The National Archives (United Kingdom)

The National Archives (United Kingdom)
source
Name	The National Archives
Formed	02 April 2003
Preceding1	Public Record Office
Preceding2	Historical Manuscripts Commission
Jurisdiction	Government of the United Kingdom
Headquarters	Kew, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
Employees	679 (2023)
Budget	£43.9 million (2022–23)
Minister1 name	Lucy Frazer
Minister1 pfo	Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Chief1 name	Jeff James
Chief1 position	Chief Executive and Keeper of the Public Records
Chief2 name	Dr. Amita Baviskar
Chief2 position	Chair of the Advisory Council
Website	https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/

The National Archives (United Kingdom) is the official archive and publisher for the Government of the United Kingdom, and for England and Wales. Created in 2003 by merging the Public Record Office and the Historical Manuscripts Commission, it is one of the largest archival collections in the world, holding over 11 million historical government and public records. Its headquarters are located at Kew in southwest London, a purpose-built facility opened in 1977. The institution serves as a vital resource for historians, genealogists, journalists, and the general public, providing access to over a thousand years of national history.

History

The institution's origins lie in the Public Record Office, established by the Public Record Office Act 1838 to reform the chaotic state of UK government record-keeping, with early repositories at the Chapter House of Westminster Abbey and later the Rolls Chapel. The famous Kew building was opened in 1977, designed by the architects of the Department of the Environment. In 2003, under the Labour government, it was merged with the Historical Manuscripts Commission (founded in 1869) to form The National Archives, a move formalized by the Public Records Act and subsequent statutory instruments. This consolidation brought together the management of public records and the voluntary registration of private archives, including manorial and tithe records, under a single authority.

Collections

The collections span from the 11th-century Domesday Book to recently released digital files, encompassing records of central government, the courts, and various non-departmental public bodies. Key holdings include medieval records from the Exchequer and the Court of Chancery, vast series of Royal Navy and British Army service records, and the complete collection of UK census returns from 1841 to 1921. It also holds iconic treaties like the Magna Carta (1300 exemplar), the Treaty of Versailles, and the Death warrant of King Charles I. The archives preserve millions of maps, photographs, and posters, such as those produced by the Ministry of Information during the Second World War.

Services and access

The National Archives operates a public reading room at Kew, where visitors can order and view original documents, assisted by specialist conservators and records advisers. It runs an extensive online catalogue, Discovery, which contains descriptions of over 37 million items. While most records are free to view onsite, the institution also generates revenue through its commercial publishing arm, HMSO, and its paid online subscription service for digitized records. It provides dedicated research guidance for genealogy, academic history, and legal proof, and offers a range of educational programmes and workshops for schools and universities.

Governance and funding

The National Archives is an executive agency of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, with its Chief Executive also serving as the statutory Keeper of the Public Records. Strategic direction is provided by an Advisory Council appointed by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, currently chaired by Dr. Amita Baviskar. Its operations are funded primarily through a government grant-in-aid, supplemented by its own commercial income from publishing, licensing, and consultancy services. It works closely with other national institutions, including The British Library, The National Archives (US), and the National Records of Scotland.

Notable documents

Among its most celebrated documents are the Domesday Book of 1086, commissioned by William the Conqueror; multiple original exemplars of the Magna Carta; the Death warrant of King Charles I, signed by 59 commissioners including Oliver Cromwell; the Treaty of Versailles that ended the First World War; and the Balfour Declaration of 1917. It also holds the Rosenberg telegram (the Zimmermann Telegram), which helped draw the United States into the First World War, and the Suez Canal share purchase documents from the Disraeli ministry.

Digital initiatives

The National Archives has a major digital preservation programme, managing over 500 terabytes of born-digital records, including websites harvested under the Non-Print Legal Deposit regulations. Its flagship digital service is Discovery, a consolidated online catalogue. The institution actively collaborates on international digital standards with bodies like the Open Government Partnership and the Digital Preservation Coalition. It has also launched significant online resources such as the Cabinet Papers (1915-1977) and the 1940 British Army casualty lists, and participates in mass-digitization projects with commercial partners like Ancestry.com and Findmypast.

United Kingdom Category:History of the United Kingdom Category:Government agencies established in 2003 Category:Organisations based in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames