Searching for local
history
These 30 websites have search
facilities and are known to contain local history material
they have been found to be very useful to
an amateur local historian
they are ordered here as:- general web search
engines, then archives in Essex, UK, and worldwide
the links given may however become out of
date in time – see those magnificent links
the websites could also be useful for
researching other subjects
( the phrases in italics are generally quotes from the websites )
General Web Searches
Google
use more than one word and enclose phases
in parenthesis
date ranges can be specified using two
dots eg: 1900..1920
Google
Books
Search the world's most
comprehensive index of full-text books
Go
to Search tools and select Preview available to find books that can be read in
full
Restrict
the search with a date range: 1800..1900 (2
dots only between the years)
http://books.google.com/advanced_book_search
use this advanced search to search titles
only, etc.
Google
Images
https://www.google.co.uk/advanced_image_search
Hits
are based on the filename of the image, the link text pointing to the image
and/or text adjacent to it.
One
can select a thumbnail image, view the full-sized image or browse its website.
By
2010 the index reached ten billion images and the service receives over one
billion views a day. (wiki)
“a
picture is worth a thousand words”...
It
is quicker to cast an eye over hundreds of images rather than reading pages of
text about the hits.
If
a thumbnail is selected similar images are then show, which can also be very
useful.
Google
Scholar
Searches
academic articles
Other
search engines are available, but most do not seem to have access the full
catalogues of many major on-line archives. However the internal search mechanisms of some sites
can be very productive, and in many cases offer access to books and reports in
full.
Essex based
Essex
Record Office SEAX - Essex Archives Online
https://www.essexarchivesonline.co.uk/
It
is suggested that one always select search
full catalogue, then select an item to see the summary
Most
items can only be seen in full by visiting ERO in Chelmsford,
however some images can be viewed on-line
Some
genealogy related items can be viewed on-line with a fee
The Searchroom
contains an extensive reference library of local history publications and
books,
an
electronic catalogue of this material seems only available at the Searchroom help desk.
Essex County Council -
Reference library online
https://libraries.essex.gov.uk/digital-content/our-online-library#family-history
These
useful sites identified here need a library card number for home use...
Essex Society for
Archaeology & History
The
leading society that promotes and encourages the study of archaeology and
history in the historic county of Essex. Well over 20,000 pages
of articles have been published with innovatory reports on newly discovered
archaeological sites in the county and the latest research findings by
historians of all periods and aspects of Essex’s past.
The Plume Library in
Maldon
The Thomas Plume Library was founded
in 1704. Dr Thomas Plume bequeathed to his native town
his
collection of some 8,100 books and pamphlets. Although they may no
longer be borrowed,
books
from the Library may be consulted without appointment during normal opening
hours
and
the catalogue may be consulted online.
http://www.thomasplumeslibrary.co.uk/
- home page
https://thompl.cirqahosting.com/HeritageScripts/Hapi.dll ...general search + Complete subject list
The Essex Field Club
Archive
Individual books, articles and papers:
2,444 (all Essex
based)
Essex Field Club Bulletins &
Newsletters, Essex Naturalist, etc.
From 1880 onwards
http://www.essexfieldclub.org.uk/portal
UK based
Historic
England
https://historicengland.org.uk/
Search
the National Heritage List for England to find...
listed buildings, battlefields, monuments, parks, gardens, shipwrecks and
more.
PastScape
Discover England's
archaeological and architectural heritage. PastScape
is a quick and easy way to search over 420,000 records held in the National
Record of the Historic Environment (NRHE). You'll find information on
archaeological, architectural and maritime sites. This holds similar material to Unlocking Essex's Past but also links
directly to www.old-maps.co.uk
The
British Newspaper Archive
http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/
In partnership with the British
Library
561 newspaper titles with 12,685,425 pages online, covering 1710-1959
Search
for text, or browse by title, place, date, etc.
Snippet
results only are shown and free - registration and fee is required to view the
full articles
The Oxford
Dictionary of National Biography
- needs a library card number
ODNB includes biographies of 59,879
men and women who died in or before the year 2011
The Times from 1785 to the present
https://www.thetimes.com/archive
Guardian
and Observer from
1791 to 2003 -
Archaeology Data Service
https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/
Search
for Goldhanger and Blackwater
essex
Nation Library of
Scotland - maps
This
website has many maps for both Scotland and England, including a large number
of Ordinance Survey maps. There are both ancient and relatively modern maps
plus many types of specialist maps. It is a large complex time consuming site
that requires practice for best results. See Old Maps Online below for an easier to use site.
Old maps
historic map archives and joint ventures with
Ordnance Survey, There are fees for
printed copies.
British History Online
https://www.history.ac.uk/resources/online-resources/british-history-online
British History Online
is a not-for-profit digital library based at the Institute of Historical
Research. It brings together material for British history from the collections
of libraries, archives, museums and academics. Our collection currently
contains over 1,250 volumes and is always growing.
British Library
Catalogue
Over 13 million items in the British
Library's collections.
Anyone can search the catalogue free
of charge.
One can also order copies of parts of
many items and pay by credit card.
Connected Histories 1500-1900
http://www.connectedhistories.org
Connected Histories is a partnership
between the several UK universities.
It provides integrated access to
electronic content already available on distributed websites.
Some
content is free, some is via a subscription.
Worldwide
Internet
Archive
Internet Archive is a non-profit
library of millions of free books -
- search the history of over 549 billion
pages on the on the internet
The Internet Archive and Open Library
offers over 8,000,000 fully accessible public domain eBooks.
Good
search facilities, can display actual book or just text, needs practice to use.
HathiTrust
The HathiTrust
is a partnership of major research institutions and libraries
working
to ensure that the cultural record is preserved and accessible long into the
future.
6,910,806 book titles currently
digitized.
Has a FULL-TEXT search and a CATALOG:
with author, title, etc. and a search
Find
a book and then search for text again within the book. Some books are text
search only.
Old Maps Online
Old Maps Online indexes
over 400,000 maps
from all around the world.
For
most of the UK maps it links into Nation
Library of Scotland maps (see above).
Easy to use.
WorldCat
WorldCat
is the world's largest library catalogue, helping you find
library materials online
2 billion items available here through
a library - find items in libraries near you
WorldCat only identifies a library sources.
The Online Books
Page ...of the University of Pennsylvania
http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/
The archives area vast range of online
literature beyond what we index individually,
we
list some of the major sources and indexes of free online texts,
in
all languages, both general and specialized.
The Biodiversity
Heritage Library
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/
Search books, journals, authors and
subjects
172,495
volumes available to the world as part of a global biodiversity community.
includes The Zoologist journal, aA monthly journal of natural history
(later succeeded by British Birds)
UNZ
In January 2012, Ron Unz launched the website called UNZ.org
Many Millions of Pages of Readable,
Searchable Content at Your Fingertips
high-quality
content material, mostly published over the last 150 years in America and
England,
Periodicals, Books, and Authors
Forgotten Books
https://openlibrary.org/publishers/Forgotten_Books
The world's largest online library
with 484,473 books available on demand.
All of our books can be read online
with our online book reader.
This feature is available even to
unregistered users.
Includes10783
UK and Ireland Medieval to Early Modern History books.
Amazon Books
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Book-Search-Books
Amazon
has an incredible database of historic book titles and authors, not all of
which are available.
Some
items found will be on-demand re-prints. The search facility finds a full title
and author with minimal words.
Ebay
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/ebayadvsearch
Ebay always has a very large number of
historic items of interest, such as postcards, local rare books, etc.
100
year old local postcards occasionally appear on Ebay
with scenes not previously seen.
Facebook
...and perhaps other social media platforms
https://www.facebook.com/
. . . needs an account
Facebook has search-boxes to search it at any
level:- site-wide, within a group, or within a a post. However the search mechanism is not as
sophisticated as Google’s and it can be better to use Google to search Facebook using: Facebook + topic, ...etc.
___________________________
last
revised in July 2026
top search this Goldhanger Past website with Google useful local links home