United Kingdom: Archives, Libraries, Census Records and Gateway Sites
The National Archives. This extensive site offers information and guidance for family history research. There is an online catalogue and DocumentsOnline offers access to indexes (free) and digitised images (for a fee) to many series of records held. See Military, Online Databases and Wills for details.
Access2Archives (A2A). The A2A database contains catalogues describing archives held throughout England dating from the 900s to the present day. It currently has 10+ million catalogue entries from 414 record offices and other repositories.
The British Library collections include manuscripts, maps, music, newspapers, patents, trademarks and designs plus much more.
The National Archives, Manorial Documents Register (MDR) identifies the location of manorial records. The MDR is online for Wales, the Isle of Wight, Hampshire, Norfolk, Surrey, Middlesex, Yorkshire, Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire (north).
COPAC merged online access to university and national library catalogues in the UK and Ireland.
The University of York, Borthwick Institute for Archives with guides, lists and finding aids.
Archives Hub. A national gateway to descriptions of archives in UK universities and colleges.
The
ARCHON Directory provides contact details for
record offices, libraries and other record collecting institutions throughout
the United Kingdom and overseas.
The National Archives Domesday Book Online records the great survey of England made by order of William the Conqueror 1085-1086. This first census of England is searchable by place name, people or folio reference. Each Domesday entry contains a modern place name, a modern county and a Domesday place name as it would have been spelt in the 11th century.
FamilySearch offers free access to the 1881 British Isles census (transcripts). The new RecordSearch pilot site offers free access to indexes for the 1841 and 1861 England and Wales census plus a link to access to the original images via FindMyPast (fees apply).
FreeCen. This ongoing project aims to provide a free online database of UK census returns 1841-1891. Data is being progressively added as it becomes available. Many counties in England and Scotland have been completed and are online. Check for your counties of interest on a regular basis.
Cornwell
Online Census Project.
This project is part of the FreeCen project. The current online status
is 1841, 1851, 1861 and 1891 censuses complete with the 1871 and 1881
ongoing.
Ancestry.co.uk UK records include 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891 and 1901 census for England, Scotland and Wales. The records are fully indexed with a free surname search. A variety of subscription options offer access to the digitised copies of the original records. Note that only transcriptions are available for Scotland not digitised copies of the original record.
WorldVitalRecords.com. This commercial site offers access to the 1841, 1861, 1871, 1881 and 1891 census of England & Wales. The records are fully indexed with a free surname search. A variety of subscription options offer access to digitised copies of the original records.
1901
Census for England and Wales.
A free index search is available and a fee applies
for access to more detailed information and the original images. The
free name search lists name, age, where born, administrative county,
civil parish and occupation.
1911 Census for England and Wales. A free index search
is available and a fee applies to access transcripts and the original images.
The free name search lists schedule type, names, sex, birth year, age in 1911,
district and county.
British Origins.
The 1841, 1861 and 1871 census, index and digital images are available for
England and Wales.There is a free surname
search
and a fee applies for full
access. New data is being added on a regular basis.
Find My Past offers access to the 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891 and 1901 census
of
England & Wales. The records are fully indexed with a free
surname
and address search. A variety of subscription options offer access
to digitised copies of the original records.
The Genealogist
offers indexes and transcripts for the 1841, 1851,
1861 1871,
1891 and 1901 censuses for counties in England and Wales.
Online
images of the original record are also available. There is
a range
of subscription options.
Gateway
and Information Sites
GENUKI UK
and Ireland Genealogy.
This vast genealogical collection details societies,
archives, libraries, and surname sites. There is access
to directories, parish, cemetery and census records
plus much
more. There is a comprehensive site search engine. This
site is a
must for UK research.
BritishIslesGenWeb Project has country websites available for the Caribbean Islands,Channel Islands, England, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Ireland, Isle of Man, Northern Ireland, Scotland, St Helena and Wales.
Ancestor-search.info. This well designed gateway site aims to provide all the basic links for those tracing their English and Welsh ancestors. It describes the main sources of information in clear understandable terms. There are lots of useful hints and tips. A great site for those new to family history research or those planning a research visit to England or Wales.
The National Archives, Research Guides A to Z. This extensive collection of hyper-linked Research Guides includes many of interest to family history researchers.RootsWeb England (240+) Mailing Lists. A great way to find others with similar research interests.
National Archives (UK). Palaeography: Reading Old Handwriting 1500-1800. A practical online tutorial to learn to read the handwriting found in documents written in English (1500-1800).
Moving Here provides free online access to resources which record and illustrate the migration of the Caribbean, Irish, Jewish and South Asian communities to England over the past two centuries.FamilySearch. Click on Search then Research Helps then the letter E for access to a series of excellent guides for research in England.
England Genealogy Forum where you can post and view messages.
RootsChat.com is an easy to use messaging forum for those researching family or local history. The focus is on Ireland and the British Isles.
The National Archives Catalogue has descriptions to Records of Naturalisation (1844-1935) available. Both surname and given name can be entered but should be separated by AND. Type HO (Home Office) as the department/series code. A search returns name, previous nationality, the town they came from and naturalisation details. Aliases and anglicised names are also catalogued.Office of Public Sector Information - Chronological Tables of Local and of Private Acts. These list the Acts of the Parliaments of the United Kingdom. The Local Acts table covers 1797-2006. The Private and Personal Acts table covers 1539-2006 and includes those seeking naturalisations, divorces and name changes plus details of estate sales. A name search is available.
Victoria County History (VCH) site details this English local history publishing project. There are helpful hints for researching local history. VCH Online provides status information and links to available online material for the counties of England.
The Online House Detective. This site has been designed for those interested in tracing the history of a house. There is a comprehensive list, with examples, of the types of records used to research a property.LookupUK.com. A resource centre for finding lost friends or relatives in the UK.
Genes
Reunited. This
site offers a variety of services including free hosting for family
trees and free access to the information contributed by others.
Registration is required and fees apply for the contact details of a
contributing researcher and for use of the online census and BDM
databases.
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© Cora Num 1997-2010. Last updated 21 March 2010