British Newspapers Archives

Online are the British newspapers archives for most counties and time periods, with millions of pages done so far and adding more each month. Not only the regular news articles of events, but also are the Family Notices (births-marriages-anniversaries-deaths). The obituaries alone are so important to learning about a specific ancestor along with any survivors. Then there are letters to the editors covering a range of topics, written by ordinary citizens, one of which just might be a relative. Last would be the hundreds of advertisements featured in a newspapers – from the big ones to the small ones.

There are not just English communities, but also Scotland and Wales. The time frame begins on a limited scale with the late 1700s and really increases with the 1800s and into the 20th century. 

Using the search box you can narrow down to a specific county, then a time period and next place a key word or surname. You can go through and see if there any surnames or places of special interest for your research. A thumbnail image appears but you do have to register and get one of their subscriptions to view the full paper. You can download in PDF format any article. Then you can print it from your computer. Make note of the newspaper title, date and page so you can go back to it quickly.

Subscription fee starts at about 9.95 UK pounds for a month or 79.95 UK pounds for a year. Their do have an introduction to get you started of just one UK pound for your first month. There is also paying 14.95 UK pounds to be used over a year’s time and getting to view 40 pages total. A great opportunity they offer is that you can view your first three newspaper pages for free, after you register. That way you will see if it will work for you. This could make a nice birthday / anniversary gift so you can continue your research.

Another good source database, especially covering many areas in England and over numerous decades.

Photos: Newsboys in London, Daily News 1919, Yorkshire Post paper in 1919.