British Online Archives (BOA)
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Our skilled team curate and digitise unique collections of primary sources that illuminate key historical concepts, events, and themes.
Our latest “Document of the Week” was chosen by our Senior Curator, Dr Charlie Hall. It is an 1896 order for the arrest of Robert Baden-Powell, later the founder of the Boy Scout movement, for his actions during the Second Matabele War. Read the full post here: buff.ly/ywdtHdl
In light of America’s 250th independence anniversary, our Academic Liaison Manager, Dr Catherine Bateson, explores a page from the Proceedings of the US Continental Congress in July 1775. Read the full post here: buff.ly/92hG8GG
New primary source collection coming soon—The Strand Magazine, 1891–1930. Associated, famously, with Sherlock Holmes, The Strand became a British cultural institution, blending literary sophistication with broad, popular appeal. Learn more at buff.ly/99WFqyn.
The Strand Magazine, 1891–1930 - Overview
The Strand Magazine was one of the most influential and popular illustrated monthly periodicals of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Founded by George Newnes in 1890, the first issue…
britishonlinearchives.com
Our latest “Document of the Week”, chosen by our Editor, Nishah Malik, offers a striking glimpse into the consumer revolution that transformed British homes in the post-war years.
New primary source collection out now—Germany, 1920–1969: British Foreign Office Confidential Print. Comprising over 55,000 images sourced from The National Archives (UK), it surveys government files relating to Germany and its nearest neighbours. Learn more at
Germany, 1920–1969: British Foreign Office Confidential Print - Overview
Comprising over 55,000 images sourced from The National Archives (UK), this collection surveys Foreign Office material relating to Germany and its nearest neighbours. The collection contains a wide…
britishonlinearchives.com
Our new Purchasing Scheme closes on 31 July! There’s still time to make great savings on an excellent range of our unique primary source collections! Find out more at:
BOA Purchasing Scheme
At British Online Archives, we take great pride in our...
britishonlinearchives.com
Our latest “Document of the Week” was chosen by our Senior Curator, Dr Mary Wills. It is a fifteenth-century Latin manuscript exploring the practice of palmistry, or palm reading. Read the full post here: buff.ly/D00AqjL
Our latest "Document of the Week" was chosen by our Editorial Assistant, Chloe Haney. It is an article from West Africa Magazine about Annie Jiagge, née Baeta, the first female magistrate in the Gold Coast/Ghana. Read the full post here: buff.ly/iKbFAVR
New primary source collection coming soon—The Slave Trade, c. 1830–1893: British Foreign Office Confidential Print. It contains over 31,000 images from Foreign Office files at The National Archives (UK). Learn more and register your interest at britishonlinearchives.com/collections/....
The Slave Trade, c. 1830–1893: British Foreign Office Confidential Print - Overview
Britain’s role in the history of slavery is long and complex. After decades of abolitionist campaigning, the Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade in 1807 ended Britain’s involvement in the…
britishonlinearchives.com
We’re seeking an enterprising Head of Global Sales! It’s a great opportunity to join our innovative team! View the full job specification at britishonlinearchives.com/head-of-glob...
Careers
British Online Archives offers scholars and academics the primary sources to advance their research within the humanities and social sciences.
britishonlinearchives.com
Our latest "Document of the Week" was chosen by our Academic Liaison Manager, Dr Catherine Bateson. It is the title page of Thomas Paine's 1804 "Letter to the People of England", about political revolution in the wake of events in America and France at the end of the 18th century.
Our Purchasing Scheme is Open! Until 31 July 2026, get a 20% discount on 20 of our most popular collections, such as British Government Information and Propaganda, 1939–2009. Visit the collection at buff.ly/R7CU9No. Learn about our purchasing scheme at buff.ly/hcH8FZt.
BOA Purchasing Scheme
At British Online Archives, we take great pride in our...
britishonlinearchives.com
In our latest “Document of the Week”, our Senior Editor, Dr Tommy Dolan, reflects upon an article in The Illustrated London News from July 1975. It reported upon the outcome of the UK referendum on membership of the European Economic Community. Read the full post here: buff.ly/KaM2bhD
Our latest “Document of the Week”, chosen by our Editor, Nishah Malik, is an article from our new primary source collection, West Africa Magazine, 1917–2003, titled “I ain’t black ’nough?”.
New primary source collection coming soon—Germany, 1920–1969: British Foreign Office Confidential Print. Comprising over 55,000 images sourced from The National Archives (UK), it surveys government files relating to Germany and its nearest neighbours. Learn more at buff.ly/2GXEQaq
Our latest “Document of the Week”, chosen by our Editor, Nishah Malik, is an article from our new primary source collection, West Africa Magazine, 1917–2003, titled “African Cultures and Globalisation”.
New collection out now—West Africa Magazine, 1917–2003. Featuring over 170,000 images, this comprehensive run of West Africa magazine offers remarkable insights into a period of significant transformation across Africa and the wider world. Learn more at buff.ly/uGogdVF.
Our latest “Document of the Week”, chosen by our Editorial Assistant, Chloe Haney, is a clipping of a newspaper article by David Ainley titled “Behind the ban on advertising—the face of injustice”, which appeared in the Morning Star on 2 July 1968. Read the full post here: buff.ly/52bnOVX
To commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we are offering a 20% discount on this fascinating primary source collection, The American Revolution from a British Perspective, 1763–1783. Learn more at buff.ly/8Xbnuxf.
New contextual essay from BOA! Dr Debra Parish shows how the case of the legendary Mother Shipton—the so-called “Yorkshire Witch”—offers an intriguing example of the slippery boundaries between the early modern prophet and witch. Read the full article at
Mother Shipton: Prophet and “Yorkshire Witch”
With a reputation as both a visionary prophet and a devilish witch, the legendary Mother Shipton offers a clear example of the slippery boundaries between the early modern prophet and witch.
britishonlinearchives.com
Our Purchasing Scheme is Open! Until 31 July 2026, grab a 20% discount on 20 of our most popular collections. Every collection is available as a one-off perpetual purchase! Learn more at britishonlinearchives.com/series/24/bo....
Our latest “Document of the Week” was chosen by our Senior Curator, Dr Charlie Hall. It shows how the British government sought to understand the likely psychological impact of a nuclear attack on the British population in the early 1980s. Read the full post here: buff.ly/GIyHOFJ
Our latest article, written by our Editor, Nishah Malik, shows how our primary source collections can facilitate interdisciplinary modes of research and teaching! You can read it at britishonlinearchives.com/posts/catego....
Interdisciplinary Nature of BOA’s Collections
Historical material is often perceived as static records of the past—sources that offer only a glimpse of history. However, this view is limited. In reality, historical documents are dynamic and…
britishonlinearchives.com
Our latest “Document of the Week”, chosen by Editorial Assistant, Chloe Haney, is an advertisement published in The Illustrated London News (ILN) on 12 December 1931.
Our latest “Document of the Week”, chosen by our Editor, Nishah Malik, is a report from 1883. It offers a glimpse into nineteenth-century debates on the spread of leprosy, revealing the interplay of medical uncertainty, racial prejudice, and imperialism on Robben Island.
Explore our unique primary source collections, such as Kenya Under Colonial Rule, in Government Reports, 1907–1964. Comprising over 59,000 images, it surveys Kenya’s path to independence. Learn more at britishonlinearchives.com/collections/....
Our latest “Document of the Week”, chosen by our Senior Curator, Dr Mary Wills, examines an important case of female-led activism in Nigeria under colonial rule. Read the full post here: buff.ly/PPiF9pa
Our Purchasing Scheme is Open! Until 31 July 2026, grab a 20% discount on 20 of our most popular collections, such as Colonial Africa in Official Statistics, 1821–1953. Learn more at britishonlinearchives.com/series/24/bo....
BOA Purchasing Scheme
At British Online Archives, we take great pride in our...
britishonlinearchives.com
Our latest “Document of the Week” was chosen by our Editor, Nishah Malik. This week, we spotlight a poster that promoted the Race Relations Act that was passed by the UK government in 1968. Read the full post here: buff.ly/GhFzAzh
New contextual essay for our collection, Radicalism and Popular Protest in Georgian Britain, c. 1714–1832. Dr Joe Cozens surveys how Jacobitism was superseded by more “radical” ideas advanced by journalists, artisans, and reform societies. Read the essay at buff.ly/YgQvA8y.
Radicalism and Popular Protest in Georgian Britain, c. 1714–1832
The publication of this article coincides with the release of a new collection by British Online Archives (BOA), Radicalism and Popular Protest in Georgian Britain,...
britishonlinearchives.com