Time for a quick recap on the fantastic historical resources that are being made freely available to home users during lockdown. Most of these providers have been doing this since last March, and some have put end dates on their free access, but keep an eye on that in case they extend (or reduce!) the time period.
In no particular order, then, here are my recommendations for great British research without spending a farthing.
Digitised documents such as wills or military service records can be downloaded free from the UK's national repository at Kew. Search TNA’s Discovery catalogue and use their subject research guides to explore their collections.
Sign up for a temporary free account to search Ancestry’s North Lanarkshire Poor Law and Electoral Register collection from 1847 to 1969.
Ancestry Find out from your local public library if they offer home access to Ancestry Library Edition. All you’ll need to register for it is your library card number, and if you don’t have a library card, you should be able to apply for one online. While you’re in touch with the library, check what other online resources they provide. While not always genealogy-related, useful reference works like the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography can help fill in details of the times and places your ancestors lived in.
This site is making
all research content free to individual users until the end of April. Browse the wide range of historical sources they
host, for Britain and Ireland, particularly for the period 1300-1800.
There are many more resources opening up part or all of their collections. I'll post about any others that I find especially useful. Meanwhile, happy hunting!
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