-10T14:40:24.302172Z</updated>
    <id>https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/749/</id>
    <summary>Explore how we are preserving medical records from the First World War and how you can access them.</summary>
    <author>
      <name>The National Archives</name>
    </author>
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  <entry>
    <title>The A–Z of the Royal Navy Captains&#39; letters project – &#39;D&#39; to &#39;M&#39;</title>
    <link href="https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/the-collection-blog/the-az-of-the-royal-navy-captains-letter-project-d-to-m/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&amp;utm_medium=atom" />
    <published>2025-11-05T13:49:00Z</published>
    <updated>2025-11-11T09:16:26.700821Z</updated>
    <id>https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/743/</id>
    <summary>Bruno Pappalardo reveals the latest findings of the volunteer Royal Navy Captains’ letters project.</summary>
    <author>
      <name>The National Archives</name>
    </author>
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  <entry>
    <title>Secret diplomatic message deciphered after 350 years</title>
    <link href="https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/the-collection-blog/secret-diplomatic-message-deciphered-after-350-years/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&amp;utm_medium=atom" />
    <published>2025-10-14T14:00:00Z</published>
    <updated>2025-10-14T15:10:28.082182Z</updated>
    <id>https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/715/</id>
    <summary>Ruth Selman shares an exciting update to her previous blog post about a 17th-century letter written in cipher.</summary>
    <author>
      <name>Ruth Selman</name>
      <uri>https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/people/ruth-selman/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&amp;utm_medium=atom</uri>
    </author>
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  <entry>
    <title>Cataloguing Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service records from the Second World War</title>
    <link href="https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/the-collection-blog/cataloguing-ats-records-from-the-second-world-war/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&amp;utm_medium=atom" />
    <published>2025-10-06T09:00:00Z</published>
    <updated>2025-10-15T10:44:30.090691Z</updated>
    <id>https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/572/</id>
    <summary>In February 2023, the Ministry of Defence began the monumental task of transferring ten million personal records to The National Archives. What do they contain?</summary>
    <author>
      <name>Rosie Boutflower</name>
      <uri>https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/people/rosie-boutflower/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&amp;utm_medium=atom</uri>
    </author>
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  <entry>
    <title>Think your ancestor might have worked in intelligence? Where to start your research</title>
    <link href="https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/the-collection-blog/ancestor-worked-in-intelligence-how-to-research/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&amp;utm_medium=atom" />
    <published>2025-09-29T09:00:00Z</published>
    <updated>2025-09-29T08:54:19.360853Z</updated>
    <id>https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/674/</id>
    <summary>If you have a family legend that a relative worked in intelligence, here are our top tips to get started with your research.</summary>
    <author>
      <name>The National Archives</name>
    </author>
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  <entry>
    <title>Using The National Farm Survey as a gateway for research</title>
    <link href="https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/the-collection-blog/using-the-national-farm-survey-as-a-gateway-for-research/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&amp;utm_medium=atom" />
    <published>2025-09-24T09:13:00Z</published>
    <updated>2025-09-24T09:15:13.081117Z</updated>
    <id>https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/535/</id>
    <summary>Discover how one farm in East Sussex can lead us on a journey through stage and screen, motorsport successes, and celebrity connections during the 20th century.</summary>
    <author>
      <name>Samuel Smith</name>
      <uri>https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/people/samuel-smith/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&amp;utm_medium=atom</uri>
    </author>
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  <entry>
    <title>Hidden in plain sight: an undeciphered letter from Louis XIV’s France</title>
    <link href="https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/the-collection-blog/undeciphered-letter-from-louis-xivs-france/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&amp;utm_medium=atom" />
    <published>2025-08-04T09:00:00Z</published>
    <updated>2025-10-15T11:29:43.562673Z</updated>
    <id>https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/537/</id>
    <summary>This letter – sent from the court of King Louis XIV in Paris – contains coded text that historians have been unable to decipher...</summary>
    <author>
      <name>Ruth Selman</name>
      <uri>https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/people/ruth-selman/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&amp;utm_medium=atom</uri>
    </author>
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  <entry>
    <title>How to search for security and intelligence records: where to start</title>
    <link href="https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/the-collection-blog/security-and-intelligence-records-where-to-start/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&amp;utm_medium=atom" />
    <published>2025-07-01T16:00:00Z</published>
    <updated>2025-07-01T15:46:12.284627Z</updated>
    <id>https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/469/</id>
    <summary>Inspired to discover tales of espionage and intrigue? Find out how to start researching the records of MI5 and British intelligence services we hold.</summary>
    <author>
      <name>The National Archives</name>
    </author>
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  <entry>
    <title>Researching hospital-related records</title>
    <link href="https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/the-collection-blog/researching-hospital-related-records/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&amp;utm_medium=atom" />
    <published>2025-06-27T09:00:00Z</published>
    <updated>2025-06-27T09:08:55.580709Z</updated>
    <id>https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/456/</id>
    <summary>Tracing hundreds of years, PhD student Jessica Gregory outlines some of the best ways to research hospital-related records at The National Archives.</summary>
    <author>
      <name>The National Archives</name>
    </author>
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  <entry>
    <title>A summer (spy) reading list</title>
    <link href="https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/the-collection-blog/a-summer-spy-reading-list/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&amp;utm_medium=atom" />
    <published>2025-06-18T10:00:00Z</published>
    <updated>2025-06-18T10:31:16.880086Z</updated>
    <id>https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/453/</id>
    <summary>Inspired by our current exhibition, MI5: Official Secrets, we&#39;ve drawn up a summer reading list offering both spy fiction and fact.</summary>
    <author>
      <name>The National Archives</name>
    </author>
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  <entry>
    <title>Norfolk Island: the ultra-penal colony</title>
    <link href="https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/the-collection-blog/from-our-volunteers/norfolk-island-the-ultra-penal-colony/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&amp;utm_medium=atom" />
    <published>2025-06-13T12:00:00Z</published>
    <updated>2025-06-13T14:07:04.970652Z</updated>
    <id>https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/442/</id>
    <summary>Volunteer Dr Brenda Mortimer examines how Australia&#39;s Norfolk Island became ‘a place of the extremest punishment’ for colonial convicts in the 1820s.</summary>
    <author>
      <name>The National Archives</name>
    </author>
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  <entry>
    <title>Five reasons to visit MI5: Official Secrets</title>
    <link href="https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/the-collection-blog/five-reasons-to-visit-mi5-official-secrets/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&amp;utm_medium=atom" />
    <published>2025-05-12T09:13:00Z</published>
    <updated>2025-05-19T11:41:14.831203Z</updated>
    <id>https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/440/</id>
    <summary>From secret codes to never-before seen devices, here’s five reasons to visit our current MI5: Official Secrets exhibition.</summary>
    <author>
      <name>The National Archives</name>
    </author>
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  <entry>
    <title>The Long March to Freedom 1944–1945</title>
    <link href="https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/the-collection-blog/the-long-march-to-freedom-19441945/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&amp;utm_medium=atom" />
    <published>2025-04-01T09:00:00Z</published>
    <updated>2025-05-22T10:21:52.548091Z</updated>
    <id>https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/434/</id>
    <summary>Eighty years ago a series of forced prisoner of war marches took place. We trace some of the incredible stories from these marches through our records.</summary>
    <author>
      <name>Roger Kershaw</name>
      <uri>https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/people/roger-kershaw/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&amp;utm_medium=atom</uri>
    </author>
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  <entry>
    <title>Working while pursuing my passion: Becoming an archivist apprentice</title>
    <link href="https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/the-collection-blog/working-while-pursuing-my-passion-becoming-an-archivist-apprentice/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&amp;utm_medium=atom" />
    <published>2025-02-11T09:00:00Z</published>
    <updated>2025-05-07T15:03:09.562746Z</updated>
    <id>https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/430/</id>
    <summary>For National Apprenticeships Week, Level 7 Archivist and Records Manager apprentice Liv Page reflects on her first two months here at The National Archives.</summary>
    <author>
      <name>The National Archives</name>
    </author>
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  <entry>
    <title>Confessions from the Cambridge Five: a file release from MI5</title>
    <link href="https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/the-collection-blog/confessions-from-the-cambridge-five/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&amp;utm_medium=atom" />
    <published>2025-01-14T09:00:00Z</published>
    <updated>2025-06-23T10:06:48.688385Z</updated>
    <id>https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/431/</id>
    <summary>Over 100 Security Service (MI5) files are being released today covering a wide range of subjects and individuals. Most notably, the Cambridge Five spy ring.</summary>
    <author>
      <name>Mark Dunton</name>
      <uri>https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/people/mark-dunton/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&amp;utm_medium=atom</uri>
    </author>
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  <entry>
    <title>How and why The National Archives moves documents offsite</title>
    <link href="https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/the-collection-blog/how-and-why-the-national-archives-moves-documents-offsite/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&amp;utm_medium=atom" />
    <published>2025-01-13T09:00:00Z</published>
    <updated>2025-06-09T09:32:17.977541Z</updated>
    <id>https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/432/</id>
    <summary>Take a behind-the-scenes look at why some of our records are not kept at our main site in London, as we head underground to explore Deep Store.</summary>
    <author>
      <name>Matilda Wood</name>
      <uri>https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/people/matilda-wood/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&amp;utm_medium=atom</uri>
    </author>
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  <entry>
    <title>Looking for an old blog post?</title>
    <link href="https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/the-collection-blog/looking-for-an-old-blog-post/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&amp;utm_medium=atom" />
    <published>2025-01-01T09:00:00Z</published>
    <updated>2025-07-07T11:20:44.128803Z</updated>
    <id>https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/476/</id>
    <summary>The new National Archives blogs launched in 2025, but our older posts can still be read in the UK Government Web Archive.</summary>
    <author>
      <name>The National Archives</name>
    </author>
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