British Online Archives (BOA)
@boapublishing.bsky.social
Our skilled team curate and digitise unique collections of primary sources that illuminate key historical concepts, events, and themes.
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New collection out now—The Laws of War: Justice, Rights, and Ethics in Military Contexts.
Containing over 100,000 images from The National Archives (UK), it illuminates attitudes to warfare over the last 300 years and how efforts to regulate it have fared.
Learn more at buff.ly/CC4NdYH.
Containing over 100,000 images from The National Archives (UK), it illuminates attitudes to warfare over the last 300 years and how efforts to regulate it have fared.
Learn more at buff.ly/CC4NdYH.
We’ve grouped our fascinating range of unique primary source collections under key historical themes! “War, Security, and Intelligence” contains 31 collections, totalling over 1,246,700 document images!
Explore them at britishonlinearchives.com/themes/2/war....
Explore them at britishonlinearchives.com/themes/2/war....
February 3, 2026 at 5:55 PM
We’ve grouped our fascinating range of unique primary source collections under key historical themes! “War, Security, and Intelligence” contains 31 collections, totalling over 1,246,700 document images!
Explore them at britishonlinearchives.com/themes/2/war....
Explore them at britishonlinearchives.com/themes/2/war....
Our latest "Document of the Week" was chosen by our Editor, Nishah Malik. This extract from Florence Nightingale’s correspondence shows how cleanliness, morality, and empire shaped responses to cholera.
Read the full post here: buff.ly/DVI3TkW
Read the full post here: buff.ly/DVI3TkW
February 2, 2026 at 11:01 AM
Our latest "Document of the Week" was chosen by our Editor, Nishah Malik. This extract from Florence Nightingale’s correspondence shows how cleanliness, morality, and empire shaped responses to cholera.
Read the full post here: buff.ly/DVI3TkW
Read the full post here: buff.ly/DVI3TkW
Our new brochure provides detailed overviews of our fascinating India collections, alongside key insights and imagery!
Explore it at buff.ly/LsgJrIX.
Visit our website at buff.ly/aRu0EI4.
Explore it at buff.ly/LsgJrIX.
Visit our website at buff.ly/aRu0EI4.
February 2, 2026 at 9:17 AM
Our new brochure provides detailed overviews of our fascinating India collections, alongside key insights and imagery!
Explore it at buff.ly/LsgJrIX.
Visit our website at buff.ly/aRu0EI4.
Explore it at buff.ly/LsgJrIX.
Visit our website at buff.ly/aRu0EI4.
We’ve grouped our extensive range of unique primary source collections under key historical themes! “Politics and Social Movements” contains 44 collections, totalling over 763,000 images!
Explore them at buff.ly/2nUGHsh.
Explore them at buff.ly/2nUGHsh.
January 29, 2026 at 11:44 AM
We’ve grouped our extensive range of unique primary source collections under key historical themes! “Politics and Social Movements” contains 44 collections, totalling over 763,000 images!
Explore them at buff.ly/2nUGHsh.
Explore them at buff.ly/2nUGHsh.
Our latest “Document of the Week” was chosen by our Senior Curator, Dr Charlie Hall. It shows how the British government sought to prepare the public on the eve of a feared German invasion of Britain during the Second World War.
Read the full post here: buff.ly/qrs6AZR
Read the full post here: buff.ly/qrs6AZR
January 26, 2026 at 11:02 AM
Our latest “Document of the Week” was chosen by our Senior Curator, Dr Charlie Hall. It shows how the British government sought to prepare the public on the eve of a feared German invasion of Britain during the Second World War.
Read the full post here: buff.ly/qrs6AZR
Read the full post here: buff.ly/qrs6AZR
Our latest “Document of the Week”, chosen by our Senior Curator, Dr Mary Wills, examines the role of caricature in the scandal of the “Queen Caroline Affair” of 1820.
Read the full post here: buff.ly/bJyu39d
Read the full post here: buff.ly/bJyu39d
January 19, 2026 at 11:02 AM
Our latest “Document of the Week”, chosen by our Senior Curator, Dr Mary Wills, examines the role of caricature in the scandal of the “Queen Caroline Affair” of 1820.
Read the full post here: buff.ly/bJyu39d
Read the full post here: buff.ly/bJyu39d
In the spirit of the New Year, our latest “Document of the Week”, chosen by our Editorial Assistant, Chloe Haney, is an illustration titled “The Birth of the New Year”, published in The Illustrated London News in 1846.
Read the full post here: buff.ly/k3CCWt4
Read the full post here: buff.ly/k3CCWt4
January 12, 2026 at 11:01 AM
In the spirit of the New Year, our latest “Document of the Week”, chosen by our Editorial Assistant, Chloe Haney, is an illustration titled “The Birth of the New Year”, published in The Illustrated London News in 1846.
Read the full post here: buff.ly/k3CCWt4
Read the full post here: buff.ly/k3CCWt4
We’ve added new material to our popular primary source collection released earlier this year—Britain Under Threat: Civil Defence in the Era of Total War, 1914–1989. The new documents date from the Cold War.
Visit the collection landing page at buff.ly/iSggKcq.
Visit the collection landing page at buff.ly/iSggKcq.
December 15, 2025 at 2:15 PM
We’ve added new material to our popular primary source collection released earlier this year—Britain Under Threat: Civil Defence in the Era of Total War, 1914–1989. The new documents date from the Cold War.
Visit the collection landing page at buff.ly/iSggKcq.
Visit the collection landing page at buff.ly/iSggKcq.
Our latest “Document of the Week”, chosen by our Editor, Nishah Malik, is a Christmas cooking guide from December 1939. It provides a snapshot of Christmas on the Home Front during the Second World War.
Read the full article here: buff.ly/8hzjwzJ
Read the full article here: buff.ly/8hzjwzJ
December 15, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Our latest “Document of the Week”, chosen by our Editor, Nishah Malik, is a Christmas cooking guide from December 1939. It provides a snapshot of Christmas on the Home Front during the Second World War.
Read the full article here: buff.ly/8hzjwzJ
Read the full article here: buff.ly/8hzjwzJ
Our latest “Document of the Week”, chosen by our Editorial Assistant, Chloe Haney, is a page of festive puzzles, riddles, and jokes published in The Illustrated London News in December 1847. Why not have a go at solving some of these puzzles yourself!
Read the full article here: buff.ly/F6WzRJu
Read the full article here: buff.ly/F6WzRJu
December 8, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Our latest “Document of the Week”, chosen by our Editorial Assistant, Chloe Haney, is a page of festive puzzles, riddles, and jokes published in The Illustrated London News in December 1847. Why not have a go at solving some of these puzzles yourself!
Read the full article here: buff.ly/F6WzRJu
Read the full article here: buff.ly/F6WzRJu
We’ve grouped our primary source collections under historical themes! “Slavery and Abolition” contains 19 collections, totalling over 695,000 images. They document Britain’s involvement in transatlantic slavery and opposition to it.
Explore this theme at britishonlinearchives.com/themes/11/sl...
Explore this theme at britishonlinearchives.com/themes/11/sl...
December 4, 2025 at 10:27 AM
We’ve grouped our primary source collections under historical themes! “Slavery and Abolition” contains 19 collections, totalling over 695,000 images. They document Britain’s involvement in transatlantic slavery and opposition to it.
Explore this theme at britishonlinearchives.com/themes/11/sl...
Explore this theme at britishonlinearchives.com/themes/11/sl...
New collection out now—The Laws of War: Justice, Rights, and Ethics in Military Contexts.
Containing over 100,000 images from The National Archives (UK), it illuminates attitudes to warfare over the last 300 years and how efforts to regulate it have fared.
Learn more at buff.ly/CC4NdYH.
Containing over 100,000 images from The National Archives (UK), it illuminates attitudes to warfare over the last 300 years and how efforts to regulate it have fared.
Learn more at buff.ly/CC4NdYH.
December 1, 2025 at 11:22 AM
New collection out now—The Laws of War: Justice, Rights, and Ethics in Military Contexts.
Containing over 100,000 images from The National Archives (UK), it illuminates attitudes to warfare over the last 300 years and how efforts to regulate it have fared.
Learn more at buff.ly/CC4NdYH.
Containing over 100,000 images from The National Archives (UK), it illuminates attitudes to warfare over the last 300 years and how efforts to regulate it have fared.
Learn more at buff.ly/CC4NdYH.
Our latest “Document of the Week” was chosen by our Editor, Nishah Malik. As we have reached December and the countdown to Christmas has begun, this week’s document brings a festive touch to our “Document of the Week” series.
December 1, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Our latest “Document of the Week” was chosen by our Editor, Nishah Malik. As we have reached December and the countdown to Christmas has begun, this week’s document brings a festive touch to our “Document of the Week” series.
The back catalogues of The Illustrated London News and its nine so-called “sister” titles are available on BOA’s digital archive! Our new brochure showcases these fascinating collections! We hope that you enjoy perusing it as much as we enjoyed compiling it!
Explore it at buff.ly/4PmL2qF
Explore it at buff.ly/4PmL2qF
November 25, 2025 at 9:53 AM
The back catalogues of The Illustrated London News and its nine so-called “sister” titles are available on BOA’s digital archive! Our new brochure showcases these fascinating collections! We hope that you enjoy perusing it as much as we enjoyed compiling it!
Explore it at buff.ly/4PmL2qF
Explore it at buff.ly/4PmL2qF
Our latest "Document of the Week", chosen by our Academic Liaison Manager, Dr Catherine Bateson, looks at how The Illustrated London News advertised winter fashion catalogues for readers in the 1840s.
Read the full article here: buff.ly/XmTGwJh
Read the full article here: buff.ly/XmTGwJh
November 24, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Our latest "Document of the Week", chosen by our Academic Liaison Manager, Dr Catherine Bateson, looks at how The Illustrated London News advertised winter fashion catalogues for readers in the 1840s.
Read the full article here: buff.ly/XmTGwJh
Read the full article here: buff.ly/XmTGwJh
Our latest “Document of the Week”, chosen by our Senior Curator, Dr Mary Wills, looks at records revealing conspiracy, plots, and intrigue in BOA’s new collection, Radicalism and Popular Protest in Georgian Britain, c. 1714–1832.
Read the full article here: buff.ly/dP6oCTz
Read the full article here: buff.ly/dP6oCTz
November 17, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Our latest “Document of the Week”, chosen by our Senior Curator, Dr Mary Wills, looks at records revealing conspiracy, plots, and intrigue in BOA’s new collection, Radicalism and Popular Protest in Georgian Britain, c. 1714–1832.
Read the full article here: buff.ly/dP6oCTz
Read the full article here: buff.ly/dP6oCTz
We’ve published a fantastic new primary source collection—"Radicalism and Popular Protest in Georgian Britain, c. 1714–1832”.
Visit the collection landing page at buff.ly/Mf1q0nH.
Visit the collection landing page at buff.ly/Mf1q0nH.
November 13, 2025 at 3:33 PM
We’ve published a fantastic new primary source collection—"Radicalism and Popular Protest in Georgian Britain, c. 1714–1832”.
Visit the collection landing page at buff.ly/Mf1q0nH.
Visit the collection landing page at buff.ly/Mf1q0nH.
Reposted by British Online Archives (BOA)
Hey look! Some of our Folklore Society Library & Archive material is included in this digital collection
Coming soon to British Online Archives — Witchcraft and Magic in England, c. 1400–1920.
Featuring rare records from The National Archives, British Library, UCL, and The Folklore Society.
Register your interest: buff.ly/YBeFCF1
Featuring rare records from The National Archives, British Library, UCL, and The Folklore Society.
Register your interest: buff.ly/YBeFCF1
October 22, 2025 at 7:48 PM
Hey look! Some of our Folklore Society Library & Archive material is included in this digital collection
Our latest “Document of the Week”, chosen by our Editor, Nishah Malik, is an article from 1915 depicting Indian soldiers who served in the British Army during the First World War.
November 10, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Our latest “Document of the Week”, chosen by our Editor, Nishah Malik, is an article from 1915 depicting Indian soldiers who served in the British Army during the First World War.
We’ve grouped our primary source collections under key historical themes! "Science and Technology” contains five collections, totalling over 120,000 images!
Explore this theme here: buff.ly/iqTsQNE.
Explore this theme here: buff.ly/iqTsQNE.
November 6, 2025 at 10:58 AM
We’ve grouped our primary source collections under key historical themes! "Science and Technology” contains five collections, totalling over 120,000 images!
Explore this theme here: buff.ly/iqTsQNE.
Explore this theme here: buff.ly/iqTsQNE.
BOA is delighted to announce the recipients of our 2025 Undergraduate Essay Competition!
To read the three winning essays and two highly commended entries, you can visit our Articles page here: buff.ly/TKssPD8
To read the three winning essays and two highly commended entries, you can visit our Articles page here: buff.ly/TKssPD8
November 3, 2025 at 1:02 PM
BOA is delighted to announce the recipients of our 2025 Undergraduate Essay Competition!
To read the three winning essays and two highly commended entries, you can visit our Articles page here: buff.ly/TKssPD8
To read the three winning essays and two highly commended entries, you can visit our Articles page here: buff.ly/TKssPD8
Our latest “Document of the Week” was chosen by our Senior Editor, Dr Tommy Dolan. Tommy takes a closer look at “Northern Ireland Observed”. Published in the 1980s, it sought to educate readers on the many positives of everyday life there.
Read the full article here: buff.ly/63lmUfi
Read the full article here: buff.ly/63lmUfi
November 3, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Our latest “Document of the Week” was chosen by our Senior Editor, Dr Tommy Dolan. Tommy takes a closer look at “Northern Ireland Observed”. Published in the 1980s, it sought to educate readers on the many positives of everyday life there.
Read the full article here: buff.ly/63lmUfi
Read the full article here: buff.ly/63lmUfi
We’re attending the 2025 Charleston Vendor Showcase! Find BOA at BOOTH 106 on Tuesday 4 November.
Find out more about this event here: buff.ly/lQc5k3w.
Explore BOA’s primary source collections here: buff.ly/JkSH1W6.
Find out more about this event here: buff.ly/lQc5k3w.
Explore BOA’s primary source collections here: buff.ly/JkSH1W6.
October 28, 2025 at 3:15 PM
We’re attending the 2025 Charleston Vendor Showcase! Find BOA at BOOTH 106 on Tuesday 4 November.
Find out more about this event here: buff.ly/lQc5k3w.
Explore BOA’s primary source collections here: buff.ly/JkSH1W6.
Find out more about this event here: buff.ly/lQc5k3w.
Explore BOA’s primary source collections here: buff.ly/JkSH1W6.
Our latest "Document of the Week", chosen by Senior Curator Dr Mary Wills, gives insight into a series of bus boycotts in 1957 which took place in South Africa under apartheid.
Read the full article here: buff.ly/K3mT4Jo
Read the full article here: buff.ly/K3mT4Jo
October 27, 2025 at 11:03 AM
Our latest "Document of the Week", chosen by Senior Curator Dr Mary Wills, gives insight into a series of bus boycotts in 1957 which took place in South Africa under apartheid.
Read the full article here: buff.ly/K3mT4Jo
Read the full article here: buff.ly/K3mT4Jo
Coming soon to British Online Archives — Witchcraft and Magic in England, c. 1400–1920.
Featuring rare records from The National Archives, British Library, UCL, and The Folklore Society.
Register your interest: buff.ly/YBeFCF1
Featuring rare records from The National Archives, British Library, UCL, and The Folklore Society.
Register your interest: buff.ly/YBeFCF1
October 22, 2025 at 9:02 AM
Coming soon to British Online Archives — Witchcraft and Magic in England, c. 1400–1920.
Featuring rare records from The National Archives, British Library, UCL, and The Folklore Society.
Register your interest: buff.ly/YBeFCF1
Featuring rare records from The National Archives, British Library, UCL, and The Folklore Society.
Register your interest: buff.ly/YBeFCF1