Working in Archives

Introduction

Starting out on the family history trail can be difficult enough without the added complication that you'll probably have to visit an archive, record office or similar institution. For many, this will be their first experience of such a place, so the following notes are intended to provide some guidance about where to go, what to do and how to work. It's a bit like learning to ride a bike - possibly a few wobbles at first, but once you get the hang of the research, it becomes second nature.

Locating the right archive

Of course, the biggest hurdle is trying to identify the right place to start! Archives come in all shapes and sizes. Technically speaking, an archive is a collection of documents, and the place that they are stored is a record office, but the term archive has come to mean the location as well as the material so will be used here in both contexts.

Britain is blessed with an unrivalled amount of archive material, housed in record offices, libraries and universities up and down the country. A large proportion of these documents will contain information on our ancestors, but you still have to navigate your way around and find the most relevant place to start. Many people start at the lowest level of the 'archival pyramid', the local studies centre. You'll usually find the nearest local study centre attached to either a main branch library or county record office, and it will contain documents, books, maps and advice about the immediate vicinity. Many local study centres carry indexes (whether online of offline) specifically related to genealogical research, such as indexes for birth, marriage and death certificates, and occasionally local census returns.

On the next level of the archival pyramid comes the county or municipal archive, set up to house and provide access to records generated by various administrative bodies within the county, as well as private collections and related works. Here you may find more duplicate sets of national records - the certificate indexes and census records - as well as important county collections, such as local wills, family papers, and parish registers. The county archive where your ancestors used to reside is where you are likely to spend most of your research time.

Of course, there are national centres for family history research. The National Archives at Kew, West London, although used by all kinds of researchers, is very well equipped for family historians, providing free access to online indexes of births, marriages and deaths in England and Wales, census returns from 1841 to 1911 for England and Wales, and a great deal more besides. You might also visit the Society of Genealogists in London. Their library is extensively stocked with research notes, publications, indexes and duplicate collections (there is an admission fee). If a trip to London is inconvenient, or you need to view material from another part of the country, you can always request relevant material to be sent to your nearest Family History Centre, run by the Church of Jesus Christ and the Latter Day Saints (Mormons).

Most of these specialist centres will allow you to verify, build and extend your family tree, but to really begin to put flesh on the bones, you will need to follow up clues in the records in specialist archives. The National Archives at Kew is one such institution, and the British Library in London another. There are also other useful collections, such as the Borthwick Institute (Prerogative Court of York wills) in York; First Avenue House (modern wills for England and Wales) in London and in university libraries across the UK. Visit specialist museums to learn more about how your ancestors lived. For example, if your family were miners you should aim to visit the National Mining Museum.

In terms of finding these archives, The National Archives website hosts a resource called ARCHON, which acts as a directory to all archives and associated institutions within the UK. You can search by name of the archive, but it's probably worth looking at the regional directory to see what resources are in your area.

Preparation

If you've never been to an archive before, it's probably worth making contact in advance of a visit to sort out a few practicalities, such as opening times (these vary wildly!), how to get there (many archives are built away from town centres, and parking can be limited), access to records (some documents require permission in advance before you view them) and whether you need ID to get a readers ticket. Many archives have strict requirements, so it's worth checking what you need to bring with you. However, there is a scheme available - the County Archive Research Network (CARN) - where membership permits you access to all participating archives. It may also be necessary to book a seat, as family history is hugely popular these days and space can be limited.

When you arrive, take some time to orientate yourself. Leave your possessions in the lockers - these are usually provided - and see if there is a help desk. This is where you can ask questions about your research, but try to keep them short and focused, and don't simply recount what you know to the archivist. In drawing up your research plan before your visit, you should already have worked out what you want to find out. You may be directed towards a readers guide - a set of useful notes prepared by the archive to give beginners relevant information about a line of research, or a particular part of their collection. This will help you to understand what you are looking at, and why.

Nevertheless, you will still have to locate relevant material amongst the archive's catalogue and indexes, and you may need some help navigating around the system, be it electronic or paper. Each document will have its own unique reference, and your task is to find it. Many archives have placed their catalogues and indexes online, often with useful search engines that allow you to search by surname and place. This can be an enormous help, but do remember that most of the time you are searching the document description rather than the actual content, so if you rely solely on the online searches you may miss important documents that are 'buried' within the archive. Don't fall into the trap of thinking an online search has found everything! Always go in person, and browse the catalogues as well. Few archives provide images of documents; one of the exceptions is The National Archives, as they have a dedicated Documents Online section on their website where you can view family history related collections such as Prerogative Court of Canterbury wills, merchant seamen's cards and the 1st World War campaign medal index. There are some other useful search engines hosted by The National Archives. Chief amongst them is Access to Archives, which is gradually bringing together all archival online catalogues in England and Wales into a single searchable database. In a similar vein is Archives Hub, which serves the same purpose for academic collections, whilst the National Register of Archives permits searches of many collections.

Once you have a document reference, you will have to order the document from the archive's repository. Some archives have an integrated electronic ordering system, whilst others still rely on paper request slips. Once you have placed your order, it can take a while before your documents appear. Use this time to read up on what you've ordered, or to browse the catalogues to find further references.

Working in archives: rules and regulations

Because the documents you will be using are unique and irreplaceable, archives insist on various rules and regulations when you visit. These are partly to protect their records, but also to ensure you achieve the most out of your visit with as little disturbance to others as possible.

The essential golden rule of archives is a strict no pens policy, simply because of the terrible damage that can be done to original documents by ink leakages or, sadly, deliberate attempts to alter records - people have been spotted trying to 'correct' items they didn't agree with, particularly if they felt that an ancestral name had been spelled wrong! Therefore you will have to bring in a pencil. Many archives operate a no eraser policy as well, because the grainy bits that are left behind when you rub something out can also harm documents. It's also common practice to ask you to leave pencil sharpeners in a locker, or at least make sure they are not in a reading room in close proximity to manuscripts. Once again, this is to prevent the risk of vandalism - unscrupulous individuals have cut out sections of documents to take away with them. With conservation in mind, archives also restrict access to food and drink in the reading rooms, and many ask you to observe a silence policy in the reading rooms to allow researchers to concentrate on their work.

If you've never worked with original documents before, the thought of handling the material can also be daunting. Many of the items will be quite old and fragile, so here are a few short tips to help you. Try to minimise your contact with the document, as the oils from your skin can damage the pages; use marker slips to keep your place, and take care when turning each page. Books should be supported on cushions or foam rests (provided by the archive), and pages kept flat with bead weights. Larger items can be held in place with larger weights, whilst maps are usually viewed underneath specially prepared transparent sheets. Of course, if you are not sure how to set your document up, you can always ask for help!

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About the author

Dr Nick Barratt worked at the Public Record Office (now The National Archives, or TNA) from 1996 to 2000, with the family history team. He has given many talks on family history, and has written frequently for the TNA's genealogy journal, Ancestors. He has worked for the BBC as a specialist researcher on programmes such as 'One Foot in the Past','The People Detective' and 'Who Do You Think you Are?'.