This page provides an overview of what each of the 70+ sites has to offer. I have provided links to some blog post where I go into further detail on how to get the most out of them. The following list has been divided into Britain (covers both England and Scotland), England, Scotland, Ireland, and Australia. Some regions have been further divided by county (namely Lancashire, London/Middlesex, and Staffordshire for England; Angus for Scotland). In some cases, these have been further divided into specific topic (ie. maps, newspapers, military, institutions, and occupations).
Sites that require a paid subscription have been identified with ($), and reference materials have been identified by (*).
Britain
1. Familysearch
Family Search has parish records from several counties
across England. Not all the records have
been indexed/transcribed (meaning that they wont show up in your search results). If you are not finding what you are looking for try searching by area to see what is available in the “Image Only
Historical Records”.
2. Free CEN
Their collection is limited compared to other sites however it is free and the transcriptions contain most of the census information.
3. Linkpendium
Linkpendium is a database of links that are organized by geographical region. There is also a search that allows the site to be searched by surname. If your trying to identify resources for a specific region within the UK this is a helpful place to start. Be advised that some of the links are old and may no longer work.
4. Historical Directories of England and Wales
The University of Leicester's special collections features 689 local and trade directories that span from the 1760's to 1910's. The collection is comprised of Kelly's, Pigot's, and regional directories that can be searched by name, place, or occupation.
5. Victorian Web (*)
This site provides information about almost all aspects of Victorian life
6. Glossary of Medical Terms Used in the 18th and 19th Centuries (*)
Alphabetized list of medical terms that commonly appeared on death certificated during the 18th and 19th centuries.
7. GenUki (*)
GENUKI provides a virtual reference library of genealogical information of particular relevance to the UK and Ireland. It is a non-commercial service, maintained by a charitable trust and a group of volunteers.
Maps
1. National Library of Scotland - Map Collection (*)
This collections offers eight different types of maps. Each map type allows the chosen historical map to be overlayed over the modern map. Despite what the library name suggests, the maps span all of the United Kingdom and some even include neighbouring countries.
2. Ordnance Surveys (via British History Online) (*)
The Ordnance Survey maps include the complete 1:10,560 series and selected areas of the 1:2,500 maps. Both can be searched by keyword, title or postcode.
3. Old Maps Online (*)
This site features over 150 free downloadable maps of the UK.
4. A Vision of Britain (*)
This site provide maps, statistical trends and historical descriptions of places in the UK going back to 1801.
Newspapers
1. British Newspaper Archive ($)
Just as the name implies, this archive has newspapers from all across the British Isles dating back centuries. If your ancestor made the paper, the odds are that this site has it. Newspapers are a great resource to learn more about your ancestor’s life. Whether it be a brush with the law or some exciting event newspapers provide a very detailed account of the event which you are unlikely to find anywhere else. As an add bonus the search engine allows you to search for exact matches as well as for ones with a similar spelling. Although a subscription is required to view the original newspaper, a portion of the transcription can be viewed for free. I mentioned how to use BNA here.
2. The Gazette
Copies of the Edinburgh, London, and Belfast Gazettes have been digitalized online by the British government and are free to search. Like many newspaper databases, searches are conducted using optical character recognition (OCR).
Military
1. Commonwealth War Graves
If your trying to research fallen military ancestors from WW1 and WW2, than this is a great place to start. It contains records for the entire British commonwealth therefore you will find graves of soldiers who served for countries outside of the present day UK (ie. Canada). This is not a complete nor exhaustive collection so dont be surprised if your ancestor is missing - as was the case for me. Aside from containing personal graves, the site contains information about memorials and cemeteries.
2. Forces War Records ($)
This site boasts a collection of over 27 MILLION military records that begin in the pre-Napoleonic era and continue until after WW2. Be advised that, although it offers the option to create a free account, you are only able to view records with a paid subscription. In terms of free records, they do offer indepth battalion history which can be accessed here.
3. British Genealogy Forum (*)
This genealogy forum is run in association with Forces War Records. The entire forum is unable to be searched, however it is possible to search within specific threads.
4. The Long Long Trail - Researching British Army Soldiers in the Great War (1914-1918) (*)
The Long Long Trail was a privately owned site that was founded in 1996. Its mission is to " build a comprehensive online order of battle for the British Army in the First World War". In addition to providing highly detailed content about battles and battalions, the site also offers information about how to research soldiers within your own family tree.
5. Lives of the First World War
Featured as part of the Imperial War Museum website, this resource features a searchable database of commonwealth soldiers. It claims to feature over 7.7 million stories, each of which is complete with linked references. The stories are displayed on a timeline with additional information being in the forms of pictures and documents. What makes this site unique is that it not only tells the stories of soldiers, but also the stories of those that contributed by providing medical care and working on the home front. This site provides a good starting point for researching military history.
6. The Western Front Association ($) (*)
The Western Front Association was formed in 1980 to maintain interest in the period 1914-1918, to perpetuate the memory, courage and comradeship of those on all sides who served their countries in France and Flanders and their own countries during the Great War.
7. Families in British India Society (FIBIS)
FIBIS is the leading family history organisation focusing on assisting genealogists to research ancestors who lived in India. FIBIS was established as a charity in the latter half of 1998 and membership has grown to well over 1400 people in the UK and overseas. The charity’s primary aim is educational – to help individuals research their ancestors and the society in which they lived. This includes providing free access to records for soldiers and their families who lived in British India.
8. British Red Cross volunteers during WW1
Over 90,000 people volunteered for the British Red Cross during the war. This searchable database contains personnel records, and information about what Red Cross volunteers were doing on both the home front and overseas.
Institutions
1. The Workhouse: The Story of an Institution (*)
This site contains information about the workhouses and poor law district schools. The information for each has been organized by county. Additionally, they provide an insight with pictures of what it would have been like living inside the workhouse. Added bonus: they have some census records for inmates and staff!
2. Hidden Lives Revealed: Children in Care (1881 to 1981)
This site provides an intriguing perspective of what it would have been like for children who were in care of The Children's Society during the late Victorian and early 20th Century Britain. The site features images, reference materials, as well as a searchable database of case files.
3. Missing Ancestors
This website contains free information from various sources, relating to genealogy/family history during the 19th and early 20th century, in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Most notably, this site contains information about the industrial and reformatory school system and includes a searchable database for court registers for part of London's East End.
4. Prison History (*)
Provides a searchable database containing information about prisons in the British Isles between 1500 and 1999. Information includes (but is not limited to): alternative names, prison type, operational dates, and location.
Occupations
1. Victorian Occupations of the 1891 Census (*)
This website has a large collection of Victorian occupations which commonly appeared in census and BMD records. Of all the purely information based websites that I use, I find myself returning to this one the most frequently because of how comprehensive it is. This is a great resource to use if you want find out what an occupation entailed and/or what the modern equivalent is.
2. Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland (1851-1951)
This database allows you to research people and places associated with the sculpting trades in England, Ireland, and Scotland. This included stone masons, moulders, founders, etc. This resource has been mentioned here and here.
3. British Railways (*)
Provides an overview of railway freight operations, specific lines, and companies beginning in the 1830s.
4. The Coal Mining History Resource Centre
UK's largest and most comprehensive website concerning the history of coalmining - including a searchable database of over 164,000 recorded accidents and deaths.
5. Railway Work, Life, & Death
The Railway Museum offers a downloadable database containing details about railway worker accidents investigated by the state (1900-15 and 1921-1939), applications to the Great Eastern Railway Benevolent Fund (1913-23) for assistance after an accident, and seven runs of data produced by the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants/ National Union of Railwaymen trade union between 1889 and 1920: legal cases (1901-1905), death claims, disablement claims, fatal and non-fatal compensation, the orphan fund and representation at coroner’s inquests.
6. UK Textile Mills (*)
The textile mills illustrated in the website represent an important part of the industrial revolution, and show significant developments in industrial architecture, and in many cases are designs that show a unique architectural style. Many of these buildings have now been put to other uses or in some cases have been demolished.
7. Sugar Refiners & Sugarbakers Database
This database provides the following information about individuals who were involved in the English sugar industry between the 16th and early 20th century: names, origins, company, address, and reference to sources. It should be noted that this database is not exhaustive.
8. The Archive of 20th Century Theatrical Scenery Built by Burnskill & Loveday Ltd (*)
This site was created by Ted Loveday, with details and programme covers for some 13,500 productions in hundreds of Theatres throughout the UK and abroad. The database covers productions that the scenery builders Brunskill & Loveday LTD produced sets for, during the 20th century - A fantastic resource for anyone wanting to know which shows were in which Theatres and when.
9. Theatres Trust (*)
Theatres Trust is the national advice and advocacy body for the UK’s theatres supporting all forms of theatres. The site features a searchable database of both past and present theatres throughout the UK.
England
1. Rootschat (*)
Rootschat is a free message board on a site that is now
owned by Ancestry. You do not require an account to view the message threads,
however you do require one to contribute. One of the things I love about this
site is that it makes it easy to find people who are researching the same
family. These distant relatives often have found information on an ancestor
that you did not know about, and/or they may have posted copies of relevant
records on those threads. If you think someone is researching the same family
as you, consider going through their post history to see if they have
contributes to other threads which may not show up in web searches or on the
internal search tool.
2. UK BMD
Each county has their own website which features a
searchable index of births, marriages, and deaths starting in 1837. Although
the results provide limited information, they can be valuable if you have a
unique surname for a particular area or if you know the approximate date and
location that an event occurred. After finding an index result that you are
interested in, you can save the index and/or purchase a copy.
3. Rootspoint ($)
Although this is a paid resource your able to view portions of the census transcription for free. This is one of the main sources that I consult when trying to track down a missing census because it allows you to perform searches using different parameters than sites such as Free CEN and Familysearch.
Lancashire
1.Lancashire Online Parish Clerk
Commonly referred to as Lancashire OPC, this website offers transcriptions of parish records from across Lancashire. The majority are Church of England however they do have other denominations. Once you have selected the parish and church that you are interested in, you can search two different ways: by year range, or by surname. The quickest and easiest way to find what your looking for is to search the selected page using 'CTRL+F'. Be aware that some transcriptions contain abbreviations or nicknames as well as variations in the spelling of the surname.
2. Lancashire BMD
This is the Lancashire branch of the Free BMD site listed above. It allows you to search the births, marriages, and deaths by year, name, and location. Results can be saved and if you want you can use them to order a copy of the original.
3. Manchester Catholic Register Index
This is a relatively small collection but is highly valuable if you have catholic ancestors in the Manchester area as you are unlikely to find these records anywhere else. The first names are often recorded in Latin therefore it is sometimes more effective to search by surname and year.
4. Historical Maps of Manchester (*)
This site provides a series of historical maps that can be viewed as either an overlay or comparison against the modern map.
5. Manchester Ancestors (partially $)
This site is run by a registered charity. It aims to make genealogy more accessible by providing a wide collection of paid and free databases. In addition to databases, the site also features maps and a members forum.
6. Maps and Related Info Online (MARIO) (*)
MARIO is run by the Lancashire County Council. The collections features on this site are overlayed on a modern map. This includes historical maps, photographs, administrative boundaries, census information, local services, schools, transportation, and much more.
London/Middlesex
1. Proceedings of the Old Bailey (1674-1913)
The searchable database contains trial records for cases which were heard in London's Old Bailey Courthouse (sometimes called the London Gaol). Each case has the original court documents uploaded as well as a transcription. One of my favourite features is that you can click on the individual's name to see a timeline of their time spent in the legal system. This can include events such as trial date, excommunication, release date, etc.
This site also features a history of minority communities in London - namely Black, Gypsy/Traveller, Homosexual, Irish, Jewish, Huguenot/French, and Chinese.
2. Wellcome Library - Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972 (*)
I have only supplied a link to the medical
officer of health's reports, however they do boast other collections. The reports provide
a valuable insights into the living conditions and social history for the city
of London during select years. You can search for reports by selecting a
borough and by adjusting the timeframe of interest. One thing to be aware of is
that the geographic boundaries of the boroughs changed overtime so its is
beneficial to know the neighbouring boroughs and to search multiple boroughs
near the area/street of interest. (I reference here how I used the database)
3. Middlesex England Parish Records (1563 to 1895)
The database contains parish marriage records in Middlesex County, England between 1563 and 1895. The data came from books at the Gainesville (FL) University Library West, and has been alphabetized by the groom's surname.
4. Inner London Street Name Changes (*)
Provides a database of street name changes for post WW2 London.
5. Lost London Streets: Old to New Street Names 1857 to 1945 (*)
This site features two free lists (as well as a series of e-books) documenting how London's street names changed due to wars, fires, railways, and slum clearances.
6. LondonAncestors (*)
This site provides a wide collection of maps, directories, lists of institutions, and documents relating to London's history. The contents span from the late 1700's through to the end of the Victorian era.
7. London Labour and the London Poor vol 1 by Henry Mayhew (*)
Mayhew's report provides a detailed description of what life was like amongst London's poor during the Victorian Era. Several sections are solely focused on Costermongers and provides an incredibly in depth description of the trade and its accompanying lifestyle.
8. 1888 Match Girl Strike Participants
Scans of a handwritten book containing the name, address, occupation, wage, and marital status of the girls who participated in the strike. Note that this source cannot be searched like a database.
9. London's Screen Archive (*)
London’s Screen Archives (LSA) is a unique network of over 70 organisations with a collective vision: to preserve and share London’s history on film. The site features a vast collection of videos spanning a over 100 years. The collection is searchable by date, location, or keyword.
10. Historical Hospital Admissions Project
HHARP (The Historic Hospital Admission Registers Project) provides access to 140,213 admission records to four British children’s hospitals: three in London, the Great Ormond Street Hospital, the Evelina and the Alexandra Hip Hospital for Children, and one from Scotland, the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Glasgow. Between them the databases cover a period from 1852 to 1921.
11. Music Hall and Variety Artistes Burial Places
This site has photographs and lists of names of the music hall and variety artists of South London during the Victorian and Edwardian eras. The burial places include Streatham Park/Vale and Twickenham Cemeteries. In addition to featuring burial indexes, the site also offers reference material such as links to cemeteries, information about music hall performers and variety artists, past and present theatres/music halls, and maps.
Maps
1. Booth's Poverty Maps and Notebooks (*)
Charles Booth’s economic study of the City of London serves as a valuable resource for social history. The site boasts a combination of a colour coded map and observations which were recorded in the notebooks. Even though it is unlikely that you will find your ancestor mentioned by name, the information provided by the map and notebooks can tell you a lot about how they lived. Since the city has changed significantly over the past 200 years, your ancestor’s street may not appear in the search results. The reason for this is that the search feature uses a modern map which is overlayed by the poverty maps. The easiest way to find the street your looking for is to do one of two things: search the notebooks for the street then search the map for nearby streets that still exist OR search the map for the known borough and parish then manually look for the street.
2. Layers of London (*)
This is site which focuses on the social history as opposed to directly naming your ancestor. You can select the maps of interest by borough then have them over-layed on the current map of the city. I personally like to use Goad’s Fire Maps and Ordinance Surveys (OS). Even if you don’t care about the material that your ancestors house was made of, or how many windows it had, Goad can still be a useful reference as it provides street numbers and identifies the classification for each building (industry, business, residence, etc.). I find the street numbers particularly helpful for long streets where Booth’s Poverty maps showed various degrees of wealth/poverty. The OS are great because they provide clearly labelled streets and cover a larger area than Goad or Booth’s maps.
3. Location London's Past (*)
Locating London’s Past provides an intuitive GIS interface enabling researchers to map and visualize textual and artefactual data relating to seventeenth and eighteenth-century London against John Rocque’s 1746 map of London and the first accurate modern OS map.
4. Maps of the St Mary's or Battersea Rise Cemetery (*)
The maps are c. 1959 and were provided to a RootsChat member courtesy of the Wandsworth Borough Council's bereavement service. All images are free to view and download however, due to the compressed file sizes, the burial plot numbers are not always the easiest to read.
Staffordshire
1. Staffordshire BMD
This is the Stafforshire branch of the Free BMD site listed above. It allows you to search the births, marriages, and deaths by year, name, and location. Results can be saved and if you want you can use them to order a copy of the original.
Scotland
1. ScotlandsPlaces (*)
This is a completely free website that allows you to search for information on historic places and businesses throughout Scotland. Each place/business can be viewed in the form of the original document or by the transcription. The contents have been organized in a way that makes it easy to sort through as well as conduct searches.
2. ScotlandsPeople ($)
The index is free, however a subscription or single time payment is required to view the original records.
3. The Scottish Register of Tartans
This site serves as a database to search for tartans and as a place to register tartan patterns. If you are researching a highland clan this is a great resource to use to find their tartan.
4. Old Scottish Genealogy and Family History ($)
Although you have to pay to view the full records, the indexed information is free. If you are researching illegitimate ancestors, the Paternity Decrees and Fathers Found collections will be of particular interest.
5. Patronymics and Bynames (*)
I wrote this post several years ago after I realized how little information is available about Scottish naming patterns. The information presented in this post is by no means exhaustive but it does serve as a good starting point to learn the basic structure and purpose of patronymics and bynames.
6. Glossary of Scottish Legal Terms (*)
An alphabetized glossary of Scottish legal terms
7. Scottish Indexes
A collection of indexed records that is free to search. Note that it costs￡3 to view the original record.
8 Electric Scotland (*)
The site was founded in 1997 and claims to be "the largest and most comprehensive site for Scottish history and culture". It boast a wide range of books and digital resources.
9. Scotland BMD
Scotland BMD provides a free searchable BMD database that also allows you to upload your own records.
10. History of Civil (BMD) Registration (*)
This now out of print document was published in 2000 by the National Records of Scotland. It aims to describe the three main
series of records held by the Registrar General for Scotland in New
Register House in Edinburgh and to set them in their historical context.
11. TalkingScot
TalkingScot has been set up as a meeting place for people with an interest in Scottish genealogy, history and culture. It's full range of resources include a: forum, gallery, societies, libraries, registrar, and census records.
12. Am Baile - Highland History and Culture (*)
Explore the rich history of the Scottish Highlands and Islands through images, maps, documents, audio and video
13. Highland Family History Society
Statutory registration of births, marriages and deaths began in Scotland in 1855. The society records and publishes Free Church and other registers of baptisms & marriages and monumental inscriptions from Highland burial grounds.
14. Highland Roots (*)
Angus/Forfarshire
1. Friends of Dundee City Archive
This website is funded solely by charitable donations and aims to digitalize and index as many records as possible from the archives in the Dundee area. Their vast range of online collections are free to search. Note that the use of 'Friends' in the name is not associated with the Quaker religion.
Ireland
1. NLI - Catholic Parish Registers
The National Library of Ireland has digitalized Catholic parish records for all across Ireland and Northern Ireland. The availability by county is dependent on what the number of records that survived (many Catholic churches were burned). The collection can be searched by county, then once selected it can be further narrowed by date and event type (baptism, marriage, burial). The records are often written in Latin therefore it is important to know the Latin forename for the individual that you are searching for.
2. Griffith's Valuations
Griffith ’s Valuation is the name widely given to the Primary Valuation of Ireland, a property tax survey carried out in the mid-nineteenth century under the supervision of Sir Richard Griffith. The survey involved the detailed valuation of every taxable piece of agricultural or built property on the island of Ireland and was published county-by-county between the years 1847 and 1864.
Australia
Although Australia is not currently part of the UK, it does play a crucial role in British history. The resources presented in this section are focused on Britain's use of Australia as a penal colony.
1. TROVE - Australian Newspapers
If you have a deported convict in your family tree, than the Australian newspapers are a great place to start piecing together the next chapter of their life. In addition to boasting a large collection of free newspapers, TROVE also features digital copies of Government Gazettes, maps, magazines, newsletters, books, pictures, photographs, archived websites, music, interviews, letters, personal diaries and archives.
2. Libraries Tasmania: Convicts in Van Diemen's Land (*)
The Libraries Tasmania website provides a variety of online resources including this page about the island's convict history. It features sections that are dedicated to life before transportation, life of convicts, how they obtained freedom, and how the convicts changed the landscape.
3. National Archives of Australia
The National Archives of Australia aims to collect, preserve, and share government records by using their free online database and by offering in-person services.
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