National Archives UK Free Access

Have you been taking advantage of the free access to The National Archives during lockdown?  The UK National Archives has announced in April that it was offering free access to its digital records for as long as it remains closed to the public during the Coronavirus pandemic.  How much longer that access will remain free is unknown, but it has certainly been a boon to many who have been researching from home in the past few months.

Users can download records digitised by The National Archives and published through Discovery, its online catalogue. These include:

• First and Second World War records, including medal index cards
• Military records, including unit war diaries
• Royal and Merchant Navy records, including Royal Marine service records
• Wills from the jurisdiction of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury
• Migration records, including aliens’ registration cards and naturalisation case papers
• 20th century Cabinet Papers and Security Service files
• Domesday Book

Registered users can order and download up to 10 items at no cost, to a maximum of 50 items over 30 days. National Archives explains that the limits are there 'to try and help manage the demand for content and ensure the availability of our digital services for everyone'.  Registration itself is also free.

To access the service and download for free, users will be required to:

• Register/sign in to their Discovery account before adding items to their basket (maximum ten items per basket)
• Abide by the terms of the fair use policy
• Complete the order process to receive a download link, which will remain active for 30 days. (The link will also be saved in ‘Your orders’ in your account for 30 days)

So if you haven't already been downloading records, make sure you take advantage of this great offer of free records while they last, and see what new detail you can find about your family history.