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History Resources on the Internet

Here is a small selection of the huge number of history resources on the Internet. These are currently focused mainly on the history of the British Isles, with some coverage also of Europe, North America and Africa. They are aimed mostly at the history enthusiast rather than the professional historian, although some links to academic sites, which may be of interest to both, are included.

Although some of the resources here may also be relevant to research in family history, this is the subject of another, developing guide, which should be available soon.

  1. General History Resources
  2. Historic Texts & Images: Primary Sources
  3. Archaeology Resources
  4. Local History Resources (General)
  5. Local History: Chester & Cheshire
  6. Local History: Liverpool & Lancashire
  7. Miscellaneous History Resources

General History Resources

Historic Texts & Images: Primary Sources

If you wish to 'go back to the original' it is increasingly possible to do so online - or at least to access a digitised version of original documents and images, and although these may never replace the experience of actually visiting an archive, library or museum they do provide a very valuable resource. This is a small selection of these online resources.

  • British History Online
    "British History Online is the digital library containing some of the core printed primary and secondary sources for the medieval and modern history of the British Isles    . Created by the Institute of Historical Research ( University of London) and the History of Parliament Trust (a major academic project to create a scholarly reference work describing the members, constituencies and activities of the Parliament of England and the United Kingdom.), we aim to support academic and personal users around the world in their learning, teaching and research."
    Provides access to digitised copies of a variety of original sources and secondary material. Examples include Ordnance Survey Maps for the late 1800s, various histories, e.g. '1540-1750', A History of the County of Shropshire: Volume 4: Agriculture (1989)', Gazetteers, Court Records, Commons Proceedings, Journals, etc. etc.

    http://www.british-history.ac.uk/ - British History Online



  • The (UK) National Archives is "the UK government´s official archive, containing 900 years of history from Domesday Book to the present, with records ranging from parchment and paper scrolls through to recently created digital files and archived websites. Increasingly, these records are being put online, making them universally accessible."
    "The National Archives is a government department and an executive agency of the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs. It brings together the Public Record Office, Historical Manuscripts Commission, the Office of Public Sector Information and Her Majesty's Stationery Office."
    This wealth of resources covers all sorts of topics from matters of state and of government, such as the Magna Carta, Cabinet papers covering the 1976 resignation of Harold Wilson, the Abdication of Edward VIII; matters of 20th century military history including propaganda; ancient petitions presented to the king, chancellor or other officers of state in the Middle Ages; the Mutiny on the Bounty; Census records; Migration Records etc. etc.
    It is possible to select major topics, such as Family History, Military History, from the home page which also displays news on the latest releases under the Freedom of Information Act, and other 'news' items such as French Prime Minister Guy Mollet's proposed union between Britain and France at the time of the Suez crisis.
    To get the best out of this site it is well worth visiting the Research, Education & Online Exhibitions section. This includes various guides to using the National Archives for historical research, ranging from 'Getting Started' guides to e.g. Family History, House History or Military History; through resources for teachers and school children, to academic research, and tutorials on e.g. Palaeography: reading old handwriting and Beginners Latin. There are also details of their Fee based Research Service
    Although an increasing amount of this material is being digitised and made available online, much is still only available at the National Archives, however it is possible to Search the Archives online then either visit the Archives to view a document (free) or request copies to be sent to you for a fee.
    Areas of the website that may be of particular interest include:

    http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ - The National Archives



  • The British Library is, of course, a treasure trove of historical documents and some of these can be accessed online. These include: For more information on what resources are available online see their The British Library on the web page

    http://www.bl.uk/ - The British Library
    http://www.bl.uk/treasures/treasuresinfull.html - British Library Treasures
    http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/themes/histtexts.html - Gallery of Historical Texts
    http://www.bl.uk/learning/index.html - Learning at the British Library
    http://www.bl.uk/about/ontheweb.html - The British Library on the web



  • Paul Halsall's Internet History Sourcebooks Project "is a collection of public domain and copy-permitted historical texts presented cleanly (without advertising or excessive layout) for educational use."
    A wonderful collection of digitised versions of primary sources, their translations and sometimes commentaries, ranging e.g. from translations, summaries and extracts from the Babylonian 'The Epic of Gilgamesh' to the 'Universal Declaration of Human Rights' and a collection of 'Postwar Progressive and Protest Songs'by Woody Guthrie & John Lennon. In between is a huge and diverse collection of historic material, including, to try to give a taste of the site, e.g.translation of 'The Song of Roland'; various Renaissance Texts; Nordic Sagas; Chaucer's 'Canterbury Tales'; works by Martin Luther, John Calvin and St. Ignatius of Loyola. Francis Pretty's account of 'Sir Francis Drake's Famous Voyage Round The World, 1580', John wesley's 'Thoughts Upon Slavery, 1774'; Isaac Newton's 'Principia' 1687, Translated by Andrew Motte 1729; Voltaire (1694-1778): Letters on the English; a variety of works by Immanuel Kant (1724-1804); and various works of literature from the 19th and 20th centuries; Oswald Spengler on 'The Decline of the West', 1922; a lecture by John F. Kennedy on 'The Space Challenge', Sept 13, 1962 and much more. Some maps and multimedia resources are also included.
    The resources are categorised by period
    1. Ancient
    2. Medieval, and
    3. Modern
      4. and is subdivided within these categories by topic (both chronological and subject)
    There are also some subsets of these resources, with some additional materials, under the following headings:
    1. African
    2. East Asian
    3. Global
    4. Indian
    5. Islamic
    6. Jewish
    7. Lesbian & Gay
    8. Science
    9. Women's History
    Some of these resources are stored on the 'Internet History Sourcebooks' server (at Fordham University) and some consists of links to source material stored elsewhere on the web - because of this there are some 'broken links' on the site, a problem which the site author is addressing, but not enough to detract from its usefulness and fascination.

    http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ - Internet History Sourcebooks Project



  • The Historical Text Archive, HTA by Don Mabry, Professor Emeritus of History, Mississippi State University. "The HTA publishes high quality articles, books, essays, documents, historical photos, and links, screened for content, for a broad range of historical subjects. It was founded in 1990 in Mississippi and is one of the oldest history sites on the Internet. This site is dynamic with regular additions to its contents and its link collection."
    The focus is mainly, but not exclusively, on North & Latin America and Europe.
    Divided into three sections:
    1. Articles, containing documents, essays, and photographs and divided into various sub-sections, mostly by region (e.g. Africa, Latin America), but sometimes by topic (e.g. Korean War, Rock 'n Roll. The top ten most frequently accessed individual resources are also listed.
    2. E-books. Again subdivided by region and sometimes topic.
      3. Resources in both of the above categories reside on the HTA site.
    3. Links to resources elsewhere on the web

    http://historicaltextarchive.com/ - The Historical Text Archive



    • Archaeology Resources

    Local History Resources

    Chester & Cheshire

    Liverpool & Lancashire

    Miscellaneous History Resources

    Burton Manor run a wide range of History Courses throughout the year. See the Courses Menu at the top of this webpage for details.

    Created on ... February 10, 2007