We have a number of resources to help you find the records you need. Use the box below to search the main databases, or select the most appropriate one from the list. Those databases included in the search are indicated by an asterisk (*).
Search descriptions of 11 million documents from the UK central government, law courts and other national bodies.
Search or browse a selection of Cabinet papers, 1915-1977.
Search and download paper documents that have been scanned, including wills and medal index cards.
Search and download modern UK government documents that were created in a digital format, including records of public inquiries and parliamentary committees.
Search papers relating to civil court cases in the late 17th and early 18th centuries (C 6).
Search and download sets of data and statistics generated by the UK government.
Search the catalogue of The National Archives' reference library.
Search by place for descriptions of documents relating to medieval and early-modern taxation (E 179).
Search the records of everyone who served on the British side in the Battle of Trafalgar.
View historical snapshots of UK government websites.
Read what others have written about records and contribute your own knowledge of archival sources.
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Search and download census records from 1841 to 1911.
Visit ancestry.co.uk to search and download surviving First World War service records (surnames A-N) and pension records (WO 363 and WO 364).
Visit bmdregisters.co.uk to search and download birth, marriage and death records from non-conformist and other non-parish sources 1567-1840 (RG 4 - RG 8).
Search and download lists of ship passengers who arrived in (1878-1960) or left (1890-1960) the UK (BT 26 and BT 27).
An annual listing of new documents and collections acquired by record repositories throughout the British Isles.
Search catalogues describing archives held throughout England.
Find contact details for record repositories in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in the world.
Search for collections of hospital records in the United Kingdom.
Search a partial database of the locations of manorial records in local and national record offices or private hands.
Search for archival collections relating to British history held throughout the UK and beyond.