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 © Kippa Matthews

Search tips and tricks

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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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Fundamentals

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

Fundamentals

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.

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

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

Dawn

In partnership with...

We are working in partnership with Reach PLC, the UK’s largest commercial national and regional news publisher, to digitise all of their many millions of newspaper pages.

Back in 2011, we set out to bring the British Library’s entire newspaper archive online. Millions of digitised pages later, our journey with the UK’s national library continues.

Publishers National World are the home of over 100 historical British and Irish newspapers, all of which we are working to bring online, a page at a time.

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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