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Primary Resources are documents, letters, pamphlets, videos or other artefacts produced close to an event in history. They are fundamental tools in history research because
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J. Gillray, caricature of Philip Thicknesse, 'Lieutenant Gover. Gall-stone, inspired by Alecto' |
British History Online
A digital library of key printed primary and secondary sources for the history of Britain and Ireland, with a primary focus on the period between 1300 and 1800.
NewsVault
Cross-search and browse all newspaper content available in the Financial Times Historical Archive, the Times Digital Archive, the 17th & 18th century Burney Collection, and the 19th century British Library collection.
British Cartoon Archive
Dedicated to the history of British cartooning over the last two hundred years. The BCA holds the artwork for over 200,000 British editorial, socio-political, and pocket cartoons, supported by large collections of comic strips, newspaper cuttings, books and magazines
John Johnson Collection
This collection provides access to thousands of items selected from the John Johnson Collection of Printed Ephemera, offering unique insights into the changing nature of everyday life in Britain in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries.
19th Century British Pamphlets
Throughout the 19th century, pamphlets were an important means of public debate, covering the key political, social, technological, and environmental issues of their day. this resource contains the most significant British pamphlets from the 19th century held in research libraries in the United Kingdom.
This resource offers revolutionary access to one of the most important archives for the study of Social History in the modern era. Explore original manuscript and typescript papers created and collected by the Mass Observation organisation, as well as printed publications, photographs and interactive features.
Generic resources
Wilson Center : documents about the Korean War, the Cold War, Nuclear History, terrorism
Veterans project from the Library of Congress.
World War I
First World War - National Archives
First World War - British Library
Imperial War Museum - collections
Cold War
Cuban Missile Crisis, documents from the National Security Agency Security Service
Cold War course from the National Archives, it includes digital copies of primary resources.
This resource offers revolutionary access to one of the most important archives for the study of Social History in the modern era. Explore original manuscript and typescript papers created and collected by the Mass Observation organisation, as well as printed publications, photographs and interactive features
European Views of the Americas: 1493 to 1750
This bibliographic database is a valuable index for libraries, scholars and individuals interested in European works that relate to the Americas
Migration to New Worlds
From the century of immigration, through to the modern era, this resource charts the emigration experience of millions across 200 years of turbulent history. Explore the rise and fall of the New Zealand Company, discover British, European and Asian migration and investigate unique primary source personal accounts, shipping logs, printed literature and organisational papers.
Library of Congress - digital collections
Digital collection from the Library of Congress.
British Library - digitised collections
Digitised collections from the British Library. It contains a vast array of collections from maps to manuscripts and modern archives.
Eighteenth Century Collections Online
The National Archives
Some items from the National Archives have been digitised.
A digitised collection of books, documents and websites from different libraries around the world.
Bodleian Digital
A rich collection of items from Oxford University Libraries.
Cambridge Digital Library
Online collection from Cambridge University Libraries.
The National Library of Scotland
Online collections from the National Library of Scotland.
Europeana
Digitised collections from European museums, archives and galleries.
National libraries around the world
Most countries have a national library and a national archive. If you are researching a particular country, it is worth searching the online collections of its national library or archive.
British Pathé
Preview items from the entire 3500 hour British Pathe Film Archive which covers news, sport, social history and entertainment from 1896.
Box of Broadcasts
BoB is a service from Learning on Screen that enables students and staff to watch or record television and radio programmes from over 65 free-to-air channels including 13 foreign language channels.
One of the best medicine and health collections in the world: many of its collections are digitised.
The free digital edition of King James' Daemonologie, a dissertation on necromancy and witchcraft.
Project Gutenberg - Witchcraft bookshelf
Digitised edition of witchcraft books, some of them from the 17th century.
Post-reformation digital library
The Post-Reformation Digital Library (PRDL) is a select database of digital books relating to the development of theology and philosophy during the Reformation and Post-Reformation/Early Modern Era (late 15th-18th c.)
Texts about Luther and other Lutherans
Texts and documents about the Council of Trent, the ecumenical council of the Catholic Church, in response to the Protestant Reformation.
Defining Gender
Access to primary source material for history, literature, sociology and education from a gendered perspective. Thematically arranged with editorial essays on conduct and politeness, domesticity and the family, consumption and leisure, education and sensibility, and the body.
History of Feminism
Contains primary and secondary resources, including full books, selected chapters, and journal articles, images, thematic essays, and subject introductions on politics and law, religion and belief, education, literature and writings, women at home, society and culture, empire, movements and ideologies.
Women's Library
"The Women’s Library collection tells the story of the campaign for women’s rights and women’s equality from the beginnings of the suffrage movement to the present day. The collection includes UNESCO-recognised documents, rare books, and objects such as original suffrage banners. The majority of the material dates from the late 19th century to present day and the focus is mainly UK"
Glasgow Women's Library
Glasgow Women’s Library is the only Accredited Museum in the UK dedicated to women’s lives, histories and achievements, with a lending library, archive collections and innovative programmes of public events & learning opportunities.
Women's Archive Wales
Women’s Archive Wales promotes the recognition of women in Welsh history and the preservation of sources of women’s history in Wales.
This resource offers revolutionary access to one of the most important archives for the study of Social History in the modern era. Explore original manuscript and typescript papers created and collected by the Mass Observation organisation, as well as printed publications, photographs and interactive features
Welsh Journals Online
Welsh Journals provides access to journals relating to Wales published between 1735-2007. Titles range from academic and scientific publications to literary and popular magazines.
Welsh Newspapers Online
Welsh Newspapers Online provides access to digitized copies of Welsh newspapers published between 1804-1919 that are part of the collections held by the National Library of Wales.
National Library of Wales
The National Library of Wales is the main library in Wales. Its digitisation efforts means that it now offers a truly remarkable selection of digitised documents pertaining to Wales and beyond.
National Museum of Wales
A wealth of resources of digitised objects and documents from the National Museum of Wales.
People's Collection Wales
People's Collection Wales is a free website dedicated to bringing together Wales's heritage. The Collection is full of fascinating photographs, documents, audio and video recordings and stories that link to the history, culture and people of Wales.
Women's Archive Wales
Women’s Archive Wales promotes the recognition of women in Welsh history and the preservation of sources of women’s history in Wales.
Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database
Information on almost 36,000 slaving voyages that forcibly embarked over 10 million Africans for transport to the Americas between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Slavery in America and the World: History; Culture and Law
Brings together a multitude of essential legal materials on slavery in the United States and the English-speaking world. This includes every statute passed by every colony and state on slavery, every federal statute dealing with slavery, and all reported state and federal cases on slavery.
Newly digitised collection of the papers edited by Frederick Douglass (1818-1895), "the African American abolitionist who escaped slavery and became one of the most famous orators, authors, and journalists of the 19th century".
National Library of South Africa - Digital collections
Most nations have a national library with rich digitised resources.
