The National Archives Podcast Series

An introduction to newly releases files from 1979, covering subjects such as the winter of discontent, cuts to the civil service, trade union strikes, and the new Thatcher administration, providing a fascinating insight into government 30 years ago. Other subjects include the Iranian revolution and the British military withdrawal from Malta. Presented by Mark Dunton, and introduced by Frances McDarby.

Patents of invention cover a vast range of ideas, from the industrial and agricultural revolutions, to transport, domestic life and health. Many are bizarre, and some are even horrific, but they all have a fascinating story to tell. The specifications are the written descriptions of how the invention will work, with drawings where appropriate. This talk focuses particularly on the drawings, while explaining the process of enrolling the specifications themselves and exploring a remarkable range of inventiveness.

What was education like for the majority of children in 1911, the year when pupils staged strikes in 62 schools? This talk provides a fascinating glimpse of day-to-day life in an Edwardian school, covering such aspects as lessons, discipline, and examinations. It also touches on the dramatic resignation of the President of the Board of Education.

Over 162,000 British and Irish convicts were transported to Australia between 1787 and 1868. This talk explores the reasons behind the policy of transportation and looks at the experiences of the people who were shipped beyond the seas, using case studies from the archives.

London's Metropolitan Police service was formed in 1829. This talk provides an overview of how crime was dealt with before this date, and how to trace the records of our Metropolitan Police ancestors at The National Archives.

This talk looks at some of the most famous railway accidents and disasters of the 19th and 20th centuries, in particular, the disaster at Quintinshill in 1915, in which 226 people died. The National Archives holds a wide range of documents which record details of accidents and collisions but the talk also considers other useful sources such as railway staff magazines.

The National Archives holds a wide range of documents which tell the story of the Gunpowder Plot and its investigation - but their meaning is hotly contested. James Travers selects some of the key documents and shows that beneath the noise of the ideological debate, we can hear the principal characters speaking in their own words - and a very different view of the plot emerges.

Circus sideshows have fascinated people for centuries. From the bearded lady to PT Barnum, contortionists to fire eaters, people have flocked to see the peculiarities of the 10-in-1 show. From their early beginnings at Bartholomew Fair to their decline in the politically correct world of the 1960s, this talk will take you on a rollercoaster ride using sources held by The National Archives and other organisations.

In this talk, Mark Pearsall, The National Archives' family history specialist, focuses on the apprenticeship system and how it worked in practice, and covers those records that survive in The National Archives, in particular the Apprenticeship Books in record series IR 1. It also suggests where to look for surviving apprenticeship records in other archives and record offices, as well as other useful sources for tracing apprentices where details of the apprenticeship indentures have not survived.

Have you found a parson, a rector or a curate amongst your ancestors? This talk will introduce you to the main sources for the history and education of Anglican clergy, at home and abroad, using sources held by The National Archives and a variety of other repositories.

From ghost rockets in Scandinavia to mysterious spheres tracked over Eritrea, the Past Masters team look at the records of Unidentified Flying Objects held at The National Archives and ask, is the truth in here? The Ministry of Defence is now transferring files on UFOs to The National Archives covering 1978 to 2002. You can keep up with all the new releases at nationalarchives.gov.uk/ufos/. A selection of documents from The National Archives used in this podcast are below.

A fight, possibly to the death, over a matter of honour this month. No, we're not just arguing amongst ourselves, the Past Masters team are talking about duelling. Formal duelling evolved from medieval sword fights into pistols at dawn before fading away in the 19th century. We'll be looking at what survives in the Archives from these risky and generally highly illegal fights and finding out what happens to the winners and losers of a duel.

The Past Masters team join Henry V in the battle for France. Henry fought the Hundred Years War on two fronts - military and diplomatic - but was the signing of the Treaty of Troyes in 1420 his greatest victory or just a millstone around England's neck? And more importantly, can we really cover a century of conflict in less than 30 minutes?

In 1831, in his twenties and fresh out of university, Charles Darwin set sail aboard HMS Beagle on the expedition of a lifetime, into literally uncharted waters and a series of discoveries that would form the basis of his later pioneering work on the origin of species. Join the Past Masters team as we delve into the Archives to find out where Darwin went, what life on the Beagle was like and to discover how the most exciting gap year in history went on to change the face of science.

The London Gazette is a crucial source for announcements of military and civilian honours and awards. This talk explains how to use and get the best out of the Gazette, and how further information about awards can be found among the records held by The National Archives, many of which are now available online.

On the declaration of war on 3 September 1939, some 70,000 Germans and Austrians resident in the UK became classed as enemy aliens. This talk looks at official papers relating to the tribunals, the policy of internment, individual internees, and the camps in which they were interned.

Local historian Christopher May reveals the wartime history of The National Archives' Kew site. American servicemen stationed here created the maps used in the Normandy landings of 1944. Later, the same buildings were used to house Italian prisoners of war who helped to clear bomb damage in London.

On 3 September 1939, the passenger liner Athenia was sunk by U30. So began the Battle of the Atlantic, the longest and most complex campaign of the Second World War. The battle pitted the submariners of the Kriegsmarine against the Allied merchant fleet who were providing Britain's vital life line. This talk follows the changes in fortune of both the Kriegsmarine and the merchant fleet, and explains why Winston Churchill knew that the Battle of the Atlantic was the battle that Britain could not afford to lose.

Forgery has always been a major problem to archivists and librarians - from the great 19th century Shakespearean forgers to more recent examples in the 21st century of people who forged letters about the murder of Himmler and the social life of Noel Coward.

This presentation explores how The National Archives' collection of death duty records can be used to research families and wealth-holding in 19th century Britain. The talk unravels some of the complexities of working with the records and explains how the different records can be linked with other sources of interest to those researching families and wealth.