Links
There are many thousands of websites that can help with family history research in the UK and in London. Here are some of my favourites, most of them free.
UK Family History
GENUKI - UK & Ireland
Core site for UK and Ireland research, an essential starting-point for newcomers and a useful reference for old hands Registration Districts in England & Wales Civil registration districts for births, marriages and deaths in England and Wales from 1837 onwards, with an index of place-names English Jurisdictions 1851 Interactive mapping of English parishes and counties, showing the various administrative boundaries and adjacent parishes in 1851 BMD Certificate Information English/Welsh birth, marriage and death certificates from 1837 onwards – what they include and how to interpret it The National Archives The official archive for UK government and public records, with online catalogue Discovery and many Research Guides – probably the most useful single research tool for family history in England British History Online Digital library of core printed sources for British medieval and modern history, including the full text of many volumes of the Victoria County History The Victorian Web Network of connected texts and images for the literature, history, politics and culture of the Victorian Age Connected Histories Integrated search facility across 15 database resources of use for early modern and 19th-century family history The British Newspaper Archive Digitised images of a wide range of historical newspapers from the British Library's collection The Workhouse Core site for information and images of workhouses (buildings, inmates, staff and administrators), with a detailed history of the workings of the poor law Victorian Crime & Punishment Background information on the workings of English criminal law, especially the courts, the prison system and convict transportation Index of Old Occupations Occupations found in census returns, BMD certificates, parish registers etc. Paul Benyon's Naval Index Details of naval personnel, vessels and practices from the late 18th century to the early 20th The Long, Long Trail Core site for information on the British Army in the Great War 1914-1918 The Commonwealth War Graves Commission Commemorating 1.7 million men and women of the Commonwealth forces who died in two world wars |
London Family History
GENUKI - UK & Ireland - Middlesex
Core site for research in the London area north of the Thames; for the City of London, see the London pages London Metropolitan Archives The record office for Greater London (except Westminster), holding a vast array of documents, images, maps and books, with an online catalogue and downloadable information leaflets Westminster Archives Centre The record office for family, local, business and community history in the Westminster area, with an online catalogue and downloadable information leaflets AIM 25 Detailed descriptions of the resources held by the major archive repositories in London and the M25 area MAPCO: Map and Plan Collection Online High quality scans of fine historical maps and views of London, mainly 18th-19th centuries, with many street-indexes GenDocs Research guidance for Victorian London, covering churches, cemeteries, streets, lodging-houses, inns, Metropolitan police divisions, etc. London/Surrey Registration Districts Anglican parishes arranged by civil registration district, with dates of operation and the location of records East of London Family History Society Covers London north of the Thames and east of the City (see Areas of Interest for detailed parish information) West Surrey Family History Society Covers rural and metropolitan Surrey and parts of Middlesex, with many useful Research Aids (some free to download) The Proceedings of the Old Bailey The published proceedings of the court, 1674-1913, with background information on crime, punishment and the workings of the English legal system London Lives Searchable texts of manuscript sources from 15 different datasets, c1690-1820, with over 3 million names and many images of original documents The London Burial Grounds Descriptions and images of many of London's well- and lesser-known burial grounds, mostly pre-1850s London Street Name Changes Old and new street names 1857-1945, based on the London County Council’s own published lists The Victorian Dictionary A comprehensive exploration of the people, places, institutions and everyday life of Victorian London Charles Booth Online Archive Archive material from the collection of social researcher Charles Booth, with detailed descriptions of streets, and maps colour-coded for poverty levels Ideal Homes - South East London Images, descriptions and maps of south-east London suburbia, from six local studies and archive collections Tower Hamlets History Online A collection of stories, descriptions and images for the east London borough of Tower Hamlets PortCities London An illustrated history of the Port of London and its surrounding area from earliest times to date Collage - Images of London Images of 20,000+ prints, drawings and maps of London held in the Guildhall and London Metropolitan Archives collections |