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...
-
Schools
Recommended guideKeywords: education historyschools - Available on:Alien arrivals
Keywords: aliens (foreign nationals)immigration All records viewable online - Available on:Alien entry books
Keywords: aliens (foreign nationals)migrationnaturalisation All records viewable online - Aliens’ registration cards 1918-1957
Keywords: aliens (foreign nationals)british citizenshipimmigrationnaturalisationpassengers All records viewable online - Apprentices and masters
Keywords: apprenticeshiplabour historymaster craftsmen and tradesmentradesmen - Architectural drawings
Keywords: architecturebuildingsplans - Architectural history records held by other archives
Keywords: architecturebuildingsplans - Art and artists
Keywords: art and artists - Bankrupts and insolvent debtors
Keywords: bankruptsdebtorsinsolvencyprisons and prisoners - Black British social and political history in the 20th century
Keywords: africanblackblack britishcaribbeancivil rightsrace relationswest indian - Bomb Census survey records 1940-1945
Keywords: air raidsbomb censuscasualties of warsecond world warworld war two - Catholics
Keywords: burialscatholicsrecusants catholicreligious history - Available on:Census records
Keywords: censuspopulationstatistics All records viewable online - Chancel repair liabilities in England and Wales
Keywords: chancel repairstithes - Children’s homes
Keywords: borstalschildren's homes - 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 - Crime and punishment
Keywords: convictscourts of lawcrime and criminalslaw and order - Available on:Crime, prisons and punishment 1770-1935
Keywords: crime and criminalsprisons and prisonerstransportation (punishment) All records viewable online - Crimean War records
Keywords: crimean warwars - Crown, church and royalist lands 1642-1660
Keywords: church landscivil war (english)estateslandland ownership - Customs officers
Keywords: customs (tax)inland revenue - Disability history
Keywords: disability - Dissolution of the monasteries 1536-1540
Keywords: abbeysdissolution of the monasteriesmonasteries - Divorce
Keywords: annulment of marriagecourts of lawdivorce - Doctors and nurses
Keywords: doctorshospitalsmedical servicesnursespatients in hospital - 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 - Elementary and primary schools
Keywords: datasetseducation historypoor 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 - Enslaved people and slave owners
Keywords: abolition of slaverybritish empirecaribbeancoloniesslavery - Excise and Inland Revenue officers
Keywords: excise (tax)inland revenue - Famous wills 1552-1854
Keywords: famous peopleprerogative court of canterburyprobatewills All records viewable online - Film, television and performing arts records held by other archives
Keywords: actorsfilmtelevisiontheatre - Garden history records held by other archives
Keywords: gardens - General eyres 1194-1348
Keywords: civil litigationcourts of lawcrime and criminalseyres (general)general eyresmedieval periodtrials - 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 - Hospitals
Keywords: hospitalsmedical services - Houses
Keywords: architecturebuildingshousestitle deeds - Immigration and immigrants
Keywords: aliens (foreign nationals)british citizenshipimmigrationnaturalisationpassengers - Indian indentured labourers
Keywords: indentured labourindian indentured labourlabour history - Intellectual property: copyright records 1842-1924 (and 1887-1955)
Keywords: art and artistscopyright registrationintellectual propertyphotographsstationery office - Intellectual property: patents of invention
Keywords: intellectual propertyinventionspatents of invention - Intellectual property: registered designs 1839-1991
Keywords: copyright registrationdesign manufacturingdiamond marksintellectual propertyregistered designs - Intellectual property: trade marks, 1876-1938
Keywords: intellectual propertypatent officeregistered designstrade marks - International boundaries
Keywords: borders (international)boundaries (international)coloniesdiplomacyforeign affairsinternational relationsmaps - Internees
Keywords: aliens (foreign nationals)first world warinterneesprisoners of warsecond world war - 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 - Land and property for charitable use: trust deeds, 1736-1963
Keywords: charitable trustsconveyance of landdeeds (property ownership)landland ownershiptrust deeds - Land and property ownership: conveyances by feet of fines 1182-1833
Keywords: conveyance of landdeeds (property ownership)fines (land conveyances)landland ownership - Land and property ownership: enrolment and registration of title 1227-c1930
Keywords: conveyance of landdeeds (property ownership)landland ownershiptitle deeds - Land inheritance in the Court of Wards and Liveries 1540-1645
Keywords: civil litigationcourts of lawdeeds (property ownership)landland ownershipwards and liveries (court of) - Land ownership, use and rights: common lands
Keywords: common landlandland ownership - Land use, value and ownership: Valuation Office Survey 1910-1915
Keywords: finance 1909-1910 actlandland ownershipmapstaxationvaluation office - Landed estates
Keywords: estateestates (landed gentry)land - Lawyers
Keywords: attorneysbarristerslawyerssolicitors - London Metropolitan Police
Keywords: metropolitan policepolice - Looted art 1939-1961
Keywords: art and artistsforeign affairsinternational relationssecond world warworld war two All records viewable online - Lunatic asylums, psychiatric hospitals and mental health
Keywords: asylums (hospitals)hospitalslunatic asylumsmental health - Manorial documents and lordships and how to use the Manorial Documents Register
Keywords: land ownershipmanorial documents registermanors - Manors
Keywords: land ownershipmanors - Manors: further research
Keywords: landmanorsmaps - Maps and plans
Keywords: mapsplans - Markets and fairs
Keywords: chartersfairsmarkets - Medieval financial records: pipe rolls 1130-c.1300
Keywords: economic historyexchequerfinancial records of governmentpipe rolls - Merchant ships
Keywords: merchant navyshipping - Militia
Keywords: armybritish armymedalsmilitiapensionssoldiervolunteer soldiers - Mines and mining
Keywords: business historycoal miningindustrylabour historymining - 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 - Newspapers
Keywords: newspaperspress - Available on:Nonconformist and non-parish births, marriages and deaths 1567-1969
Keywords: baptismsbirthsdeathsmarriagesnonconformists All records viewable online - Nonconformists
Keywords: baptismsbirthsdeathsmarriagesnonconformistsreligious history - Olympic and Paralympic Games and sporting history
Keywords: olympicsparalympicssport - Available on:Passenger lists
Keywords: emigrationimmigrationpassengersshipping All records viewable online - Passengers
Keywords: aliens (foreign nationals)passengers - Passports
Keywords: british citizenshipemigrationimmigrationnaturalisationpassport - People in business and trades
Keywords: business historyindustrylabour historytrade and industrytradesmen - Photographs
Keywords: photographs - Police
Keywords: metropolitan policepoliceroyal irish constabularytransport police - Poverty and the Poor Laws
Keywords: pauperspoor lawspovertyworkhouses - Prisoners and prison staff
Keywords: convictscrime and criminalslaw and orderprisons and prisoners - Prisons
Keywords: convictscrime and criminalslaw and orderprisons and prisoners - Propaganda
Keywords: first world warpropagandasecond world warworld war oneworld war two - Public health and epidemics in the 19th and 20th centuries
Keywords: epidemicshealth - Public rights of way, roads and other highways
Keywords: landmapsordnance surveypublic rights of wayrights of way - Available on:Railway employment records 1833-1956
Keywords: railways All records viewable online - Railway workers
Keywords: railwaystrains - Railways
Keywords: railwaystrains - Recommendations for military honours and awards 1935-1990
Keywords: armyawardsgallantry medalshonoursmedalssecond world warworld war two All records viewable online - Refugees
Keywords: aliens (foreign nationals)immigrationjewish historyminoritiesrefugees - Registration of merchant ships
Keywords: merchant navynavyshipping - Royal Irish Constabulary
Keywords: irelandpoliceroyal irish constabulary - Second World War
Keywords: nazi germanysecond world warworld war two - Secondary schools
Keywords: datasetseducation historyschools - Sexuality and gender identity history
Keywords: gay and lesbian historylesbian and gay historylgbtlgbtq - Slavery and the British transatlantic slave trade
Keywords: british empirecaribbeancoloniesslavery - Special services in education
Keywords: datasetseducation historyschools - Teacher training
Keywords: educational historyschoolsteachers - Teachers and pupils
Keywords: educational historyschoolsteachers - Technical colleges and further education
Keywords: collegeseducational historyuniversities - 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 - Victorian prisoners’ photograph albums 1872-1873
Keywords: photographsprisons and prisoners All records viewable online - Villages and the countryside
Keywords: countrysidenational parkparishruralvillages - Wills 1384-1858
Keywords: deathsprerogative court of canterburyprobatewills All records viewable online - Wills and probate before 1858: further research
Keywords: deathsprerogative court of canterburyprobatewills - Wills or administrations after 1858
Keywords: administrations of probatedeath duties (tax)prerogative court of canterburyprobatewills - Wills or administrations before 1858
Keywords: administrations of probatedeathsprobatewills - Women’s suffrage
Keywords: suffragesuffragettessuffragistsvotes for women - Workhouse inmates and staff
Keywords: pauperspoor lawsworkhouses - Workhouses
Keywords: pauperspoor lawsworkhouses
The National Archives
