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Our collections cover England, Wales and Ireland
Search birth and marriage recordsCivil birth and marriage records have been vital markers of life-defining moments since 1837. Not only do our free civil birth and marriage records document the milestones of our ancestors’ lives – they reveal the societal shifts that took place as Victorian Britain evolved into the modern nation that we know today.
138,789,651
Births recorded
98,718,338
Marriages recorded
1837-2006
Years covered
Find family in free census records
Understand a detailed snapshot of their lives
Search census recordsIn the 1880s, Britain was undergoing a dramatic transition. With migration from overseas and mass movement to booming new cities, society was changing at breakneck speed. Discover where your ancestors fit into a nation on the move in the 1881 Census of England, Wales and Scotland and understand what their households looked like at this fateful point in Britain’s history.
29,840,158
People recorded
3 April 1881
Date taken
Search our free newspaper archive
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Search newspapersHow did our ancestors experience the changes of the 19th and 20th centuries? From colourful characters to community figures, their lives and stories were captured in column inches. Discover how these sweeping shifts shaped their world – and your family’s story – with our free British and Irish newspaper collections.
2,031,977
Free newspaper pages
432
Free publications
1699-1900
Years covered
Search free Irish parish records
Connect with the stories of Irish ancestors
Search Irish parish recordsDiscover what may be the only surviving record of your ancestors’ early life in our free Irish Roman Catholic Baptism records – a sacred record-keeping tradition dating back to the 1700s. Glean valuable clues into extended family and community connections in a country where many other family history records have been lost, and build a picture of the Emerald Isle as your family experienced it.
1,160,743
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1,165,869
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272,953
Galway county records
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British & Irish Roots Collection
Search a uniquely wide variety of records from the United States and Canada. Each record identifies a British or Irish emigrant who came to North America.
Britain, Royal African Company 1694-1743
These passenger list records contain the names of thousands who travelled on board the Royal African Company’s ships to and from Africa.
Scotland, Highlands and Islands Assisted Emigration 1852-1857
Search the names of those who left western Scotland for Australia with assistance from the Highlands and Islands Emigration Society.
Pennsylvania Immigrants, 1727-1776
Search names of Dutch, French, German, Swiss and other immigrants in Pennsylvania from 1727 to 1776.
Queensland Naturalisations 1851-1904
If your ancestors immigrated to Queensland, find out whether they became British subjects through naturalisation.
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Trace your family’s journeys
Search travel and migration recordsWas your ancestor an economic immigrant, travelling from Ireland to Liverpool in search of a better life? Perhaps they migrated for love, building a home in the United States or Canada? Millions of free passenger lists and travel records document the historical significance of these tough journeys. Over hundreds of years, they brought your family to where it is today.
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Uncover heroic ancestors
Search military recordsFacing down enemy fire shoulder-to-shoulder. Providing first-aid to comrades on the front lines. Returning home a hero, or, in too many cases, tragically killed before the end of the war. Discover the sacrifice and sorrow of your family’s wartime experience with our free British military records, which cover World War I, World War II and everything in between.
World War II records
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British Army, Army Lists
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1919-1945
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World War I records
1914-1920
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1914-1918
British Army, De Ruvigny's Roll Of Honour
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Directories & Social History
Back in 2011, we set out to bring the British Library's entire newspaper archive online. Millions of digitised pages later, our journey with the UK's national library continues.
Newspapers & Publications
Thanks to our long-standing partnership with the Family History Federation, we're home to millions of records you won't find anywhere else online.
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