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On-line Sources:- Dr Michael Winstanley's guide to on-line resources for Cumbria.

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A selection of online and digital resources for Cumbrian history

Michael Winstanley

History Department University of Lancaster

From a talk to Cumbria Local History Federation

22 September 2007

This is not a complete listing of all websites but it is intended to cover most of the major catalogues and larger collections of primary sources available. There are clearly many others which are useful, however, and it is amazing just what Google throws up if searches are precisely defined.

General resource

Vision of Britain A topographical and historical guide to everywhere

http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/index

CATALOGUES ON LINE

Some general search tips

Be as precise as you can with your search term

Use double inverted commas for phrases

Try to think of alternative spellings for names, places, activities etc

Don’t assume all the contents of an archive are catalogued or online – it is always worth visiting their own website where there are often even fuller catalogues and more sources

The National Archives

The first port of call for original records and links to other web sites including integrated search engine for some other catalogues and sources

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/?source=home

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/default.asp?j=1 (catalogue)

Equity Pleadings (1625-1714)

specific catalogue of one source

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/equity/

Archon –

Directory of all UK archives

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/archon/

Genuki

A guide to UK holdings of many sources

http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/SAL/

Access to Archives

On line catalogues for 411 record offices and links to their web sites

http://www.a2a.org.uk/default.asp

Manorial Documents Register

including Cumbria and Lancs North of the Sands

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/mdr/default.htm

http://www.lancs.ac.uk/depts/history/cmr/index.htm (guide and catalogue written by Drs Angus Winchester and Eleanor Straughton, History Dept, Lancaster)- link from MDR site)

National Register of Archives

Guide to major holdings of family, business, associational papers wherever they are

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/nra/

Newsplan

A guide to where local newspapers are held.

http://www.bl.uk/collections/nplan.html

Royal Historical Society Bibliography

The best online catalogue of printed material

http://www.rhs.ac.uk/bibl/

The British Library

Catalogue of all books published in Britain ; online images, catalogues of manuscripts etc and some images

http://www.bl.uk/ and ‘Turning the Pages’ http://www.bl.uk/collections/toppage.html

ArchivesHub

Catalogues of university archive holdings

http://www.archiveshub.ac.uk/

ORIGINAL SOURCE MATERIAL (free or pay to view)

National Archives Documents on Line

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/

Includes searchable transcripts of numerous documents mainly ‘early modern’ including the 8 volumes of the Victoria County History of Lancashire

Census and Other (eg military) records - pay or free via Lancashire County Libraries)

1881 census available on CD from LDS Distribution Centres in England 399 Garrets Green Lane Birmingham B33 0UH Tel: (44-0121) 7852200 Fax: (44-0121) 7897686

Private web site with good quality reproductions and material hosted by Portsmouth University

Digital texts and selected transcripts searchable by word of all books in English before 1700