The National Archives Podcast Series

An in-depth and light-hearted look into divorce records, put in context by an introduction to the very antiquated divorce laws pre-1858. Hear about the famous feminist and family planning crusader Marie Stopes' high-profile divorce. At the other end of the scale, hear the numerous reasons cited for divorce including going out without a bonnet!

Over 150 Security Service files dating from around the time of the Second World War have now been opened. Professor Christopher Andrew, Official Historian of the Secret Service, talks about German and Soviet agents and intelligence officers, right-wing extremists and Communists, amongst others.

More than 200,000 clandestine or irregular marriages were performed in London between 1667 and 1754. The area around the Fleet Prison in the City of London was particularly notorious, hence the name 'Fleet Registers', and at least one of the registers is known to be a forgery, as explained by Audrey Collins.

This talk introduces users to the structure and content of the National Register of Archives (NRA). The NRA contains information on the nature and location of manuscripts and historical records that relate to British history. The speaker demonstrates search techniques to make best use of its indexes and other resources.

This talk looks at the results and effectiveness of the British Special Operations Executive, or SEO, and the French Resistance in supporting the Second World War D-Day landings.

Once we go back beyond the period of civil registration, census returns and uniform parish registers, it becomes more difficult to trace a family tree. This talk will look at early parish registers, wills, apprenticeship records, hearth tax returns and other records to see how progress might be made when the going gets tough.

William Spencer takes you through the key records for tracing your World War One ancestors, including records of women who were nurses or in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps.

David Annal takes a practical approach to overcoming the most common problems faced by family historians when using the 19th century census returns.  It may seem that some of your ancestors are missing from the returns - this talk aims to convince you that, if your ancestors were living in England or Wales at the time of the census, they were almost certainly recorded and you should be able to find them.  The odds are firmly stacked in your favour.

Terry Jones, 'Python', historian, broadcaster, actor, director and comedian, has called King Richard II a "victim of spin". Here he sets out to rescue his reputation and lift the lid on the turbulent world of 14th century politics.

This talk explains the reasons behind the emigration of some 16 million people since the 17th century.  It discusses the most popular destinations for emigrants as well as sources, such as outgoing passenger lists, passport records, and a host of emigration schemes supported and fostered by the Government. It also features the various child migration schemes that have been responsible in migrating some 150,000 children from the UK between 1618 and 1967. Particular reference is made to the growing number of online sources relevant to this subject.

Nigel Taylor takes us through a short introduction into the records that can be used to trace criminal ancestors.

Covering the period from 1760 to 1913, William Spencer discusses the service records of army officers and other ranks.

Mark Dunton takes you back in time to a tumultuous year, using key documents to show the British Government's take on the dramatic events of 1968, and its own particular preoccupations.

Listen to Dr David Clarke, an expert in UFO history, as he explains the significance of the released UFO files.

Professor Foot is a noted historian and academic. He is the official historian for the Second World War Special Operations Executive (SOE) and has an extensive knowledge of the background to the requirements for secrecy in government records. This is a rare opportunity to hear the views of a person who has lived with the secrecy of such records for many decades.

In the second part of this two part podcast for A-Level students a chief examiner from one of the major examination boards discuss the British policy of appeasement towards the fascist regimes of Hitler and Mussolini. Chief Examiner of GCE History at Edexcel looks at how students traditionally tackle this question and how historians have grappled with it over 60 years.

How did Britons weigh up the decision to go to war in the 1930s and did things turn out as they expected? Professor David Stephenson from the London School of Economics and Political Science explains how the British Government and the British public responded differently to the rise of Fascism in Europe.

The tangled history of the papers of the playwright Joe Orton is unwoven by Dr Matt Cook. Here he reveals the extraordinary sources that survive on the writer's life, and the perhaps even more extraordinary ones that remain stubbornly missing. Warning: the following material may not be suitable for all listeners.

From astrologers to oil barons: Professor Christopher Andrew, official historian for the Security Service, talks about espionage and tracking enemy agents.

Archivist Sue Lumas describes the painstaking cataloguing and conservation of naval records held at The National Archives.