The National Archives

The UK National Archives (formerly The Public Records Office) collection of records is vast, so please visit their website, where the archive can be searched. Records useful from a genealogical perspective include census records, military papers, passenger lists and wills amongst many other categories.

The National Archives do not hold births, deaths and marriages civil registration information, these are at the General Register Office, but the indexes can be consulted at TNA. The Family Records Centre has now closed and its services have transferred to TNA.

The National Archives was home to the London FamilySearch Centre for a period until late March 2019 but this arrangement has now ceased. However, the National Archives has become a FamilySearch Affiliate Library, see Family Search Centres for more details.

Searching the records

• The National Archives can be searched from the main page.
• Also useful is the catalogue search facility, Discovery, for descriptions of records held by The National Archives and more than 2,500 archives across the UK.

Remote Access to Records

• Research Guide: Free online records: digital microfilm.
• A large number of documents can be purchased in digital form on TNA's Online Records service.
• In addition, copies (paper or digital) of records can be distance ordered for a fee. See Order copies of documents. Also see the section below "Paying for research".
• Many records from The National Archives have been digitised and are available on pay websites including findmypast and Ancestry. For British Army records see the Fibiwiki page British Army-Records, and other Fibiwiki pages such as Medal Rolls, General Register Office etc.

Visiting the Archives

• Please check TNA's "Visit Us" webpage for further information, including Do I need a reader’s ticket?. The procedure also includes completing a short online document handling information tutorial, with test questions, similar to the information in "Handling documents". Some of the more popular records are available on microfilm in the reading rooms (Read the description of the records you are interested in to find out whether this applies). Readers' tickets are only required if you want to look at original documents.

  Car parking charges applied in the past but currently (2021/06/14) do not apply, (but perhaps could reapply in the future). When charges did apply ‘Blue Badge’ holders were able to continue to park without charge, in designated parking bays.

• Some documents may be photographed – see "Visit us"/"Researching here"/"What can I take into the reading rooms?" for details of permitted devices. For better photographic images, a researcher recommended selecting a table by the windows, for the light provided.. All seats now have a camera stand "however, the new ones are rather flimsy so that if you have an old fashioned or weighty camera it would be advisable to ask for one of the older more solid camera stands".

Note that as from 11 December 2017, camera stations are now no longer provided, and self service printing facilities are no longer provided. However, these were the camera stations provided by TNA, and the large quantity of camera stands (DIY document copying) in the reading rooms are still available.

• Reference to the online short Video Guides may help in preparation for a visit to the Archives - subjects include using the catalogue and indexes, records held and arrangement of records.

FIBIS Resources

The Fibis Research team can visit The National Archives to obtain copies or details of information held for Fibis Members unable to access the records there. To enquire about this service please email research@fibis.org

Paying for research

• The National Archives guide Paying for research, Click on the link "Independent researchers" to access a list of independent researchers.
  • Some researchers will provide a photography only service if a record catalogue reference is know. Forums such as WW2Talk Forum may be a source of information.

External Links

• The National Archives including
  • The Catalogue for the Library at the National Archives. Includes an A-Z list of electronic journals and databases available such as "House of Commons Parliamentary Papers" (HCPP), also known as UK Parliamentary Papers.
  • Record copying. Includes a link to "record copying prices".
• Records within The National Archives Relating to the East India Company