Features
Guides, tutorials, interviews, research and opinion pieces on family and social history
Scottish names and naming traditions
Discover which surnames, first names and clan names are Scottish and how to tell if you have Scottish family history
I discovered forgotten documents that solved the 19th century murder of a sailor
Hazel Garas discovered that her 3x great grandfather William Ross was a witness to the suspected murder of his brother-in-law on board a ship
Second World War Army records: Where to find them
If someone in your family history served in the Army during the Second World War, here's how to track down their records
Irish ancestry: How to trace Irish ancestry
Discover if you have Irish ancestry with the help of our list of the best Irish ancestry websites
Cotton mill workers: Who were they, and what were their lives like?
The men, women and children who worked in Britain's cotton mills powered the Industrial Revolution - but what were their lives like?
What was rationing, when did it start and when did it end?
From ration books to 'Doctor Carrot', discover how the British government preserved Britain's food supplies in the Second World War
How to find bankruptcy records online
If your ancestor was bankrupt or insolvent, find out how to trace historic bankruptcy records with our guide
What is an agricultural labourer?
Almost all of us will have agricultural labourer ancestors. Discover more about their lives and how to research them with our guide
Mass Observation: What was it, and when did it start?
The Mass Observation project documented the lives of ordinary people in the 1930s and the Second World War - and is still going today
How to find Royal Navy service records
Simon Wills reveals how family historians can find their ancestors’ Royal Navy service records – from the Napoleonic Wars to the First and Second World Wars
The best genealogy courses available now
Discover how to learn family history skills with our pick of the best online and correspondence genealogy courses
Evacuees: Where did evacuees go, what did they take with them and what were their lives like?
Where did evacuees go and what were their lives like? Discover the stories of the children who were evacuated in WW2
The 10 most watched archive films on BFI Player
To celebrate 25 years of National Lottery funding, Britain on Film reveals its ten most popular films capturing historic life in Britain
My ancestor endured the ‘Starving Time’ as one of the first European settlers in Virginia
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine reader Margaret Rice's ancestor Henry Bagwell was among the first European settlers in Virginia 1609
I used a DNA test to find my ancestor’s father – and discovered a tragic tale of lunacy in the 19th century
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine reader Mandy Webb reveals how she used a DNA test to discover her great grandmother's father
My ancestor survived storms, shipwrecks, an attack from a French warship, and fell overboard several times
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine reader Janice Oliver discovered her ancestor Thomas Oliver served at sea during the Napoleonic Wars
How to read old newspapers online
Trace your family history in print with these online collections of old newspapers from Britain, America, Australia and more
The ‘hop-picking holidays’ that let poor city dwellers experience the countryside
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, poor families in Britain enjoyed travelling to Kent for 'hop picking holidays' where they picked hops
What is child migration?
Thousands of child migrants were sent to Canada, Australia and elsewhere - here's how to find out more
How the founding of the RNLI saved thousands from drowning in shipwrecks in the 19th century
Discover how the RNLI was founded in 1824 to create a lifeboat service that saved people from drowning in dangerous Victorian shipwrecks
Bigamy: When was it made illegal, and what were the penalties?
Marriage history expert Rebecca Probert looks at the different laws against bigamy in the UK, and the penalties for bigamists who were caught
100 cool last names: From Anguish to Wildblood
Look no further for 100 cool British last names and their sometimes surprising origins from Alefounder and Sexey to Twelvetrees and Wildblood
From smuggling to suffragettes: The surprisingly radical history of Britain’s love affair with tea
When did tea first come to Britain, and how did it become the nation's most popular beverage? Find out with our guide to the history of tea
I reunited two families a century after a tragic double drowning brought them together
Jennie Long and Steve Fowler reunited their families a century after Steve's great uncle drowned rescuing Jennie's