The National Archives Podcast Series

West Indian cricket and its relationship with the British-resident Caribbean Diaspora. 'They gave the crowd plenty fun' is a lucid study of the impact of West Indian cricket on those of Caribbean birth and descent in Britain. It traces the relationship between cricket and the Caribbean Diaspora from the start of mass immigration to Britain from the Caribbean in the 1950s. Colin also reflects on his life as a second generation West Indian boy in 1970s/1980s Britain. Colin Babb describes himself as a 'BBC', a British Born Caribbean. His family are from Guyana, Guadeloupe and Barbados. He has worked as a radio and online producer and journalist for the BBC. He joined the BBC Test Match Special commentary team during the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy tournament to discuss his book with Tony Cozier and Simon Mann.

This talk describes the events which unfolded at Belvoir Castle four hundred years ago, during the witch craze. It is a tale of superstition, injustice and conspiracy. Dr Tracy Borman is an author, historian and broadcaster, whose books include the highly acclaimed Elizabeth's Women: the Hidden Story of the Virgin Queen and Matilda: Queen of the Conqueror. Her forthcoming book, on the history of witchcraft, will be published by Jonathan Cape in Autumn 2013. Tracy has recently been appointed interim Chief Curator of Historic Royal Palaces and is also Chief Executive of the Heritage Education Trust.

Diplomatic and Colonial Records Specialist David Gilfoyle introduces the eighth and final tranche of files, now available on site at The National Archives, Kew. The National Archives has been working with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to transfer and release colonial administration records, referred to as the 'migrated archives', between April 2012 and November 2013, in accordance with the published timeline on GOV.UK. The collection will form record series FCO 141: Foreign and Commonwealth Office and predecessors: Records of Former Colonial Administrations: Migrated Archives. The records cover a wide range of subject matter relating to colonial administration. The material reflects events in the territories generally pre-independence and reflects Her Majesty's Government's views at the time. This release contains records from Malta, Singapore, Tanganyika, Trinidad and Tobago and West Indian Federation, Turks and Caicos, Uganda, West Indies Development and Welfare Organisation (WIDWO), Western Pac

Colour, pattern and texture are all 'content' but are not searchable like written text. This talk discusses how exploiting digital technology to enhance both access and preservation of the image-rich Board of Trade Design Register could open up the records to new users. The collection contains nearly three million designs (of metal, wood, glass, earthenware, wallpaper, carpets and textiles), represented as drawings, prints, tracings, photographs, samples and products, for example straw bonnets. Making images available in different ways, for instance searching and browsing by Discovery, would allow users to view the designs without handling the collection and could engage a new generation who have grown-up in an age of spectacle and online interaction.Dinah Eastop works in the Collection Care Department at The National Archives as a Curatorial Research Fellow. Her research focuses on promoting access to and preservation of the Board of Trade Design Register - both the written records of registration and the re

The Treaty of Utrecht, agreed in the spring of 1713, brought an end to the tired War of the Spanish Succession which had raged through much of the western world for the previous 11 years. The antagonists in this wide conflict - France and the French party in Spain on the one hand, and the Grand Alliance formed by Great Britain, Holland and Imperial Austria on the other - had fought each other to exhaustion. Only with a Treaty such as this, for all its imperfections, could peace of a kind be achieved. This talk considers the war and causes for war, the main events and personalities, the covert and overt negotiations for peace, and the Treaty terms themselves. It also looks at the associated agreements reached at Rastadt and Baden. The talk then reviews whether Utrecht was, overall, a 'good thing' or not in re-establishing a balance of power in Europe for the 18th century. James Falkner is an ex-regular Army officer, and the author of six books on the 1st Duke of Marlborough and the War of the Spanish Successio

References in the public records to coronations date back to the late 12th century spanning almost the entire length of continuous records held in The National Archives. Initially, the records simply provided financial information or a note that a new king had come to the throne. However, as the state sought to make this religious ceremony more 'official', the records were considerably expanded and better stored to ensure correct procedure. It was also important that precedent was strictly followed and that there should be no unnecessary delay. This talk looks as the records of the most significant changes and events in the history of the coronation and also at such matters as claims to participate in the service, the regalia, music, seating arrangements and even traffic control. Dr Adrian Ailes is a Principal Early Modern Records Specialist at The National Archives with a particular interest in seals and heraldry.

For over 100 years, from 1796 to 1903, the Inland Revenue maintained a series of registers recording the payments of death duties. These registers are now held by The National Archives and represent one of family history's best kept secrets. This talk looks at the surviving records in detail and explains how they can be used to uncover some fascinating facts about the lives and times of our 19th century ancestors. Dave Annal worked for The National Archives for ten years, at the Family Records Centre and at Kew. He now runs Lifelines Research. Dave is the author of a several family history books, notably the second edition of his bestselling beginners' guide Easy Family History. He is a resident expert on Your Family History magazine and regular speaker on the family history circuit.

William Hardin Burnley, the biggest slave owner in Trinidad, did everything in his power to prevent the emancipation of Africans in the colony. When slavery ended, he was convinced that only Africans who had tyrannical masters would benefit from emancipation. The rest, he opined, 'Were too ignorant to understand the real position in which they were placed.' This lecture examines Burnley's participation in slavery, his attempts to prevent Africans from being emancipated, his subterfuge to keep them enslaved under another guise called apprenticeship and his energetic efforts to recruit workers from outside of Trinidad to undercut the gains that former slaves had made in the post-apprenticeship period.

Tim Hitchcock discusses work to make complex trial accounts fully searchable by key word and location on The Old Bailey Online.

Di Drummond describes the experience of living in railway towns during the 19th and 20th centuries, particularly focussing on Crewe between 1840-1914.

Lucy Worsley discusses the writing of If Walls Could Talk: An Intimate History of your Home.

This release contains records from Cyprus, Malta, Singapore, Southern Rhodesia, Swaziland and Tanganyika.

MacDonald Gill's great-niece Caroline Walker discusses the artist's life and work

Rachel Johnson discusses the writing of Winter Games

Dr Tony Wakeford looks beyond the names recorded in the parish registers and census records, which can contain a wealth of information that can help to define the changing nature and origins of parish populations

Janet Dempsey tells the remarkable story of Merchant Navy records, the work that is being done to make them more accessible and how they could help you discover your ancestors

As more and more records are indexed online, you may find family members in unexpected places, and as a result discover that your 'stay at home' ancestors were more well-travelled than you thought.

In this talk, Peter Guttridge explores the truth about The Great Train Robbery of 1963.

In this talk, Dr Nick Barratt tells the amazing story of Captain Thomas Armstrong, an upstanding, if sometimes over-zealous member of HM Customs service, as well as highlighting the records as a rich source of 18th century family, local and social history.

In this talk Dr Kathleen Chater takes a look at how our ancestors regarded suicide and what records will help us discover more