Please note: Professor Brand quotes direct dialogue from original plea rolls and some listeners might find the language offensive. The Annual Lecture of the Pipe Roll Society 2014 was given by Professor Paul Brand, All Souls College Oxford. Professor Brand is one of the world's leading experts on medieval law in England and Ireland and has published extensively on the subject. The Pipe Roll Society is an academic society dedicated to publishing editions of the pipe rolls of the Exchequer and oth...
Jul 25, 2014•50 min
In a period where politics could not be separated from dynasty and the personal relationships between individuals were crucial to government, women often played a key role in diplomacy. This was certainly the case in relations between England and Scotland in the medieval period, with sisters, daughters and cousins of English kings regularly being dispatched north of the border to forge links through marriage with the Scottish kings. This talk draws on records at The National Archives and elsewhe...
Jul 18, 2014•43 min
The National Archives is engaged in its first Knowledge Transfer Partnership. The scheme aims to support UK businesses to improve their competitiveness, productivity and performance by accessing knowledge and expertise in UK academic institutions. The scheme partners companies with academic institutions in order to develop knowledge, technology or skills they currently lack. In this talk Kostas Ntanos, Head of Conservation Research and Development at The National Archives, will discuss the archi...
Jul 11, 2014•24 min
Have you been unsuccessful in searching for a personal file for someone in SOE or perhaps you found a file containing little detail? There may be alternative or supplementary sources. This talk suggests ways to identify these sources and find further information about SOE service in records held at The National Archives. Neil Cobbett has worked at The National Archives for 19 years, specialising in Special Operations Executive and modern (post-1688) Irish records.
Jul 04, 2014•45 min
The 19th century saw a series of scandals concerning sane individuals being locked away in lunatic asylums, who were the victims of unscrupulous persons who wanted to be rid of a 'difficult' family member, spouse or friend. But who were the victims of this trade? How much can you find about contested cases, private asylums and dishonest doctors in the surviving records? Sarah Wise explains what she learned during research for her latest book, which made use of The National Archives' holdings as ...
Jun 27, 2014•47 min
Jenny Lewis's father fought as a young man in the First World War campaign in Mesopotamia - modern day Iraq, Iran and Syria. He joined the South Wales Borderers in 1915 and served in Mesopotamia until 1917 when he was wounded at Kut al Amara. He died in 1944 when Jenny was a baby. Through a presentation of original photographs, poetry and witness statements from her latest collection, Taking Mesopotamia (which was heavily based on research at The National Archives) Jenny links the 2003-2011 Iraq...
Jun 19, 2014•28 min
While the United States could boast the black fliers of Tuskegee, few people are aware of the important contribution made by 500 RAF aircrew recruited from the Caribbean and West Africa. Overcoming the legacy of the official British Colour Bar to serve over Europe as pilots, navigators, flight engineers and air gunners, these men were pioneers in the truest sense. After suffering a loss rate of more than 30% and, in some cases, incarceration as black PoWs in Nazi Germany, the men returned to the...
Jun 10, 2014•39 min
Stella Wisdom discusses the 'Off the Map' competition: a unique collaboration the British Library has with videogame company Crytek and GameCity festival based in Nottingham. Off the Map challenges students in higher education to build exciting, explorable, virtual environments using assets chosen by curators at the British Library and the power of Crytek's CRYENGINE software. The 2013 competition winners were De Montfort University's Pudding Lane Productions team with their stunning realisation...
Jun 06, 2014•26 min
Dr Andrew Hopper investigates the recent controversy among historians about the nature of the trial of King Charles I. Which individuals drove the king's trial and what were their aims and goals? Did the king know he was doomed from the outset or did doubts remain over the trial's outcome? How committed were the trial commissioners to a capital sentence and what pressures constrained their freedom of action? The trial papers of Charles I are on view in The Keeper's Gallery. Dr Andrew Hopper is s...
May 30, 2014•38 min
How can cloud storage help address growing digital preservation challenges? A webinar took place on 13 May 2014 to introduce The National Archives' new cloud storage and digital preservation guidance. The webinar was an opportunity to learn more about this guidance, and to put questions to the authors: Neil Beagrie, Andrew Charlesworth and Paul Miller. If you have any queries about the presentation please contact Charles Beagrie Ltd. Please note that this is a recording of a webinar and you migh...
May 27, 2014•50 min
Ronan Deazley draws on examples of large-scale archive digitisation initiatives to discuss copyright compliance and risk management when making archive material available online. The United Kingdom Archives Discovery (UKAD) network is a collaborative group of archives and other information professionals, of which The National Archives is part, who are working towards opening up data in order to promote the use of archives. The forum is an opportunity for archivists and information professionals ...
May 19, 2014•16 min
This is the keynote talk at the United Kingdom Archives Discovery (UKAD) 2014 forum, delivered by Nick Poole. He explores how data standards can help museums, archives and libraries become an essential and trusted part of daily life for millions of online users. The United Kingdom Archives Discovery (UKAD) network is a collaborative group of archives and other information professionals, of which The National Archives is part, who are working towards opening up data in order to promote the use of...
May 19, 2014•24 min
Malcolm Howitt explores developing collection management systems for archives and the balance between offering flexible data management tools and support for an increasing variety of data standards. The United Kingdom Archives Discovery (UKAD) network is a collaborative group of archives and other information professionals, of which The National Archives is part, who are working towards opening up data in order to promote the use of archives. The forum is an opportunity for archivists and inform...
May 19, 2014•20 min
Kerstin Arnold and Jane Stevenson present a case study showing how the UK went from zero data to one of the leading contributors to the Portal through the benefits of interoperable data. The United Kingdom Archives Discovery (UKAD) network is a collaborative group of archives and other information professionals, of which The National Archives is part, who are working towards opening up data in order to promote the use of archives. The forum is an opportunity for archivists and information profes...
May 19, 2014•20 min
Kerstin Arnold explains the open data principles underpinning Europeana and how the data is accessible through different routes. The United Kingdom Archives Discovery (UKAD) network is a collaborative group of archives and other information professionals, of which The National Archives is part, who are working towards opening up data in order to promote the use of archives. The forum is an opportunity for archivists and information professionals to hear and share some of the latest thinking arou...
May 19, 2014•7 min
Jonathan Cates introduces the new Discovery Finding Archives website, cornerstone of The National Archives' role as sector champion. The United Kingdom Archives Discovery (UKAD) network is a collaborative group of archives and other information professionals, of which The National Archives is part, who are working towards opening up data in order to promote the use of archives. The forum is an opportunity for archivists and information professionals to hear and share some of the latest thinking ...
May 19, 2014•17 min
Jane Stevenson talks about the importance of data exchange and the fluidity of data, and how this can be achieved behind the scenes in order to provide a better service to end-users. The United Kingdom Archives Discovery (UKAD) network is a collaborative group of archives and other information professionals, of which The National Archives is part, who are working towards opening up data in order to promote the use of archives. The forum is an opportunity for archivists and information profession...
May 19, 2014•15 min
Geoff Browell talks about the role of authority data in AIM25, including UKAT. The United Kingdom Archives Discovery (UKAD) network is a collaborative group of archives and other information professionals, of which The National Archives is part, who are working towards opening up data in order to promote the use of archives. The forum is an opportunity for archivists and information professionals to hear and share some of the latest thinking around online access to archives and archives data and...
May 19, 2014•18 min
Afelonne Doek introduces the Social History Portal, an outcome of the European funded project Heritage of the People's Europe (HOPE), giving access to over 900,000 digital objects and more than 2 million item descriptions. The United Kingdom Archives Discovery (UKAD) network is a collaborative group of archives and other information professionals, of which The National Archives is part, who are working towards opening up data in order to promote the use of archives. The forum is an opportunity f...
May 19, 2014•16 min
Lucy Inglis looks at the making of the London identity, and how it was shaped through the last years of the 17th century, then consolidated throughout the 18th century as London moved towards Enlightenment. Lucy Inglis began the blog GeorgianLondon in 2009. In 2013, Penguin published her book, Georgian London: Into the streets.
May 16, 2014•47 min
Contrary to previous fears, there is unlikely to be a 'black hole' in our official history due to lost emails and other digital information. In fact, quite the opposite. According to official sources, government is deluged with digital information and now The National Archives urgently needs to develop a new way to review for sensitivity the vast swathes of data and preserve that which has historical value for future generations. In this talk, Tim Gollins discusses the problem and what The Natio...
May 12, 2014•50 min
Starting with a tin can and a tried and tested supermarket analogy Mark Merifield covers some basic principles of information management and explores the value that's held in metadata. Building on ideas being worked on by government's Metadata and Vocabularies Working Group he examines how, with some simple controls and standards, that metadata could go on to open up our understanding, use and re-use of government's information across time and (cyber)space, solving digital transfer and opening u...
May 06, 2014•27 min
Churchill's top secret plan to attack the Soviet Empire was scheduled for 1 July 1945. British, US, Polish and German forces were to attempt to liberate East Germany and Poland and bring Stalin back to the conference table. If they did not succeed, Allied forces would be sucked into a Third World War. How close did Britain come to Armageddon in 1945? Jonathan Walker is the author of Operation Unthinkable: British plans to attack The Soviet Empire 1945. He is a member of the British Commission fo...
Apr 28, 2014•34 min
Joanna Bourke discusses her book What it Means to be Human: Reflections from 1791 to the Present and how she uses original records in her writing. Joanna Bourke is Professor of History at Birkbeck College, University of London. She is the prize-winning author of nine books, including: Dismembering the Male: Men's Bodies, Britain, and the Great War (1996); An Intimate History of Killing (1999); Fear: A Cultural History (2005); and Rape: A History from the 1860s to the Present (2007).
Apr 25, 2014•20 min
When the Post Office Tower was opened officially on 8 October 1965, it was London's tallest building. It was also seen as symbolising a new, exciting technological revolution and a new spirit of optimism, successfully capturing the public imagination. In this talk, Mark Dunton draws on the public records held by The National Archives to explore aspects of the Tower's history, design and construction and its wider significance. Mark Dunton is principal records specialist in contemporary history. ...
Apr 22, 2014•20 min
Everyone researching 19th century English or Welsh ancestors is familiar with birth, marriage and death certificates, but how much thought do we give to the origins of the General Register Office which was created to look after these records? Not everyone was in favour, and the legislation passed in 1836 (Births and Deaths Registration Act 1836) was not the first attempt at setting up a system of civil registration. Its first few years were surprisingly turbulent, and files in The National Archi...
Apr 07, 2014•55 min
In all but the most specialist accounts of Victorian histories the poor are often represented through generalisations, graphs or summed up in 'averaging' paragraphs. More detailed work might look at the experiences of individual poor people through pulling together accounts from contemporary newspapers, the letters of the wealthy, or poor law officials and government inspectors who write about the poor. Few historians have looked at accounts of poor people's lives written by the poor themselves....
Apr 01, 2014•42 min
The security service files held at The National Archives in series KV 2 reveal that many people involved in espionage, like Foreign Office clerk Ernest Oldham, were ordinary folk who entered an extraordinary world by chance - often with tragic consequences. His story, told through phone intercepts, surveillance notes and secret service reports, reveals the human cost of spying in the 1920s and 1930s. Dr Nick Barratt works in the Advice and Records Knowledge department. Previously he ran was invo...
Mar 14, 2014•41 min
James Cronan, Diplomatic and Colonial Records Specialist at The National Archives, outlines the events around the United Kingdom's entry to the European Economic Community.
Mar 07, 2014•6 min
At the end of the last century the great heritage debate transformed thinking about public engagement with the past in historic sites and museums. Do new initiatives in archives promise something similar in public engagement with history now, and how might new digital initiatives help? Sarah Rees Jones and Victoria Hoyle give an overview of some of the current new developments in public use of archives that are developing in York, from digital initiatives and new archival search software using a...
Mar 07, 2014•39 min
