British Online Archives—Unique Primary Source Collections

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Illustration shows a restaurant scene with men and women dancing in the background. Shows upper class people in fashionable 1920s fashion.

Culture and Society

1907 photgraph showing women from the Women's Freedom League holding posters that state Women Demand The Vote and Votes For Women.

Politics and Social Movements

Black and white photograph of a statue of a freed slave in Barbados

Slavery and Abolition

Prince of Wales' welcome reception in India in 1906. Illustration shows elephant and people marching next to it.

Colonialism and Empire

Two pamphlet covers on Britain's Economy. The left side has The National Budget 1950/51 pamphlet cover. The right side has The Pound and Our Future pamphlet cover with a large illustration of the £ sign.

Economics

An engraving of a medieval missionary discovering the point where the Earth and sky meet. The Sun, Moon and Stars are shown.

Philosophy and Religion

International Relations

Illustration published in The Illustrated War News on 24 March 1915 depicting the trenches during the Battle of Neuve Chapelle

War, Security, and Intelligence

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Licensed to access The Laws of War: Justice, Rights, and Ethics in Military Contexts

1718 1959

Licensed to access Radicalism and Popular Protest in Georgian Britain, c. 1714–1832

1714 1832

Illustrated London News Cover for the special issue on the Festival of Britain

Licensed to access The Illustrated London News, 1842–2003

1842 2003

Coloured illustration of a British town being bombed. On the left a black and white soldier points to the sky.

Licensed to access Britain Under Threat: Civil Defence in the Era of Total War, 1914–1989

1914 1989

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A greyscale photograph of people overlayed with the title India and Independence. A caption below reads By Theophilus.

Document of the Week: India and Independence Discussions, 1929

Nishah Malik

Published 11th August, 2025 3 min read

A yellow background with a dark purple circle in the center. Within the circle, the words Raksha Bandhan are written in yellow. There is a decorative embellishment draped over the circle.

Raksha Bandhan 2025

British Online Archives

Published 9th August, 2025 1 min read

An extract from Captain Charlie May’s diary from June 1916.

Document of the Week: Captain Charlie May’s Diaries

Laura Wales

Published 4th August, 2025 3 min read

A dark blue background with a planet in the centre and floating illustrations of notable figures from history.

Key Events in The Illustrated London News: Part Two

Nishah Malik

Published 29th July, 2025 1 min read

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About us

British Online Archives (BOA) is one of the UK’s leading academic publishers and online repositories.

Hosting over six million records, carefully sourced from private and public archives, such as The National Archives (UK) and British Library, BOA’s specially curated primary source collections cover over 500 years of world history. They boast extensive documentation from across the globe, providing invaluable source material for students and researchers working within a wide range of scholarly disciplines, including history, politics, sociology, and international relations. Our unique digital holdings offer insights into global historical events and trends, typically through a British lens. They serve to broaden our understanding of history, and help us to make sense of contemporary social, cultural, economic, and political landscapes.

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British Online Archives: Homepage

Hosting over six million records covering over 500 years of history, BOA's extensive digital archive offers unique insights into global events, trends, and themes.