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. 2026-07-18T18:36:17Z https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/420/ https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/static/assets/images/icon-256x256.png 2026-07-03T05:00:00Z 2026-07-03T08:36:56.309765Z https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/1437/

In May 2026, a volunteer working on a cataloguing project at The National Archives made an astonishing discovery.

Amanda Bevan https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/people/amanda-bevan/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&utm_medium=atom Giorgia Genco https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/people/giorgia-genco/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&utm_medium=atom Dr Graham Moore https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/people/dr-graham-moore/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&utm_medium=atom Dr Marc Vermeulen https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/people/marc-vermeulen/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&utm_medium=atom 2026-06-11T10:00:00Z 2026-06-11T09:26:47.987505Z https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/1412/

When Chris Ransted learned that during the Second World War, a V1 flying bomb hit the site where The National Archives now stands, he chose to investigate.

The National Archives 2026-06-09T09:00:00Z 2026-06-09T08:11:40.740092Z https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/1400/

In this blog post Vicky Iglikowski-Broad explains how you can get started in researching LGBTQ+ histories through government records.

Vicky Iglikowski-Broad https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/people/vicky-iglikowski-broad/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&utm_medium=atom 2026-06-02T09:00:00Z 2026-06-02T08:47:26.145423Z https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/1391/

To celebrate Volunteers' week, The National Archives’ Keith Mitchell reflects on the achievements of our volunteers and their projects.

Keith Mitchell https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/people/keith-mitchell/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&utm_medium=atom 2026-05-29T09:01:00Z 2026-05-29T08:11:18.501372Z https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/1381/

In this blog post, Katherine Howells explores how our volunteers have catalogued copyright records and highlights the stories they can tell us.

Dr Katherine Howells https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/people/katherine-howells/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&utm_medium=atom 2026-05-21T09:00:00Z 2026-05-21T08:55:37.258970Z https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/1328/

Bruno Pappalardo reports on the final findings of the volunteer Royal Navy Captains’ letters project.

The National Archives 2026-05-13T09:00:00Z 2026-05-14T13:55:35.108694Z https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/1324/

Find out how our volunteers have improved catalogue descriptions for 19th-century military service records.

Keith Mitchell https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/people/keith-mitchell/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&utm_medium=atom 2026-05-08T09:00:00Z 2026-05-08T09:50:45.755447Z https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/1297/

Explore how a team of volunteers have transcribed The National Archives’ records of registered designs from 1885–1888.

Olivia Gecseg https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/people/olivia-gecseg/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&utm_medium=atom 2026-04-21T10:00:00Z 2026-04-21T13:29:05.354437Z https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/1243/

Explore how to access material related to the Troubles online through The Northern Ireland Digitisation Project.

Eliza McKee https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/people/eliza-mckee/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&utm_medium=atom 2026-04-21T09:00:00Z 2026-04-21T13:28:29.038734Z https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/1242/

Today, we launch the first release of the Northern Ireland Digitisation Project, a major four-year research and access initiative.

Eliza McKee https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/people/eliza-mckee/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&utm_medium=atom 2026-03-18T10:00:00Z 2026-03-18T15:23:58.616666Z https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/1121/

Finding a tiny object attached to some paper documents reminded me how the materiality of archives can connect us to the past.

Dr Lucy Razzall https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/people/dr-lucy-razzall/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&utm_medium=atom 2026-02-13T09:00:00Z 2026-03-11T10:45:18.005570Z https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/987/

Discover how expressions of love have been uncovered in unexpected places by The National Archive.

Amanda Bevan https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/people/amanda-bevan/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&utm_medium=atom Vicky Iglikowski-Broad https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/people/vicky-iglikowski-broad/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&utm_medium=atom Ralph Thompson https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/people/ralph-thompson/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&utm_medium=atom 2026-01-26T09:00:00Z 2026-01-26T14:35:12.805687Z https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/748/

The National Archives holds powerful material relating to the Holocaust. With over 11 million records on the topic, what stories can we uncover?

The National Archives 2025-11-26T09:00:00Z 2025-11-26T09:03:07.619321Z https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/762/

Over the last year, Liv Page has been working at The National Archives as a Level 7 Archivist and Records Manager apprentice.

The National Archives 2025-11-24T09:00:00Z 2025-11-28T14:44:41.066112Z https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/775/

Archivist Jane Langford introduces our annual celebration of cataloguing projects at The National Archives.

Jane Langford https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/people/jane-langford/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&utm_medium=atom 2025-11-21T11:04:00Z 2025-11-21T11:34:59.395784Z https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/754/

Cataloguer Adrian Browne traces the custodial history of the Detached Papers, investigating the legacies of Victorian-era recordkeeping.

Dr Adrian Browne https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/people/dr-adrian-browne/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&utm_medium=atom 2025-11-21T09:00:00Z 2026-05-05T10:13:27.054641Z https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/756/

Our volunteers have finished cataloguing Colonial Office correspondence from Cameroons and Togoland. Explore these records here.

Keith Mitchell https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/people/keith-mitchell/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&utm_medium=atom 2025-11-14T09:00:00Z 2025-12-10T14:40:24.302172Z https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/749/

Explore how we are preserving medical records from the First World War and how you can access them.

The National Archives 2025-11-05T13:49:00Z 2025-11-11T09:16:26.700821Z https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/743/

Bruno Pappalardo reveals the latest findings of the volunteer Royal Navy Captains’ letters project.

The National Archives 2025-10-14T14:00:00Z 2025-10-14T15:10:28.082182Z https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/715/

Ruth Selman shares an exciting update to her previous blog post about a 17th-century letter written in cipher.

Ruth Selman https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/people/ruth-selman/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&utm_medium=atom 2025-10-06T09:00:00Z 2025-10-15T10:44:30.090691Z https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/572/

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?

Rosie Boutflower https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/people/rosie-boutflower/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&utm_medium=atom 2025-09-29T09:00:00Z 2025-09-29T08:54:19.360853Z https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/674/

If you have a family legend that a relative worked in intelligence, here are our top tips to get started with your research.

The National Archives 2025-09-24T09:13:00Z 2025-09-24T09:15:13.081117Z https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/535/

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.

Samuel Smith https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/people/samuel-smith/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&utm_medium=atom 2025-08-04T09:00:00Z 2025-10-15T11:29:43.562673Z https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/537/

This letter – sent from the court of King Louis XIV in Paris – contains coded text that historians have been unable to decipher...

Ruth Selman https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/people/ruth-selman/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&utm_medium=atom 2025-07-01T16:00:00Z 2025-07-01T15:46:12.284627Z https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/469/

Inspired to discover tales of espionage and intrigue? Find out how to start researching the records of MI5 and British intelligence services we hold.

The National Archives 2025-06-27T09:00:00Z 2025-06-27T09:08:55.580709Z https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/456/

Tracing hundreds of years, PhD student Jessica Gregory outlines some of the best ways to research hospital-related records at The National Archives.

The National Archives 2025-06-18T10:00:00Z 2025-06-18T10:31:16.880086Z https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/453/

Inspired by our current exhibition, MI5: Official Secrets, we've drawn up a summer reading list offering both spy fiction and fact.

The National Archives 2025-06-13T12:00:00Z 2025-06-13T14:07:04.970652Z https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/442/

Volunteer Dr Brenda Mortimer examines how Australia's Norfolk Island became ‘a place of the extremest punishment’ for colonial convicts in the 1820s.

The National Archives 2025-05-12T09:13:00Z 2025-05-19T11:41:14.831203Z https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/440/

From secret codes to never-before seen devices, here’s five reasons to visit our current MI5: Official Secrets exhibition.

The National Archives 2025-04-01T09:00:00Z 2025-05-22T10:21:52.548091Z https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/434/

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.

Roger Kershaw https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/people/roger-kershaw/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&utm_medium=atom 2025-02-11T09:00:00Z 2025-05-07T15:03:09.562746Z https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/430/

For National Apprenticeships Week, Level 7 Archivist and Records Manager apprentice Liv Page reflects on her first two months here at The National Archives.

The National Archives 2025-01-14T09:00:00Z 2025-06-23T10:06:48.688385Z https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/431/

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.

Mark Dunton https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/people/mark-dunton/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&utm_medium=atom 2025-01-13T09:00:00Z 2025-06-09T09:32:17.977541Z https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/432/

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.

Matilda Wood https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/people/matilda-wood/?utm_source=feed-the-collection-blog&utm_medium=atom 2025-01-01T09:00:00Z 2025-07-07T11:20:44.128803Z https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/page/476/

The new National Archives blogs launched in 2025, but our older posts can still be read in the UK Government Web Archive.

The National Archives