Stories from the collection
Discover the human stories behind the collection. Learn about the people, places and events featured in our records.
Each collection insight takes an in-depth look into a group of the records we hold.
Disability History Month 2023
Histories of disability weave through The National Archives’ records in intriguing and important ways. This month, explore stories of impairment, action and social change.
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The story of
Virginia Hall
NewVirginia Hall (1906–1982) was an American who served with the British Special Operations Executive in France in 1941–1942 and built a career in espionage.
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Record revealed
Printed circular produced by the National League of the Blind
In 1920, hundreds of members of the National League of the Blind (NLB) marched 200 miles to campaign for support. This printed circular explains what happened.
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The story of
Sir John Fielding
NewSir John Fielding grew to become one of England’s first and greatest police detectives. And for his entire crime-fighting career, he was blind.
Discover all stories
Browse and explore the human stories behind The National Archives’ collection.
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Record revealed
A medieval cold and flu remedy
NewStale ale, ground nutmeg and mustard seeds – would you try these medieval cures for headaches and congestion? They give surprising insights into global trade.
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The story of
Sir John Fielding
NewSir John Fielding grew to become one of England’s first and greatest police detectives. And for his entire crime-fighting career, he was blind.
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The story of
Virginia Hall
NewVirginia Hall (1906–1982) was an American who served with the British Special Operations Executive in France in 1941–1942 and built a career in espionage.
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Focus on
Section 28: impact, fightback and repeal
NewWhat was the everyday reality for LGBTQ+ people in the 80s and 90s living under the infamous Section 28, and how was it eventually repealed?
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Record revealed
The WÃSÙ journal
NewWÃSÙ was the journal produced by the West African Students’ Union (WASU) and distributed across Europe and Africa from 1926.
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Record revealed
James Callaghan's notes on policy ideas
These handwritten pages offer a window onto a Prime Minister’s thinking about the issues of the day. In 1978, they ranged from education to the environment.
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Focus on
The origins of Section 28
Section 28 of the 1988 Local Government Act negatively affected LGBTQ+ lives for decades. How did such a seismic piece of legislation come about?
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Record revealed
The Treaty of Versailles
This debated document officially ended the First World War and set out the terms and conditions for peace, and determined the course of the 20th century.
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The story of
Louise Bennett-Coverley
Described by the Birmingham Post as the ‘queen of Jamaican theatre’, Louise Bennett-Coverley (1919–2006) was a poet, performer, folklorist, writer and educator.
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Record revealed
The Treason Act
The Treason Act defined the crime of ‘high treason’ in law for the first time. It is one of the oldest pieces of legislation still on the statute book today.
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Record revealed
Sir Henry Cole’s rat
Our collection includes many weird and wonderful records – one of the weirdest is undoubtedly a small box containing the remains of two long-dead rats.
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Focus on
The papers of Nuestra Señora de Covadonga, a Spanish treasure galleon
This previously unknown set of records from an 18th-century galleon shines a light on one of history's most significant trade routes.
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Record revealed
Photographs of the British Black Panthers headquarters
These photographs, captured through police investigations, give a unique insight into the heart of the early British Black Panther movement.
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Record revealed
Photographs of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
Copyright photographs of composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor provide us with a unique insight into his status in early 20th-century British society.
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The story of
John Blanke
John Blanke was a trumpeter at the courts of Henry VII and Henry VIII. He is one of the earliest people of colour in England we have records about.
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The story of
Robert Wedderburn
Robert Wedderburn (1762–1835) was a British-Jamaican radical preacher, abolitionist and writer.
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Record revealed
Secret map of operations in North Burma
This map was provided to soldiers during the first operation by the Chindits, special forces serving in Japanese-occupied Burma during the Second World War.
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The story of
Louis Wain
Artist and illustrator Louis Wain (1860–1939) achieved great fame for his whimsical drawings of cats, but his story is also a sad one of personal tragedy.
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The story of
Sir Learie Constantine
Sir Learie Constantine (1901–1971) was a renowned cricketer, author, politician and persistent campaigner for racial equality and justice.
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Record revealed
John Blanke’s petition for a pay rise
This parchment records John Blanke, a Black Tudor in the royal court, asking King Henry VIII for a pay rise and a promotion in his role as a trumpeter.
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The story of
The Imperial Typewriters dispute
The Imperial Typewriters dispute in Leicester saw over 500 workers, largely from South Asia, go on strike over discrimination in 1974.
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Record revealed
Registered design for an expanding travelling basket
In 1866, a British luggage manufacturer attempted to capitalise on the expansion of railway lines with a unique and royal travel bag.
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Record revealed
Angry letter sent during the ‘Bread or blood’ riots
This angry letter offers a rare view of the words of ordinary people at the time, threatening violence in response to falling living standards in rural England.
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The story of
Ivor Cummings
Ivor Cummings (1913–1992) greeted the iconic arrival of the Empire Windrush at Tilbury in 1948. He became known as the 'gay father of the Windrush generation'.
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The story of
The foundation of the NHS
Explore the foundations of the NHS, one of Britain's most well-known and loved institutions.
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Record revealed
Copyright registration form for Bram Stoker’s Dracula
The Irish author completed this form to register ownership of a play titled ‘Dracula; or the Un-Dead’, and thus his seminal novel. It would prove important.
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Record revealed
Christine Granville’s application to become a British citizen
Christine Granville, Special Operations Executive agent extraordinaire, was Churchill’s favourite spy. How did this document possibly save her life?
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Record revealed
Printed circular produced by the National League of the Blind
In 1920, hundreds of members of the National League of the Blind (NLB) marched 200 miles to campaign for support. This printed circular explains what happened.
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Record revealed
List of suffragettes arrested from 1906–1914
More than a thousand people who supported women’s right to vote were arrested for their activism. This document records them – and includes some famous names.
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Record revealed
The Monteagle Letter
Is this the most famous anonymous letter in British history? Perhaps it should be. Without it, the Gunpowder Plot might have succeeded.
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Record revealed
A letter by the women workers at Fords of Dagenham
A handwritten letter written by sewing machinists working at Dagenham car plant who famously went on strike for equal wages in the late 1960s.
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The story of
Nancy Cunard
On the Windrush passenger list, white socialite Nancy Cunard (1896–1965) is described as a 'writer', but she was also a staunch activist for Black civil rights.
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The story of
The Caravan Club
The police raid on a secret queer nightclub in 1933 gives an insight into the lives of gay men in interwar London and their defiance in the face of persecution.
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The story of
Margaret Bondfield
Margaret Bondfield (1873–1953) was a trade unionist and Labour politician. In 1929 she became Britain’s first female cabinet minister.
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The story of
Ormonde, Almanzora and Windrush
Passenger lists for the ships that carried post-war migrants from the Caribbean to Britain can be crucial resources for people tracing their family history.
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The story of
Sophia Todd
Was a woman arrested for murder in Victorian Liverpool an unfortunate person caught up in a series of ill-fated events, or something much more sinister?
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The story of
Richard III
Through documents held at The National Archives, we can piece together a great deal about the life and reign one of Britain's most infamous medieval monarchs.
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The story of
Insaaf
Insaaf was a film made by the government, filmed partly in Urdu, to promote employment rights under the 1968 Race Relations Act.
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The story of
Maud Allan
Maud Allan (1873–1956) was a celebrated West End dancer in the early 20th century until she became entangled in one of the most sensational trials of the 1920s.
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The story of
Emmeline Pankhurst
Emmeline Pankhurst (1858–1928) was a tireless political activist, who led the WSPU – the militant faction of the movement for women’s suffrage.
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The story of
Radclyffe Hall
Radclyffe Hall (1880–1943) lived relatively openly as a lesbian in an era that condemned such relationships. Today she is an icon of LGBTQ+ literature.
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The story of
Shapurji Saklatvala
One of the first MPs of Indian heritage, Shapurji Saklatvala (1874–1936) was an agitator for change, which led to his surveillance by the Security Service.
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The story of
Alice Hawkins
Alice Hawkins (1863–1946) was a working class suffragette and trade unionist, who boldly campaigned for the rights of women.
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The story of
The Festival of Britain
The National Archives has a wealth of documents, photographs and art work collected during the planning and running of the influential 1951 Festival of Britain.
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The story of
William Cuffey
William Cuffey (1788–1870) was a mixed-race, disabled, working-class leader. He was a leading figure in the Chartism movement, famed for his powerful oratory.
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The story of
The Mangrove Nine
The trial of nine black protestors who were arrested while demonstrating in Notting Hill in the early 1970s became a public platform to criticise police racism.
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The story of
William Shakespeare
Through documents held in The National Archives, we can gain an incredible insight into the life of one of the world's most famous playwrights.