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How did your town celebrate Victory in Europe? Explore local newspaper archives

Search for stories in our extensive newspaper collections

Explore millions of digitised pages of newspapers and other publications from our British and Irish collections, dating as far back as the 1700s.

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The storage void of the new British Library National Newspaper Building at Boston Spa in West Yorkshire. Photo Âİ Kippa Matthews

Search tips and tricks

Findmypast's historical newspaper archive collection is a potential goldmine of information on your ancestors. Here's how to make the most of it.

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Search for multiple names

Search for more than one name to find articles that mention both people – just separate the names with a comma:

For example:
Lloyd George, Bonar Law

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Narrow your results with filters

Start your search with a name or keyword, then use the filters to narrow down your results by date, location, and title.

You can add and remove filters until you find what you're looking for.

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Expert

Harness the power of phrase searching

Search for phrases exactly as they appear and in the specified order by using quotation marks around terms.

For example:
"Sutton Coldfield rail crash"
"Sutton Coldfield" "rail crash"

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Find your family’s colourful history in black and white

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Behind every headline there’s a family. Including yours. Enrich your family history with stories, moments and experiences you’ll only discover in old newspapers.

Read all about it with the largest collection of British and Irish newspapers online at Findmypast.

Without Findmypast’s newspapers, I would have never discovered that my 3 x great-grandfather was one of Britain’s first certified teachers. It’s gems like this that you don’t get in other records

DJ
Dawn
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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I view old newspapers online?

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With our online newspaper archives, you can view centuries-old newspaper pages in crisp, high-quality detail. You can even browse entire editions page-by-page to make it feel like you’re reading the printed paper.

How do I search newspaper archives?

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Searching our newspaper archive is simple yet powerful. Start with just a name or keyword and our smart filters will help you pinpoint the pages that matter to you. Your ancestors’ stories are one quick search away.

How can I find old newspapers online for free?

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Scoop! Millions of newspaper pages are free to view online at Findmypast. To explore our free newspapers, select the ‘Free to access’ filter from the ‘Article access’ menu when searching.

How do I find old local newspaper articles?

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As you delve into Findmypast’s newspapers, you can quickly and easily add or remove ’County of publication’ and ‘Place of publication’ filters to refine your search to the area you’re interested in. We’ve also listed local newspapers on our regional pages.

Is the British Newspaper Archive on Findmypast?

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Yes, as trusted partners of the British Library, we’ve digitised millions of newspaper pages for you to explore. You can read every word with a Findmypast Everything subscription or access the same collections on our sister site britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk.

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