Primary Source Series from The Social History Archive
The Primary Source Series are thematic, digital collections that bring together carefully selected archival materials and historical newspapers from The Social History Archive. Each series focuses on a specific topic, region, or time period, providing researchers, educators, and students with direct access to the voices, documents, and experiences of the past.
Created in collaboration with leading record repositories and publishers, these series are designed to support both academic research and teaching within Higher Education. Browse the full collection below or dive into individual series to explore the materials and stories they uncover.
Featured series
Women and War in Britain in the Twentieth Century
This series delves into the experiences of women taking on essential roles during First and Second World Wars in Britain, both within the military and as labourers in the fields. It brings together images and transcripts from original records held at The National Archives related to the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS or Wrens), the Women’s Royal Air Force (WRAF), and the Women’s Land Army (Land Girls).
Our Newspaper Primary Source Series
Explore our Newspaper Primary Source Series, featuring curated collections of millions of digitised newspaper pages from the eighteenth to the twenty-first centuries. Created in partnership with the British Library and leading publishers, these series offer unique insights into the history of Britain, Ireland, and the former Empire as told through the press.
Illustrated Newspapers, 1842-2009
Discover over 1.8 million pages from the most comprehensive online collection of illustrated newspapers, digitised in partnership with Illustrated London News, the British Library and leading publishers. Spanning more than 150 years of illustrated journalism, this collection captures striking visual representations of everyday life, royal occasions, war, politics, social change, fashion, science, the arts, and more. It reveals how illustrated newspapers transformed media and advertising, shaped public understanding of events, and documented cultural life in vivid detail through pioneering engravings, illustrations, and photography.
Irish Newspapers I, 1708-1905
Discover over 260 newspaper titles from the world-famous British Newspaper Archive, offering insights into Ireland, its history and how its people responded to the transformations of the eighteenth and long nineteenth centuries. These newspapers chart everything from the eighteenth-century colonial Protestant ascendency, the 1798 rebellion and the entrenchment of the Catholic church to the Great Irish Famine, the emergence of industrial Belfast and the beginning of the struggle for Independence. This series has been digitised in partnership with the British Library and leading publishers.
Irish Newspapers II, 1900-2009
Discover over 160 newspaper titles from the world-famous British Newspaper Archive, offering insights into Ireland, its history and how its people responded to the transformations of the long twentieth century. From the foundation of the Irish Free State (Saorstát Éireann) alongside the Province of Northern Ireland in 1922 to the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 and beyond, this collection charts the major events in modern Irish history. This series has been digitised in partnership with the British Library and leading publishers.
Northern English Newspapers I, 1711-1905
Discover over 330 newspaper titles from the world-famous British Newspaper Archive, offering insight into the North of England, its history, and how its population responded to sweeping change. From the transformation of the region from an agrarian, pre-industrial landscape through to the Industrial Revolution, these newspapers chart the rise of industrial cities such as Manchester, Leeds, and Newcastle, the emergence of labour movements and early trade unionism, and the rapid expansion of the railways that reshaped both commerce and daily life, among many other topics. This series has been digitised in partnership with the British Library and leading publishers.
Northern English Newspapers II, 1900-1945
Discover over 230 newspaper titles from the world-famous British Newspaper Archive, offering insight into the North of England, its history, and how its population responded to sweeping change. From the turn of the twentieth century through the wars, economic depression, and profound social transformation, these newspapers reveal the impact of industrial unrest and labour movements, the rise of the Labour Party, and the changing roles of women in public and political life. They also capture the everyday realities of communities during the First and Second World Wars as well as the early foundations of the welfare state. This series has been digitised in partnership with the British Library and leading publishers.
Northern English Newspapers III, 1940-2003
Discover over 140 newspaper titles from the world-famous British Newspaper Archive, offering insight into the North of England, its communities, and how they navigated the sweeping changes of the post-war decades, the Cold War, and the advent of the twenty-first century. These newspapers capture the spirit of a region defined by working-class resilience, the rise of iconic football clubs, and the cultural explosion of Northern Soul and rock music. From the struggles of de-industrialisation to the pride of local identity, this collection reflects the everyday experiences that shaped modern Northern English life. This series has been digitised in partnership with the British Library and leading publishers.
Scottish Newspapers I, 1699-1905
Discover over 230 newspaper titles from the world-famous British Newspaper Archive, offering insight into Scotland, its history and how the people of the country responded to key transformations of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, including the Jacobite rebellions, the Industrial revolution and more. This series has been digitised in partnership with the British Library and leading publishers.
Scottish Newspapers II, 1900-2022
Discover over 150 newspaper titles from the world-famous British Newspaper Archive, offering insight into Scotland, its history and how the people of the country responded to key transformations of the twentieth and the beginning of the twenty-first century, including the introduction of the welfare state, the growth of nationalism, the technological revolution and more. This series has been digitised in partnership with the British Library and leading publishers.
Voices of Empire: Newspapers from British Colonial Territories, 1771-1962
Discover over 55 newspaper titles from the British Library’s world-famous British Newspaper Archive collection offering insight into the British Empire, its expansion, and the narratives that shaped its rule. Covering territories across multiple continents, this collection reveals how the British press was used as a tool of imperial control and influence to justify colonisation under the guise of ‘progress’ and ‘civilisation’, and highlights the complex ties between colonialism, slavery, and race, among many other topics.
Welsh Newspapers, 1827-1963
Discover over 100 newspaper titles from the world-famous British Newspaper Archive, offering insight into Wales, its history and how the people of the country responded to key transformations over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, including the Industrial Revolution, the introduction of the welfare state and more. This series has been digitised in partnership with the British Library and leading publishers.
Our Records Primary Source Series
Discover our Records Primary Source Series, showcasing thematic collections of thousands of digitised historical records from The National Archives and other major archives. These records shed light on the economic, cultural, social, and political history of Britain, Ireland, and the former Empire, and are an unmissable resource for teaching and research.
British Emigration Records, 1573-1677
The records in this collection include oaths of allegiance taken by soldiers who left Britain to serve in the Low Countries between 1613 and 1633, licenses for individuals travelling from Britain to Europe between 1573 and 1677, as well as registers pertaining to travel from Britain to Barbados, New England and other British colonies between 1634 and 1639.
British Trade Union Membership Registers, 1871-1947
This collection of British Trade Union documents from the University of Warwick’s Modern Records Centre includes over 188,000 digitised images of historical records from 25 different unions. It comprises admission books, annual reports and membership lists. It also includes records from international union branches in Ireland, Australia, Spain, the United States and more.
Clandestine Marriages in England, 1667-1775
This series brings together a selection of documents from The National Archives' Register General (RG) series 7. It uncovers the details of thousands of clandestine or irregular marriages that were performed outside of the Anglican Church between 1667 and 1775.
Crime, Prisons and Punishment in England and Wales, 1770-1935
This series consists of more than 1.9 million images from The National Archives related to individuals who passed through the justice system in England and Wales between 1770 and 1935. Revealing information on trials, sentences and prison life can be found within. The courtyard of Holloway Prison. © Mary Evans Picture Library / Maurice Ambler Collection
Easter Rising and Ireland Under Martial Law, 1916-1921
This series provides access to records from The National Archives related to those who participated in or were affected by Ireland's Easter Rising in April 1916. It also documents the names of civilians and soldiers who were court-martialed in the years following the Rising and British Army and Royal Irish Constabulary search and raid reports, which were created during the War of the Independence as guerrilla warfare spread across Ireland between 1919 and 1921. Guarding the Ulster & Leinster Bank ruins, Dublin, 1916 © Mary Evans Picture Library
Guernsey: Life on the Islands, 1560-2000
This series is the result of the first large-scale digitisation project across the entire Bailiwick of Guernsey, made possible through the participation of the Priaulx Library, Island Archives, Greffe, parish churches, and the local family history society. It brings together over 204,000 images of historical records from the Bailick of Guernsey covering a wide range of topics, including social, cultural, economic, and labour history, making it an unmissable resource for academics and researchers.
Irish Maps, 1558-1610
Cartography played a key role in the creation and consolidation of the British Empire, serving both military and administrative purposes. This series features 68 maps of Ireland from The National Archives, dating from the late sixteenth to the early seventeenth century. It includes beautifully illustrated maps by renowned cartographers such as Robert Lythe, Francis Jobson, Richard Bartlett and John Norden.
Irish Poverty Relief Loans, 1821–1874
This collection of records offers a unique insight into the effects of the Irish Famine (1845–1852) on Ireland's western seaboard. The records are from The National Archives and relate to the Irish Reproductive Loan Fund and cover the years before and during the Irish Famine. Details recorded include the names of borrowers, their guarantors, occupation, notes of health, family circumstances and further information such as whether the borrower died, emigrated, was arrested or survived.
Jacobite Rebellions, 1715 and 1745
This series contains over 10,000 digitised images of historical records from The National Archives documenting the British government’s response to the Jacobite Rebellions of 1715 and 1745, together with three volumes from the National Library of Scotland. This series provides access to prisoner lists, pardons, transportation warrants, correspondence, commissions, briefs of evidence, and more, offering a detailed view of this turbulent period in British and Scottish history. Battle of Prestonpans. © Mary Evans Picture Library
Kindertransport, 1938-1948
It is estimated that 10,000 mostly Jewish children were evacuated from Europe through the Kindertransport, the British rescue action carried out nine months before the outbreak of the Second World War. This collection of digitised government documents, held by The National Archives, gives a unique insight into the experience of the Kinder from their arrival to the end of the war. Jewish Refugee Children arriving in England. © Mary Evans / brandstaetter images
Prisoners of War, 1630-1945
This is an extensive collection of records that shed light on the experiences of individuals captured in various global conflicts. These records encompass centuries of warfare, ranging from the Thirty Years’ War to both World Wars, and are sourced from The National Archives and The Naval & Military Press. This series includes documents from the Foreign Office, Colonial Office, War Office, and more, with materials such as nominal rolls, death certificates, camp inspection reports, and personal letters. Notably, the series highlights the daily realities of prisoners of war (POWs), including the conditions in camps and the experiences of both military and civilian prisoners. Prisoners of war returning home, Hull, England © Robert Hunt / Mary Evans Picture Library
Roman Catholic Records from England and Wales, 1717
This collection of records from The National Archives features deeds, claims, correspondence, and related documents produced before the Commissioners of the Forfeited Estates, concerning properties forfeited to the Crown from Roman Catholics (known as ‘Popish recusants’) during and after the 1715 rebellion.
Royal African Company, 1694-1743
These records are part of The National Archives' T 70 series, ‘Company of Royal Adventurers of England Trading with Africa and successors’. They contain the names of thousands of individuals who travelled on board the Royal African Company's ships to and from Africa, as well as the names of those who lived and died at the numerous company forts.
Suffragette Collection, 1894-1936
This series brings together records from The National Archives and newspapers from the British Library documenting the women and men who supported women’s suffrage in the early twentieth century. It includes arrest records, parliamentary papers, personal statements, reports of force-feeding, speech transcripts, and a watch list of thousands of suffragettes. The collection also offers access to 13 newspapers dating from 1894 to 1945, including thousands of pages from titles such as The Suffragette, later known as Britannia. Suffragettes with ‘Votes for Women’ sign. © The March of the Women Collection / Mary Evans Picture Library
Women and War in Britain in the Twentieth Century
This series delves into the experiences of women taking on essential roles during First and Second World Wars in Britain, both within the military and as labourers in the fields. It brings together images and transcripts from original records held at The National Archives related to the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS or Wrens), the Women’s Royal Air Force (WRAF), and the Women’s Land Army (Land Girls).
Editorial Board
These collections are designed to make rich historical material more approachable. By bringing together thematically focused sources in one place, the Primary Source Series help researchers, students, and educators engage more deeply with the past, and develop the critical skills needed to interpret it.
