British History Online

British History Online
Type of site
Digital library
Available inEnglish
HeadquartersLondon
Country of originUnited Kingdom
OwnerInstitute of Historical Research, University of London
EditorJohn Levin
IndustryAcademia
URLwww.british-history.ac.uk
AdvertisingYes
RegistrationOptional
Launched2003
Current statusActive

British History Online is a digital library of primary and secondary sources on medieval and modern history of Great Britain and Ireland. It was created and is managed as a cooperative venture by the Institute of Historical Research, University of London and the History of Parliament Trust.[1] Access to the majority of the content is free, but other content is available only to paying subscribers.

The content includes secondary sources such as the publications of The History of Parliament, the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England, the Calendar of Close Rolls, Survey of London and the Victoria County History; and major published primary sources such as Letters and Papers of the Reign of Henry VIII and the Journals of the House of Lords and House of Commons.

The places covered by British History Online are:

Area Description
East (of England) The English historic counties of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.[2]
London The area now covered by the 32 London boroughs. Includes the historic county of Middlesex, and parts of Surrey, Essex and Kent.[3]
Midlands (of England) The English historic counties of Derbyshire, Herefordshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Rutland, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.[4]
North (of England) The English historic counties of Cheshire, Cumberland, Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland, Westmorland and Yorkshire.[5]
South East (of England) Includes the English historic counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and Sussex. Parts of Surrey and Kent are included in the London region.[6]
South West (of England) The English historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire.[7]
Ireland The counties of Ireland.[8]
Scotland The historic counties of Scotland.[9]
Wales The historic counties of Wales.[10]

British History Online began with a one-year pilot project in 2002 (Version 1.0), and Version 5.0 was launched in December 2014.[11] Version 5.0 contains a number of new features, including subject guides for local, parliamentary and urban history,[12] and a new viewer for the site's collection of historical and Epoch 1 Ordnance Survey maps.

  1. ^ Roberts, Joni R.; Drost, Carol A.; Stoffan, Mark A. (April 2007). "British History Online". College & Research Libraries News. 68 (4): 256. ISSN 0099-0086. Archived from the original on 2014-06-25. Retrieved 2010-02-09.
  2. ^ "East". British History Online. Archived from the original on 6 February 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  3. ^ "London". British History Online. Archived from the original on 6 February 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  4. ^ "Midlands". British History Online. Archived from the original on 6 February 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  5. ^ "North". British History Online. Archived from the original on 6 February 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  6. ^ "South East". British History Online. Archived from the original on 6 February 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  7. ^ "South West". British History Online. Archived from the original on 6 February 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  8. ^ "Ireland". British History Online. Archived from the original on 6 February 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  9. ^ "Scotland". British History Online. Archived from the original on 6 February 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  10. ^ "Wales". British History Online. Archived from the original on 6 February 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  11. ^ "History". British History Online. Institute of Historical Research, University of London. Archived from the original on 25 February 2015. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  12. ^ "Subject guides". British History Online. Institute of Historical Research, University of London. Archived from the original on 25 February 2015. Retrieved 25 February 2015.