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About DocumentsOnline
DocumentsOnline allows you online access to The National Archives' collection of digitised public records, including both academic and family history sources. We are committed to providing online access to the records, and DocumentsOnline forms a key part of this strategy. DocumentsOnline can be used free of charge on public access PCs at The National Archives.
The following is a list of all the major record collections available from DocumentsOnline.
Army
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Navy
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- Royal Marines Service Records (ADM 159)
Service records of those who joined the Royal Marines between
1842 and 1936. Search
- Registers of Seamen's Services (ADM 139, ADM 188)
Service registers of more than 600,000 seamen in the Royal Navy, 1853- 1923. Search
- Royal Naval Division service records (ADM 339)
Service records of more than 50,000 officers and men who joined the RND, 1914- 1919. Search
- Royal Naval Officers' Service Records (ADM 196)
Service records of officers who joined the Royal Navy between
1756-1917. Search
- RNVR service records from WW1 (ADM 337)
The service records of those who served in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve during WW1. Search
- WRNS: Women's Royal Naval Service (ADM 318, ADM 336)
Service records of more than 7,000 women who joined the WRNS (1917-1919). Search
- Wills of Royal Naval Seamen, (ADM 48)
A collection of around 20,000 wills made by seamen of the Royal Navy between 1786- 1882. Search
- French Muster Rolls from the Battle of Trafalgar (HCA 32)
Documents seized from four French ships captured after the Battle of Trafalgar by a Royal Navy squadron. They list details about the sailors, soldiers and passengers of each vessel. Search
- Medals issued to Merchant Seamen, WW2 (BT 395)
Records of WW2 Medals claimed and issued from 1946- 2002. Search
- The Victoria Cross Registers (WO 98)
The Victoria Cross was instituted by Royal Warrant on 29 January 1856 and awarded to members of the Royal Navy and the Army who 'shall have performed some signal act of valour...' Search
- Recommendations for Honours and Awards (WO 373)
Honours and awards made to British army personnel and those of the dominions, 1935- 1990. Search
- World War Two Merchant Shipping Movement Cards (BT 389)
Cards recording the movements of merchant ships during WW2.
Search
- Digital Microfilm
Free of charge. Download selected Army and Navy records as part of our pilot project. Search
- Other Naval records
Air force
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Wills and death duties
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Other record collections
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- FeaturesOnline
Download selected articles from Ancestors magazine.
- Domesday Book (E 31/1 and 2)
Domesday Book is one of our earliest surviving public records. It is a highly detailed survey of land and resources which was carried out in late 11th century England. Search
- Ancient Petitions Henry III - James I (SC 8)
Free of charge (funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council). Petitions persuing grievances which could not be resolved at common law, or requests for a grant of favour. Search
- Digital Microfilm
Free of charge. Download selected Army and Navy records as part of our pilot project. Search
- Southwell Union Workhouse records (MH 12)
Free to download, because of a joint partnership with the National Trust. Documents dated between 1834- 1871 from Southwell Union Workhouse, the best-preserved workhouse in England. Search
- Aliens Registration Cards (MEPO 35)
Aliens registration cards of those living in the London area from 1914. Search
- Cabinet papers (CAB series)
Free to download. Conclusions and Memoranda of meetings of the Cabinet from 1916- 1978. Search
- Private office papers of Sir Anthony Eden (FO 954)
Private office papers of Sir Anthony Eden, Earl of Avon, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. This collection covers the periods 1936-1938 and 1940-1945. Search
- UFO reports
Unidentified Flying Object files that have been released by the Ministry of Defence, covering the years 1978- 2002. To search for files, use the keyword 'UFO'. Browse the UFO files
- Victorian Prisoners Photograph Albums (PCOM 2)
You can download two volumes of photographs and case details of prisoners in Wandsworth Prison, 1872- 1873. Each case gives the prisoner's physical description, as well as a photograph, their date and place of birth, the crime they committed, their sentence, the place of conviction and often their place of residence. This is a browsable collection and we have not produced an accompanying research guide. Browse the Victorian prisoners records
- Jamestown Settlement 400th anniversary
Free of charge. Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. Documents include an illustrated map from 1608 and the souvenir pamphlet from the 1957 Jamestown Festival. Download the four documents
- Other records
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- New Releases
Previously known as New Year Openings.
- Popular documents
Some of The National Archives most popular documents. Some are single pieces within a series, and although further pieces from a given series might be digitised in the future, we cannot guarantee that the whole of the series will become available online.
- Society & Law
A range of records relating to immigration, crime and disasters, plus legal documents such as title deeds and depositions and a selection of key documents relating to gay and lesbian history.
- Home & Foreign Affairs
Records of domestic and foreign political policy. Among these you will find an image of the Magna Carta and political correspondence from figures such as William Pitt and Tony Benn.
- Military & Defence
Records relating to defence policy, research, espionage and propaganda. A particularly rich area is the correspondence between Churchill and Lord Selborne concerning Special Operations Executive activities during WW2. There are also government files about TE Lawrence ("Lawrence of Arabia") and his service in the RAF.
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