Want to hear more from The National Archives? We'd like to introduce you to On the Record, a new podcast bringing old stories to life. p&gt; Join our experts and special guests as we dig deep into the people behind the paper and bring fascinating stories from more than 11 million records to life. Discover tales of forbidden love, spies, protest and the everyday people of the past. Search for On the Record at The National Archives wherever you get your podcasts or visit https://pod.link/1460242815The National Archives Podcast Series will remain live, but will not be updated with new content. For new podcasts from us head over to On the Record at The National Archives.

Trailer: On the Record at The National Archives

The global datafication of economy, society and politics has rendered humans into constellations of datapoints. Technologies measure, monitor, predict and classify to enable personalization in the online and offline worlds alike, and we are increasingly offered bespoke realities: advertising, healthcare, government services, and recommendations uniquely targeted to us. The price is persistent identification: everywhere we […]

Annual Digital Lecture 2020: The death of anonymity in the age of identity

The 1848-1849 cholera epidemic in England and Wales was described by a government report as if a ‘foreign army’ had ‘held possession of the country, and slain 53,293 men, women and children’. In the mid-19th century the country faced an epidemic of filth; poorly drained, overcrowded towns created an environment ripe for diseases like typhus […]

Cholera! Public health in mid-19th century Britain

Diarmaid MacCulloch, Emeritus Professor of the History of the Church at the University of Oxford and Fellow of St Cross College, introduces his ground-breaking biography of Thomas Cromwell, the self-made statesman who married his son to King Henry VIII’s sister-in-law, re-shaped Tudor England and Ireland, and sent the kingdom on a Protestant course for centuries. […]

The rise and fall of Thomas Cromwell

In this talk to mark the latest volume of his epic history of post-war Britain, television presenter and best-selling author Dominic Sandbrook recreates the strange world of early 1980s, taking in everything from Margaret Thatcher, Ian Botham and Spandau Ballet, to the Falklands War, the Sinclair Spectrum and the Sony Walkman.

Who dares wins: Britain 1979-1982

Rebecca Gowers uncovered a fascinating story within her family tree – that of Harry Larkyns. She learnt that Harry was an attractive cad who lived a charmed life, right up until the moment he fell in love with the wife of noted photographer, Eadweard Muybridge. In this ‘Meet the Author’ event (recorded over Zoom), Rebecca […]

Rebecca Gowers and The Scoundrel Harry Larkyns

Trevor Barnes is the author of a new study of one of the Cold War’s most notorious spy cases – the Portland Spy Ring. In this ‘Meet the Author’ talk, Trevor is joined by Professor Chris Andrew of Cambridge University to discuss his latest book, Dead Doubles.

Trevor Barnes and Dead Doubles

Opening up the electorate in 1918 to some women voters naturally triggered a conversation about female parliamentarians. Under the 1918 Parliament (Qualification of Women) Act, Nancy Astor was the first female MP to take her seat. In this talk, Dr Jacqui Turner reflects on Astor’s achievements and on how she became a totem for women […]

Nancy Astor: First steps towards a better balanced world

In this ‘Meet the Author’ event (recorded over Zoom), Dermot Turing discusses his latest book, The Codebreakers of Bletchley Park, with our Collections Expert, Mark Dunton. The book examines the lives of the brilliant and eccentric individuals who cracked the seemingly unbreakable Enigma code.

Dermot Turing and The Codebreakers of Bletchley Park

The National Archives’ collections offer a valuable insight into how the government interacted with and viewed LGBTQ communities in the past, at a time when the State played a major role in repressing and controlling the lives of gay and bisexual men and women.
				This talk takes you through records relating to queer history, using photographs, court reports, witness statements and seized items to highlight both criminalisation and brave acts of defiance.
				From the calling card of transgender diplomat Chevalier d’Eon to records pertaining to the lively Shim Sham Club, so named after the Harlem tap dance, records are looked at in the context of significant moments and milestones in the movement towards LGBTQ equality.
				This talk, which took place on Thursday 20 February 2020, was presented by Victoria Iglikowski-Broad, Principal Records Specialist on Diverse Histories at The National Archives, alongside a document display.

Hidden Love: LGBTQ+ lives in the archives

What are the opportunities, and challenges, of working collaboratively with archivists, academics and community groups?
			The theme of this year’s Gerald Aylmer seminar was ‘Co-production and collaboration in the archives’. It was a day of discussion, analysis and learning, featuring a range of collaborative projects, as seen from the perspectives and experience of archivists, historians and community practitioners.
			The Gerald Aylmer seminar is an annual symposium organised by The National Archives, the Royal Historical Society and the Institute of Historical Research, University of London which brings together historians and archivists to discuss topics of mutual interest. Audio recordings from the day’s sessions are available to listen to below.
			Practices – what makes for effective co-production?

Gerald Aylmer seminar 2020: Co-production and collaboration in the archive: Practices – what makes for effective co-production?

What are the opportunities, and challenges, of working collaboratively with archivists, academics and community groups?
			The theme of this year’s Gerald Aylmer seminar was ‘Co-production and collaboration in the archives’. It was a day of discussion, analysis and learning, featuring a range of collaborative projects, as seen from the perspectives and experience of archivists, historians and community practitioners.
			The Gerald Aylmer seminar is an annual symposium organised by The National Archives, the Royal Historical Society and the Institute of Historical Research, University of London which brings together historians and archivists to discuss topics of mutual interest. Audio recordings from the day’s sessions are available to listen to below.
			Session 1: Three questions for the day

Gerald Aylmer seminar 2020: Co-production and collaboration in the archive: Session 1: Three questions for the day

What are the opportunities, and challenges, of working collaboratively with archivists, academics and community groups?
			The theme of this year’s Gerald Aylmer seminar was ‘Co-production and collaboration in the archives’. It was a day of discussion, analysis and learning, featuring a range of collaborative projects, as seen from the perspectives and experience of archivists, historians and community practitioners.
			The Gerald Aylmer seminar is an annual symposium organised by The National Archives, the Royal Historical Society and the Institute of Historical Research, University of London which brings together historians and archivists to discuss topics of mutual interest. Audio recordings from the day’s sessions are available to listen to below.
			Session 2: Structures – forms of co-production

Gerald Aylmer seminar 2020: Co-production and collaboration in the archive: Session 2: Structures – forms of co-production

What are the opportunities, and challenges, of working collaboratively with archivists, academics and community groups?
			The theme of this year’s Gerald Aylmer seminar was ‘Co-production and collaboration in the archives’. It was a day of discussion, analysis and learning, featuring a range of collaborative projects, as seen from the perspectives and experience of archivists, historians and community practitioners.
			The Gerald Aylmer seminar is an annual symposium organised by The National Archives, the Royal Historical Society and the Institute of Historical Research, University of London which brings together historians and archivists to discuss topics of mutual interest. Audio recordings from the day’s sessions are available to listen to below.
			Session 4: Outcomes – what is the value of co-production?

Gerald Aylmer seminar 2020: Co-production and collaboration in the archive: Session 4: Outcomes – what is the value of co-production?

What are the opportunities, and challenges, of working collaboratively with archivists, academics and community groups?
			The theme of this year’s Gerald Aylmer seminar was ‘Co-production and collaboration in the archives’. It was a day of discussion, analysis and learning, featuring a range of collaborative projects, as seen from the perspectives and experience of archivists, historians and community practitioners.
			The Gerald Aylmer seminar is an annual symposium organised by The National Archives, the Royal Historical Society and the Institute of Historical Research, University of London which brings together historians and archivists to discuss topics of mutual interest. Audio recordings from the day’s sessions are available to listen to below.
			Welcome and introduction

Gerald Aylmer seminar 2020: Co-production and collaboration in the archive: Welcome and introduction

The one-day conference – ‘Manorial Documents: Past, present and into the future’ – took place at The National Archives on Tuesday 25 September 2018. The conference was a collaborative event between the Manorial Documents Register (MDR) Advisory Panel and The National Archives, with an aim to:
				
				Promote the Manorial Documents Register as a valuable research tool
				Begin to explore its research potential
				Inspire inter-disciplinary research activities of all kinds
				
			Keynote Address
			Professor Chris Dyer (Emeritus Professor of History, University of Leicester)

Manorial Documents: Past, present and into the future – Keynote Address

The one-day conference – ‘Manorial Documents: Past, present and into the future’ – took place at The National Archives on Tuesday 25 September 2018. The conference was a collaborative event between the Manorial Documents Register (MDR) Advisory Panel and The National Archives, with an aim to:
				
				Promote the Manorial Documents Register as a valuable research tool
				Begin to explore its research potential
				Inspire inter-disciplinary research activities of all kinds
				
			Roundtable: What’s next?

Manorial Documents: Past, present and into the future – Roundtable: What’s next?

The one-day conference – ‘Manorial Documents: Past, present and into the future’ – took place at The National Archives on Tuesday 25 September 2018. The conference was a collaborative event between the Manorial Documents Register (MDR) Advisory Panel and The National Archives, with an aim to:
				
				Promote the Manorial Documents Register as a valuable research tool
				Begin to explore its research potential
				Inspire inter-disciplinary research activities of all kinds
				
			Panel Session 2: The Register goes online

Manorial Documents: Past, present and into the future – The Register goes online

The one-day conference – ‘Manorial Documents: Past, present and into the future’ – took place at The National Archives on Tuesday 25 September 2018. The conference was a collaborative event between the Manorial Documents Register (MDR) Advisory Panel and The National Archives, with an aim to:
				
				Promote the Manorial Documents Register as a valuable research tool
				Begin to explore its research potential
				Inspire inter-disciplinary research activities of all kinds
				
			Panel Session 1: The manorial context

Manorial Documents: Past, present and into the future – The manorial context

Matt Norman talks to Chrissy Peters about Discovery – the online catalogue for The National Archives and 2500 other archives. What is in Discovery? How can you find what you want in it? Are the records in Discovery digitised? Find out the answers from Chrissy in this short podcast.
			You can use the Help with your research pages on our website to find out more about The National Archives’ collection before you use Discovery. There are also helpful blogs; Where do I start my research?, Why can’t I find what I’m looking for? and Your catalogue’s rubbish! Discovery also has its own help pages.
			Please note that at the moment The National Archives is closed to visitors until further notice. Advice in the podcast about visiting us and using the facilities in our reading rooms will apply once we re-open.

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