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 From government records to true crime tales, these authoritative talks bring history to life, placing historical documents in societal context.

Textile designs 1842-1964: exploring the Board of Trade Representations and Registers

In 1839 the Board of Trade established a scheme for proprietors of original designs to register their designs and protect them from commercial piracy. The National Archives holds the surviving representations and registers; these volumes provide information about suppliers from ...
The Berlin Wall 1961: the construction 50 years on

This talk covers the circumstances which brought about the construction of the wall, what it meant for Germany and the crisis it precipitated in the context of the Cold War. Whilst focusing on 1961, it also covers the period 1945-61 ...
Galaxy Zoo and old weather: exploring the potential of citizen science

A team at Oxford University has launched a range of ‘citizen science’ projects, all aimed at delivering real research through the efforts of a large community of public volunteers. ‘Old Weather’ is the first non-astronomical project for the team and ...
Morale, morality and the Liverpool Blitz

This talk uses documents from The National Archives and elsewhere to reveal the steps that the wartime government took to measure the morale of those residents who were facing some of the heaviest bombing of the Second World War. We ...
The Land Tax 1692-1963

The Land Tax was created in 1692 and was voted annually by Parliament until 1798 when it became a perpetual charge, which could be redeemed by the payment of a lump sum. After 1949 compulsory redemption was introduced in certain ...
1611-2011: The 400th anniversary of the King James Bible

This talk examines the context of the translation of the King James Bible and considers the extent of King James involvement in its production.
Edwardian Folkestone at work

The film opens with well to do Edwardians in a well off street. We then see sailors on the docks, followed by a range of street urchins and slightly more well to do boys. Several people appear near the waterfront.
The last thing we need is a sequel: postwar cinema at The National Archives

The National Archives’ exploration of the British government’s uneasy relationship with the film industry continues. From groundbreaking social dramas and Oscar-winning hits to obscure Swedish erotic documentaries, our documents shed light on four decades of cinematic history. We see what ...
Behind the scenes: two centuries of census-taking

The census has been described as a ‘snapshot in time’, recording the nation as it stands at midnight on one Sunday every ten years. But the preparation for each census started years before each census date, and the collating and ...
Revolting to humanity: histories of mental health

The 19th century ushered in a new way of seeing mental health. For the first time, ‘madness’ was not a condition understood as an extension of the criminal or poor classes, but as a unique social group in its own ...
The Second World War and Roches expansion to the West: a Swiss pharmaceutical company in the United Kingdom

Roche was founded in 1896 as one of the very first industrial companies solely focused on the development and production of scientifically proven pharmaceuticals. After setting up a small factory in Basel, Switzerland, Fritz Hoffman-La Roche, the founder, immediately started ...
Living the Poor Life – Paul Carter introduces the project

Paul Carter, The National Archives’ principal modern domestic record’s specialist, introduces the Living the Poor Life cataloguing project
Living the Poor Life – Paul Carter talks about some stories from the files

Paul Carter, The National Archives’ principal modern domestic record’s specialist, talks about some of the personal stories that have emerged from the Living the Poor Life project
The Festival of Britain

The Festival of Britain opened on 3 May 1951. It was a summer-long, nationwide festival celebrating Britain’s contribution to civilisation past, present and future, in the arts, in science and in industrial design. Events ranged from the London South Bank ...
Heralds and heraldry at The National Archives

The National Archives holds possibly the greatest collection of untapped source material for heralds and heraldry in this country. This lecture examines evidence stretching back over eight and a half centuries: seals, illuminated manuscripts, medieval rolls, treaties, grants of arms, ...