The National Archives Podcast Series

James Cronan introduces some of the most richly decorated and important documents held at The National Archives.

Simon Fowler use contemporary accounts to look back at the pub 'experience' over the last 70 years.

Jonathan Sumption OBE QC considers the issue of government secrecy throughout English history in his lecture to the Friends of The National Archives.

Historian Dr Anne Samson explores South Africa's attempt to build an empire over the past century.

Steve Hindle of the University of Warwick shows how contemporary issues relating to international migration were also present in 17th century parish migration.

Trace the history of cinema in Britain through the collections of The National Archives. From silent classics and lost masterpieces to the controversial cult films of the 1970s, see how politicians and civil servants grappled with the new medium and how the government influenced film in Britain. What film made Marie Stopes threaten the Home Office with legal action? Which groundbreaking British cartoon was financed by the CIA and why did Sir Ranulph Fiennes attempt to blow up the set of Dr. Doolittle? Joseph Pugh is a member of the Education and Outreach team at The National Archives. He has worked for a number of museums and galleries including the National Portrait Gallery and the Petrie Collection and for BBC History. His research interests include comics in the 1950s, how to win a duel and fainting in the 19th century.

Dart historian Patrick Chaplin offers a surprising insight into the role of women in the social history of darts. He challenges the commonly held belief that women in the interwar period rarely participated in darts, or other pub games, because of their restricted access to the 'masculine republic' of the tap room, the public bar and the vault. This podcast was recorded live as part of the Pub History Society conference on the 20th February 2010 at The National Archives, Kew.

'Lost London pubs' looks back at the changing nature and purpose of pubs over the past 250 years, illustrated through speaker Jack Adams' own collection of books about pubs published during this period. This podcast was recorded live as part of the Pub History Society conference on the 20th February 2010 at The National Archives, Kew. We apologise for any resulting distortion in sound quality.

The Clandestine Marriages Act of 1753 marked an important development in the history of marriage by putting the requirements for a valid marriage on a statutory basis for the first time. But what was the situation before 1753, and what practical impact did the Act have on popular practice? This thorough reassessment of law and practice is of particular relevance to those tracing their ancestors. First, the universality of formal marriage increases the likelihood that a record of an ancestor's marriage will exist somewhere; secondly, parish-level studies provide us with a clearer idea of where one may need to look for a marriage; and, thirdly, success or failure in tracing a marriage can be set within the context of the marriage law and practice of the time.

William the Conqueror invited Jews into England from Normandy around 1070, but the Jewish community of merchants and money lenders formed an uneasy relationship with the English crown and people. Medieval Jews were considered to be the king's property, and received certain protection, despite ruthless exploitation of their finances by the crown. However, their religious beliefs created suspicion that resulted in frequent persecution.

In 1865, a Welsh speaking colony was established in the valley of the Chubut River in Patagonia Argentina. The original emigrants sailed from Liverpool on the Mimosa and they were joined in the 1880s by a second wave of emigrants and a further colony was established in the foothills of the Andes. Although measures were later taken to remove some of the colonists to Canada and South Africa, most of the settlers and their descendants remained in Argentina. The National Archives holds a vast amount of material relating to this relatively unknown but fascinating episode in British history. This talk looks at the main records relating to the history and development of the settlement from the earliest days to modern times, and examines why the Welsh travelled to Patagonia, what they encountered when they got there, and how the colony developed over the years.

Census returns are among the most popular records used by family historians and other researchers, but many of us give little thought as to what went on behind the scenes every time a census was taken. This talk explores the creation of the census, with the mass organisation of enumerators, temporary clerks, permanent civil service clerks and registrars, as well as the fascinating stories that lie behind each census, to help us better understand the records we think we know so well.

The famous Boulting Brothers film 'I'm All Right Jack!' was released just over 50 years ago. The film, in which a blundering innocent causes a nationwide strike, was a satire - but did it also reflect social realities in 1959? Were trade unions and government on a collision course at this time? Does it reflect other trends in post-war Britain? This talk analyses the film and examines related material in the public record of the late 1950s - some of the results may seem surprising from today's perspective.

This is the twenty-fourth Security Service records release and contains 196 files, bringing the total number of its records in the public domain to more than 4,300. As with previous releases, around 80% of the records are personal files relating to individuals (KV 2), with a small number of subject files (KV 3), policy files (KV 4), organisation files (KV 5) and list files (KV 6). The files cover subjects from the pre-war period, the Second World War and the post-war period, dealing with a range of groups and subjects. We apologise for the poor sound quality during the first few minutes of the recording.

The Wiener Library holds many personal accounts of children evacuated from Nazi Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia between December 1938 and September 1939. Using individual first-hand accounts sourced from The Wiener Library and documents held at The National Archives, this talk gives insights into how Britain dealt with the refugee children who arrived on the Kindertransports and the difficulties they faced.

How did the fashionable woman of the Second World War and post war era manage to remain chic in a climate of rationing? Using sources from The National Archives this talk will consider the fashion industry of the time, and reveal how designers Norman Hartnell and Hardy Amies not only contributed to the war effort, but made a lasting impact on British style.

An overview of the essential finding aids and documents held by The National Archives which can be used to trace ancestors who served in Nelson's Navy.

An exploration of how records created by the crown before 1485 can be used to study medieval armies, campaigns and battles in Britain and France. The talk will focus on the records of key battles such as Bannockburn, Crécy and Agincourt.

This talk looks at immigration into Britain from the 16th to the 20th century and the relatively few sources that can be used to trace immigrants entering, and living, in this country. Records discussed can provide vital clues to the overseas origins of denizens or naturalised British citizens, as well as providing insight into their first years in their adopted country.

We all go shopping, albeit with varying degrees of enthusiasm, and many of us have also worked in shops. It was the same for our ancestors, and although the records may not always be easy to find, they are out there if you know where to look. There is also a wealth of background material to show us what our ancestors' shopping and shopkeeping experience was like.