As we covered in our last blog post, the traditions and opinions surrounding the celebration of Valentine’s Day have evolved and changed over the years. But as we search through three hundred years of stories in The British Newspaper Archive, we see that the day has endured as one of celebration and, occasionally, scandal. In the newspapers, we can see a long tradition of celebrating this day, but we can also observe the emergence of a certain skepticism and cynicism …
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Valentine’s Day in its present iteration is inexorably linked to both romantic love and commercialism. It inspires strong feelings, both for and against this day of chocolate boxes and heart-shaped cards. However, the day and its traditions have not been static. In performing a simple search for ‘Valentine’s Day’ on The British Newspaper Archive, you can start to see the ways in which the holiday — and its reception — have changed (and, occasionally, stayed the same) over the years. …
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Newspapers are a fabulous source for family historians. You can be confident at least one family member will be named in the pages of newspapers in some capacity. From national stories to local notices newspapers carry details not found in traditional family history sources. In this blog post learn what these papers have to offer you in your search for your British and Irish ancestors. In our previous blog post, we outlined some of the main uses of newspapers for …
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Newspapers are an invaluable resource for researching your family history. Contained within their pages are tens of millions of reports, advertisements, and notices that can help you break down brick walls and tell richer stories about your ancestors. The Archive works with the British Library and publishers to bring you 300 years of newspapers from the UK and Ireland. Get the most out of our historical newspapers with these hints and tips. What newspapers do we have? We add more …
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I started researching my family history over 20 years ago. I knew that my Grandmother and her sister had been left with guardians in Boston, Lincolnshire when they were very young. My Grandma died when I was young, but in later years my Granddad told me that her parents, my great-grandparents, had gone to Canada and had promised to call for their daughters when they were settled. They never did. As I started my research I soon discovered the names …
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Last night on Who Do You Think You Are? comedian Greg Davies, best known for his role on The Inbetweeners and Cuckoo, explored his Welsh ancestry. Through newspapers, Davies discovered that his great-grandfather was taken to court to pay child maintenance, and his great-great-grandfather was killed in a tragic accident. Finally, Davies discovered he was descended from royalty. Using The British Newspaper Archive, we will delve deeper into the Davies family stories and extract more details about the lives of …
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There is no shortage of wartime reporting in our historic newspapers about any major conflict throughout history, with some newspapers even releasing special wartime issues to further cover military and naval news. February 1942 was no exception as newspapers printed articles on the Battle of Singapore, the Western Desert Campaign, and the rationing on the home front caused by the ongoing world war. The Battle and Fall of Singapore Perhaps the most significant event of February 1942 was the battle, and subsequent fall, of …
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‘Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more’. – William Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act V, Scene V These are the lines with which Sir Ian McKellen opens his episode of Who Do You Think You Are? As a septuagenarian, looking backwards to discover from whence (and from whom) he came, it is fitting that he should read these particular lines of Macbeth’s. Furthermore, they are …
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On 26 January 1788, the First Fleet arrived in New South Wales, which saw the flag of Great Britain raised at Sydney Cove and the settlement of the first penal colony. The arrival also marked Britain’s proclamation of sovereignty over Australia’s eastern seaboard. This day has since become a national holiday in Australia: Australia Day. To mark this day, we’ve taken a look into its history and evolution. You can find articles on this historic landing of the First Fleet in …
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We have added another eight brand new titles to the Archive this month. These include the local newspaper for the southern English seaside town of Bournemouth, the Bournemouth Daily Echo and no fewer than seven new titles for Ireland, four from counties new to the Archive. Click on each of the titles below to learn more about the newspaper and read a Sample Issue for FREE. Bournemouth Daily Echo Ballyshannon Herald Donegal Independent Kildare Observer and Eastern Counties Advertiser Leinster …