Social history

Find podcasts relating to social history. From government records to true crime tales, these authoritative talks bring history to life, placing historical documents in societal context.

Upstairs and downstairs in the royal household

An introduction to the administration of the Royal Household from the restoration of Charles II to the death of Victoria. The talk is based on the records of the Lord Chamberlain’s Department and the Lord Steward’s Department, which were responsible ...
Dr Williams’ Library: an early birth registry

Dr Williams’ Library in London is an essential resource for people who are researching the history of protestant nonconformity in England and Wales. But the library has also given its name to an important collection of registers and certificates which ...
Summer of ’69

A look back at the year in which Neil Armstrong took his ‘giant leap for mankind’, Concorde continued its flight test programme and the hippy culture reached its zenith with the age of the pop festival. However, the summer of ...
Genius on trial: key sources relating to Oscar Wilde at The National Archives

The arrest and subsequent imprisonment of Oscar Wilde was one of the most sensational and controversial episodes of the late Victorian era, with far-reaching social and cultural implications. This talk presents the key documents held by The National Archives on ...
Burial clubs – the unfriendly societies

Friendly Societies were popular in the 19th Century, and were regulated by law. Surprisingly, burial clubs, which offered a form of life insurance, didn’t always fall into this category, and provided many incentives to commit fraud – and even murder!
Titanic Lives: The Crew of RMS Titanic

Much has been written about RMS Titanic, but this has tended to concentrate on the ship and its passengers. Using sources such as crew lists, local newspapers, Titanic Fund minute books and the newly released 1911 census, this talk traces ...
Charles Darwin and the Beagle

An investigation into the real reasons behind the celebrated voyage of HMS Beagle (1831-1836) and the momentous decision by Captain Robert FitzRoy to choose Charles Darwin to accompany him.
Every journey has two ends: using passenger lists

The National Archives’ Chris Watts reveals the benefits of using both arrival and departure records when searching for details of our migrant ancestors, as well as demonstrating how the shortcomings of content, indexing and accessibility can be minimised.
Naturalisation and alien registration

Using records at The National Archives, this talk examines the various Alien Acts that affected the status of foreigners resident in the UK from the 19th century, and the reasons why so many chose to become naturalised British citizens.
Finding company records

Historian, Alex Ritchie, looks at the distribution of business records and introduces the finding aids that are available to researchers, as well as revealing some of the less obvious resources that can be used to identify and track down business ...
What can you learn from a DNA test?

Chris Pomeroy, of the Pomeroy DNA Project, reviews the history of DNA testing and explains how it can be used by family historians, as well as discussing the experiences of leading family history projects that are using DNA testing to ...
George Ives: queer lives and the family

Cultural historian Matt Cook delves into the diary of George Ives, the early homosexual law reformer, and considers the issue of family, a pertinent and recurrent theme within Ives’ diary.
Locality, land and livelihood: sources for early local history

An introduction to medieval and early modern sources relating to English and Welsh local history. Sean Cunningham and James Ross explore the vast collection of accounts, surveys, court rolls, inquisitions, deeds and taxation records held at The National Archives.
Tracing your ancestors: a case study featuring the Darwin family

A step-by-step guide to tracing your ancestors, using the Darwin family as a case study. Gerry Toop introduces researchers to the most important genealogical sources available at The National Archives and elsewhere, including birth, marriage and death indexes, census returns, ...
Dissecting and cataloguing medical officers’ journals in ADM 101

Bruno Pappalardo introduces the collection of medical officers’ journals found in ADM 101. These journals give a detailed insight into a ship’s daily activities, as well as the science and wildlife that was encountered by British Navy medical officers.