Digital Media & Primary Sources - Newspapers, Periodicals, Documents, Statistics & more - History

Digital Media & Primary Sources - Newspapers, Periodicals, Documents, Statistics & more

This is a brilliant collection of resources for Historians - links to historical newspapers and periodicals, political cartoons, archives, state papers, Parliamentry reports, criminal cases and much, much more. You'll find a huge amount of primary documents that you may find useful as the basis for a dissertation and further research.

Digital Media

You may need to use images, video or sound in your assignments. The databases below contain still and moving images and audio clips.

Visit the Copyright Guide for guidance on using sources of information.

British Cartoon Archive
Library, archive and gallery dedicated to the history of British cartooning over the last two hundred years

Registration is required to create a collection of favourite cartoons which will be visible everytime you login. To use an image for 'non-commercial educational context in the UK' select Teesside University from the list of institutions and agree to the terms and conditions, you will then be prompted with a Shibboleth login screen, insert your ICT username and password.
Connected Histories

Connected Histories brings together a range of digital resources related to early modern and nineteenth century Britain with a single federated search that allows sophisticated searching of names, places and dates, as well as the ability to save, connect and share resources within a personal workspace.
News on Screen
A database of British cinema newsreels from 1910 to 1979.
VADS

VADS (Visual Arts Data Service) is an online resource for the visual arts.
Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)

Newspapers & Periodicals

The Library provides access to current newspapers and magazines and a large collection of historical newspaper and periodical online archives, see below for information about our holdings.

19th Century British Pamphlets
Comprises seven individual collections held in universities within the UK, many of which are whole collections that belonged individual politicians or political families.
19th Century UK Periodicals
This collection covers the period 1800 to 1900. When complete it will make available full runs of nearly 600 titles, some of which exist only in a single copy.
Can I access this resource?
To access 19th Century UK Periodicals, you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student
If you are not a member of any of these groups, then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource
Use of licenced material:
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the 19th Century UK Periodicals licence can be found by using the link below.
19th Century UK Periodicals licence (opens in a new page)
British Library Newspapers, Parts 1 and 2:1800-1900
British Library Newspapers contains 2 million newspaper pages selected by experts in the field. Full runs of national and regional newspapers are available where possible
Can I access this resource?
To access British Library Newspapers: Parts 1 and 2, you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student
If you are not a member of any of these groups, then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource
Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the British Library Newspapers licence can be found by using the link below.
British Library Newspaper licence (opens in a new page)
British Periodicals Online
Searchable full text of hundreds of periodicals from the late 17th Century to the early 20th, comprising millions of high resolution facsimile page images. Topics covered include literature, philosophy, history, science, the social sciences, music, art, drama, archaeology and architecture
We have now added Collections III and IV to this database, providing selected material covering 1869 - 2005

Can I access this resource?
To access ProQuest Archives you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student or a member of teaching staff at a TUCP College
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Proquest Archives licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (M-P) (This link opens in a new window)

Chronicling America
Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1770-1963 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present.

Gale NewsVault
Cross-search all your Gale newspaper archives using a single interface.
Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
Historical Newspapers: Guardian/Observer
Provides genealogists, researchers and scholars with online, easily-searchable first-hand accounts and unparalleled coverage of the politics, society and events of the time.
Can I access this resource?
To access Historical Newspapers: Guardian & Observer you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource
Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Historical Newspapers licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (E to H)
NewsBank: Access World News
Exploring issues and events at the local, regional, national and international level. Its diverse source types include print and online-only newspapers, blogs, newswires, journals, broadcast transcripts and videos
Can I access this resource?
To access NewsBank Newspapers UK you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University academic staff
- A member of Teesside University Library staff
- A TUCP student
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the NewsBank Newspapers UK licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (M to P)
PressReader
Over 7000 newspapers and magazines from over 100 countries in 60 different languages. Issues of magazines and newspapers appear as they would do in print as soon as they are published.
For information on how to access PressReader go to: Access Instructions

Can I access this resource?
To access PressReader you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the PressReader licence can be found below
List of electronic resource licences (M to P)
Times Digital Archive
Facsimile edition of the Times 1785-2019. Researchers can search through the complete digital edition of The Times, to retrieve full facsimile images of either a specific article or a complete page.
Can I access this resource?
To access Times Digital Archive you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student or member of teaching staff at a TUCP College
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource.

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Times Digital Archive licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (Q-T)

British History Online

British History Online provides administrative and legal history sources relating to national and local government (excluding Parliament) and the development of British law.

Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
Can I access this resource?
To access British History Online you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student or member of teaching staff at a TUCP College
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the British History Online licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (A-D) (This link opens in a new window)
Calendar of Close Rolls

Calendar of State Papers provides administrative and legal history sources relating to national and local government (excluding Parliament) and the development of British law.

Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
Calendar of State Papers

Calendar of State Papers provides administrative and legal history sources relating to national and local government (excluding Parliament) and the development of British law.
Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
Cecil Papers
Collection of early-modern historical documents from the reigns of Elizabethan I and James I/VI.
Can I access this resource?
To access Proquest Archives you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student or member of teaching staff at a TUCP College
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Proquest Archives licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (M-P) (This link opens in a new window)
Charles Booth Online Archive

The Charles Booth Online Archive is a searchable resource giving access to archive material from the Booth collections of the Archives Division of the Library of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE Archives) and the Senate House Library. The Booth collection at LSE Archives contains the original records from Booth's survey into life and labour in London, dating from 1886 to 1903.
Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
Clergy of the Church of England Database

The Clergy of the Church of England Database 1540-1835 (CCEd), launched in 1999 and funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, makes available and searchable the principal records of clerical careers from over 50 archives in England and Wales with the aim of providing coverage of as many clerical lives as possible from the Reformation to the mid-nineteenth century.
Connected Histories

Connected Histories brings together a range of digital resources related to early modern and nineteenth century Britain with a single federated search that allows sophisticated searching of names, places and dates, as well as the ability to save, connect and share resources within a personal workspace.
Early European Books
Early European Books traces the history of printing in Europe from its origins through to the close of the seventeenth century, offering full-colour, high-resolution facsimile images of rare and hard-to-access printed sources.
Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
Can I access this resource?
To access Early European Books you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student or member of teaching staff at a TUCP College
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Proquest Archives licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (M-P) (This link opens in a new window)
House of Commons Parliamentary Papers

House of Commons Parliamentary Papers includes over 200,000 House of Commons sessional papers from 1715 to the present, with supplementary material back to 1688.
Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
Can I access this resource?
To access ProQuest Archives you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student or a member of teaching staff at a TUCP College
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Proquest Archives licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (M to P)
John Johnson Collection

This collection provides access to thousands of items selected from the John Johnson Collection of Printed Ephemera, offering unique insights into the changing nature of everyday life in Britain in the eighteenth, nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
London Lives

London Lives provides a fully searchable edition of 240,000 manuscript pages from eight London archives and 15 datasets, giving access to 3.5 million names.
Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
National Archives

Allows you access to The National Archives' collection of digitised public records, including both academic and family history sources.
Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
Can I access this resource?
To access Digital Downloads you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Digital Downloads licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (M to P)
The Proceedings of the Old Bailey online

The Proceedings of the Old Bailey Online is a fully searchable edition of the published accounts of 197,745 trials held at the Old Bailey, London's central criminal court, between 1674 and 1913. Initially inexpensive, and targeted at a popular audience, the Proceedings were produced shortly after the conclusion of each sessions or meeting of the court. With the growth of newspapers and increasing publication costs the audience narrowed and by the 19th century was confined to lawyers and public officials.
Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)

In total, the Proceedings comprise 127 million words of text, providing detailed accounts of witness testimony and court activity. In addition to the evidence provided about crime and criminal justice, the Proceedings provide richly detailed accounts of daily life in London. While most offences took place within London and Middlesex, from 1834 the court's jurisdiction expanded to include urban parts of Kent, Surrey and Essex. From this date a small number of more serious cases from other parts of England and Wales can also be found.
Vision of Britain

A Vision of Britain through Time brings together historical surveys of Britain to create a record of how the country and its localities have changed
Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)

Old Maps Online
This is the broadest single collection of historical maps from around the world available online. Still under development, it will act as a central repository to a vast collection of maps held by institutions across the globe.

Statistics

Click on the links below to see what statistics are available in your subject area:

History Data Service

HISTPOP.ORG
NISRA - Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
OECD
Indicators on agriculture, development, economy, environment, finance, government, health, technology, employment etc..
Office for National Statistics (ONS)
Scottish Government
UK National Statistics Hub
Welsh Government