All research guides
Family history
First World War
Second World War
Military and maritime
Social and cultural history
Criminals, courts and prisons
Political and economic history
Foreign and colonial history
Land and maps
Medieval and early modern history
Records for current legal purposes
Online collections
How to look for records of...
-
Electoral registration
Recommended guideKeywords: electoral registers -
Political history in the 20th century
Recommended guideKeywords: 20th centurycabinet officepolitical history (general) - Agricultural statistics of England and Wales
Keywords: agriculturedatasetsfarms and farmingstatistics - Available on:Alien arrivals
Keywords: aliens (foreign nationals)immigration All records viewable online - Aliens’ registration cards 1918-1957
Keywords: aliens (foreign nationals)british citizenshipimmigrationnaturalisationpassengers All records viewable online - American and West Indian colonies before 1782
Keywords: americacaribbeancoloniesstate papers - American Revolution
Keywords: americaamerican revolutioncolonies - Black British social and political history in the 20th century
Keywords: africanblackblack britishcaribbeancivil rightsrace relationswest indian - Boer War records
Keywords: boer warwars - Bomb Census survey records 1940-1945
Keywords: air raidsbomb censuscasualties of warsecond world warworld war two - British Army operations after 1945
Keywords: armybritish armyregiments and corpswar diaries - British Army operations up to 1913
Keywords: armyboer warbritish armycrimean warnapoleonic warsregiments and corps - British prisoners of the First World War and previous wars since c.1790
Keywords: first world warprisoners of warworld war one - Cabinet and its committees
Keywords: cabinet officefirst world warinternational relationssecond world warworld war oneworld war two - Civil or crown servants
Keywords: civil servantscrown servantsgovernment employeesroyal household - Civilian gallantry medals, honours and other awards
Keywords: awardscivilian gallantrygallantry medalshonoursmedals - Coastguard officers
Keywords: coastguard - Coastguard records
Keywords: coastguardcustoms (tax)pensionsshipping - Colonies and dependencies 1815-1870: using Colonial Office indexes to locate correspondence
Keywords: british empirecolonies - Colonies and dependencies 1820-1850: using Colonial Office registers to locate correspondence
Keywords: british empirecolonies - Colonies and dependencies 1850-1926: using Colonial Office registers to locate correspondence
Keywords: british empirecoloniescommonwealth of nationsdominions (british) - Colonies and dependencies from 1782
Keywords: british empirecoloniescommonwealth of nationsdominions (british) - Companies and businesses
Keywords: business historycompanies and businessesindustrylabour history - Company and business history records held by other archives
Keywords: business historycompanies and businessesindustrylabour historytrade and industry - Crimean War records
Keywords: crimean warwars - Crown, church and royalist lands 1642-1660
Keywords: church landscivil war (english)estateslandland ownership - Dissolution of the monasteries 1536-1540
Keywords: abbeysdissolution of the monasteriesmonasteries - Domesday Book
Keywords: domesday bookland ownershipmedieval period All records viewable online - Economic policy and government spending in the 20th century
Keywords: cabinet officeeconomic historyfinancial record of governmenttaxationtreasury - Education history records held by other archives
Keywords: collegeseducation historyschoolsuniversities - Education inspectorate reports
Keywords: collegeseducation historyinspection of schoolspoor lawsschools - Emigration and emigrants
Keywords: america (emigration to)australia (emigration to)canada (emigration to)emigrationnew zealand (emigration to) - Empire and Commonwealth records held by other archives
Keywords: british empirecoloniescommonwealth of nationsdominions (british) - Enclosure awards and maps
Keywords: enclosure (land)land ownershipmaps - Foreign affairs before 1509
Keywords: diplomacyforeign affairsinternational relationsmedieval period - Foreign countries
Keywords: diplomacyforeign affairsforeign officeinternational relations - Foreign Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office records from 1782
Keywords: commonwealth of nationscontrol commissiondiplomacyforeign affairsforeign officeinternational relationstreaties - Foreign Office correspondence 1906-1919
Keywords: diplomacyforeign affairsforeign officeinternational relations - French lands of the English kings
Keywords: france (english lands in)land - General eyres 1194-1348
Keywords: civil litigationcourts of lawcrime and criminalseyres (general)general eyresmedieval periodtrials - German Foreign Ministry and Italian documents 1867-1945 captured by the British
Keywords: german foreign ministrynazi germanysecond world warworld war two - Government datasets
Keywords: agriculturecrime and criminalsdatasetsdigitalgovernmenthealthndad All records viewable online - Health and social policy 1919-1939
Keywords: diseaseshealthmedical servicesmental healthwelfare - Health policy
Keywords: datasetsdoctorshealthhospitalsmedical servicesmental healthnurseswelfare - Home Office correspondence from 1782
Keywords: crime and criminalshealthhome officepoverty - Immigration and immigrants
Keywords: aliens (foreign nationals)british citizenshipimmigrationnaturalisationpassengers - Intelligence and security services
Keywords: espionageintelligence and security servicesmi5 and mi6security servicesspecial operations executive - International boundaries
Keywords: borders (international)boundaries (international)coloniesdiplomacyforeign affairsinternational relationsmaps - Ireland’s Easter Rising 1916
Keywords: courts martialeaster rising (ireland)ireland - Irish maps c.1558-c.1610
Keywords: irelandmaps All records viewable online - Jacobite Risings 1715 and 1745
Keywords: jacobitesscotland - Jews and Jewish communities in the 18th-20th centuries
Keywords: anglo jewish historyemigrationimmigrationjewish history - Labour history records held by other archives
Keywords: industrylabour historytrade unions - League of Nations
Keywords: first world warforeign affairsinternational relationsleague of nationsworld war one - Letters and papers of Henry VIII
Keywords: henry viiipolitical history (general)state papers - Looted art 1939-1961
Keywords: art and artistsforeign affairsinternational relationssecond world warworld war two All records viewable online - Manors
Keywords: land ownershipmanors - Manors: further research
Keywords: landmanorsmaps - Maps and plans
Keywords: mapsplans - Medieval customs’ accounts
Keywords: customs (tax)excise (tax)inland revenuemedieval periodpipe rollstaxation - Medieval financial records: pipe rolls 1130-c.1300
Keywords: economic historyexchequerfinancial records of governmentpipe rolls - Medieval political history
Keywords: medieval periodpolitical history (general) - Merchant ships
Keywords: merchant navyshipping - Merchant trade records: port books 1565-1799
Keywords: customs (tax)port bookstaxation - Mines and mining
Keywords: business historycoal miningindustrylabour historymining - Napoleonic Wars
Keywords: napoleonic warswars - National Farm Survey of England and Wales 1941-1943
Keywords: agriculturedatasetsfarms and farmingmapsnational farm surveystatistics - Naturalisation case papers 1801-1871
Keywords: aliens (foreign nationals)british citizenshipimmigrationnaturalisation All records viewable online - Naturalisation, registration and British citizenship
Keywords: aliens (foreign nationals)british citizenshipcertificates of british citizenshipimmigrationnaturalisation - Nazi persecution
Keywords: control commissionforeign officeholocaustjewishnazinazi persecutionpersecutionwar crimes - Oaths of loyalty to the Crown and Church of England
Keywords: lawyersnonconformistsoath rollsreligious historysacrament certificates - Overseas maps and plans
Keywords: british empirecoloniesinternational relationsmapsplans - Parliament
Keywords: legislationparliamentpolitical history (general) - Political history in the 16th and 17th centuries
Keywords: 16th century17th centuryearly modern periodpolitical history (general) - Political history in the 18th century
Keywords: 18th centuryearly modern periodpolitical history (general) - Political history in the 19th century
Keywords: 19th centurypolitical history (general) - Poverty and the Poor Laws
Keywords: pauperspoor lawspovertyworkhouses - Prime Minister’s Office records
Keywords: prime ministerssecond world warworld war two - Privy Council since 1386
Keywords: foreign affairslaw and orderlegislationprivy council - Propaganda
Keywords: first world warpropagandasecond world warworld war oneworld war two - Public health and epidemics in the 19th and 20th centuries
Keywords: epidemicshealth - Registration of merchant ships
Keywords: merchant navynavyshipping - Royal grants in letters patent and charters from 1199
Keywords: charterslandletters patentpatent rollsroyal grants - Royal Household and Wardrobe
Keywords: crown servantsroyal householdroyal servantsroyal warrant holderstradesmen - Royal Navy operations and policy after 1945
Keywords: admiraltyfleet air armnavyroyal navy - Seals
Keywords: heraldryseals - Second World War
Keywords: nazi germanysecond world warworld war two - Sir Anthony Eden’s private office papers 1935-1946
Keywords: foreign affairsforeign officeinternational relationsprivate paperssecond world war All records viewable online - Slavery and the British transatlantic slave trade
Keywords: british empirecaribbeancoloniesslavery - State Papers Domestic 1547-1649: Tudor and Stuart government papers
Keywords: 16th century17th centurycivil war (english)political history (general)state papers - State Papers Domestic 1642-1660: government papers from the Civil Wars and Interregnum
Keywords: 17th centurycivil war (english)commonwealth 1649-1660political history (general)state papers - State Papers Domestic 1660-1714: Stuart government papers after the Restoration
Keywords: 17th century18th centurypolitical history (general)state papers - State Papers Domestic 1714-1782: Hanoverian government papers
Keywords: 18th centuryjacobitespolitical history (general)state papers - State Papers Foreign 1509-1782: government papers on foreign affairs
Keywords: 16th century17th century18th centuryforeign affairsinternational relationsstate papers - State Papers Ireland 1509-1782: government papers on Irish affairs
Keywords: 16th century17th century18th centuryirelandstate papers - Taxation
Keywords: economic historyfinancial records of governmentinland revenuetaxation - Taxation before 1689
Keywords: economic historyexchequerfinancial records of governmenthearth taxtaxation - Tithes
Keywords: land ownershipmapstaxationtithes - Towns and cities
Keywords: citiestowns - Treasury Board letters and papers 1557-1920
Keywords: early modern periodeconomic historyfinancial record of governmentinland revenuetaxationtreasury - UFOs
Keywords: ufos - Women’s suffrage
Keywords: suffragesuffragettessuffragistsvotes for women
The National Archives
