Archives & Libraries

For many people the first access they have with history outside of school is in the local library. Libraries are often the repository of huge swathes of local knowledge and expertise, while national libraries hold the key to pulling local knowledge together. In many places across the UK the library is a positioned in close proximity to the local archives, and even when they are not the two bodies have much in common and much to complement each other.  In this section information and articles will support the use and understanding of these two important history supporting bodies and inform those working in the sector.

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  • Newspaper Collection

    Article

    Richard Heaton's collection of newspapers consists of over 800 free searchable extracts and full transcripts of English and Irish, Georgian and early Victorian Regional newspapers. It is one the largest free collections on the web full of unique material bringing you one step closer to your ancestors and their world,...

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  • Out and About in Oxford

    Article

    The Sheffield Branch of the Historical Association is a very active one. In addition to our monthly meetings we organise a range of study visits, from one-day trips to longer residential tours in the UK and occasionally in mainland Europe. In recent years, these have included visits to Portsmouth, Lincoln and Newark, Newcastle and Northumberland, and the battlefields of Waterloo....

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  • Public History Courses

    Article

    What is Public History? Public History is about understanding how the past has affected, and is used by, the present. It brings history to life and helps us understand the relationship between the past and the public at present. Public History can involve history in the community, and a Public...

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  • Stories, sources and new formats: Digitising Archives

    Article

    In the last two decades or so there has been a movement towards digitising large collections of original sources. These projects have had a range of purposes, approaches and target audiences but there can be little doubt that they have had a profound impact on the practice of history in...

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  • The 1669 Return of Nonconformist Conventicles

    Article

    The survey of Return of Conventicles completed during the summer of 1669 on the instructions of Archbishop Sheldon is the most important source available for studying the earliest periods of religious dissent after the Restoration, because with the exception of the Quakers, only a handful of records belonging to dissenters...

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  • The Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms and Europe

    Article

    The riches of surviving Anglo-Saxon manuscripts showcased in a fabulous new exhibition at the British Library emphasises the essential interconnections between England and the Continent.

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  • The Bibliography of British and Irish History

    Article

    The Bibliography of British and Irish History (BBIH) is the most extensive guide available to published writing on British and Irish history.  It covers the history of British and Irish relations with the rest of the world, including the British empire and the Commonwealth, as well as British and Irish...

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  • The British Film Institute

    Article

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  • The British Library

    Article

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  • The East of England Regional Archive Council

    Article

    The East of England Regional Archive Council was formed in 1999 and represents  users of archives as well as custodians of archives working within the East of England.  The East of England Region consists of the six geographical counties of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.  Members of the...

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  • The Georgian Papers – a virtual ‘madness’

    2nd December 2019

    Last month the Georgian Papers Programme released a new virtual exhibition available online. Exploring the myth and reality of the alleged ‘madness of King George III’, the exhibition is an interesting step in examining the past and exploring its relevance for contemporary discourses. Entitled ‘George III: the Eighteenth Century’s Most...

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  • The Historical Manuscripts Commission

    Article

    The Historical Manuscripts Commission (or, to give it its full and formal title, the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts) was established in 1869. Its purpose was to enquire into the existence and whereabouts of manuscripts of value for the study of British history, and to make the results of its...

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  • The Institute of Historical Research

    Article

    The following podcasts are from an interview between Dr Andrew Foster, chair of our Public History Committee with Professor Miles Taylor, Director of the Institute of Historical Research. The podcasts look at the work of the IHR - what it aims to do for the historical profession and wider public, the...

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  • The Institute of Historical Research (IHR)

    Article

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  • The National Archives (TNA)

    Article

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  • The Royal Historical Society (RHS)

    Article

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  • The School of Advanced Study

    Article

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  • The secret diaries of William Wilberforce

    Article

    John Coffey shows us what insights can be gained from the diaries of leading abolitionist, William Wilberforce. The diary is a distinctively modern genre... In English, the first diaries date from the Tudor era, but it is in the seventeenth century that the trickle becomes a flood. Alongside the famous...

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  • Untold Lives - Sharing Stories from the Past

    Article

    Untold Live - British Library History Blog The British Library's collections contain stories of people's lives worldwide, from the dawn of history to the present day. They are told through the written word, images, audio-visual and digital materials. The Untold Lives blog shares those stories, providing fascinating and unusual insights...

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  • Using Medieval Sources

    Multipage Article

    In this short video Professor Mark Ormrod, Dr Jessica Lutkin and Dr Jonathan Mackman discuss their work on the England's Immigrants 1330-1550 project and give an idea of how they use primary medieval sources in their historical research.

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