Family and local history

Red Rose Collections (Lancashire County Council)

  • Image archive with over thirty thousand historic photographs digitised from the collections in Lancashire Libraries
  • Indexes to other resources, held at Lancashire Archives and libraries, such as old local newspapers, local books, Preston Guild Rolls and the Lancashire Police index

Lancashire Archives on Ancestry* (external link)

  • Parish records - images of Church of England baptism, marriage, and burial registers from parishes in Lancashire.
    *Available at Lancashire archives and libraries only. Please note that using Ancestry on archives/library PCs will enable you to search Ancestry's records, but not access some Ancestry features such as Family Trees and you may have difficulties attempting to use a personal Ancestry login on an archives or library PC or Wi-Fi.

British Newspaper Archive* (external link)

This resource gives access to British Library newspapers, from the early 17th century to the late 20th century. Many of the titles are small regional newspapers.

  • Register with the British Newspaper Archive (BNA) using an archives or library PC or your own device connected to LancsPublic Wi-Fi at a library or Lancashire Archives
  • Create a username and password on your first visit
  • Log in every time you want to use BNA

*Available at Lancashire archives and libraries only. Home access using your login is limited. You can only search newspapers and see a list of results. You can't view or print any articles.

Ancestry Institution* (external link)

  • Census records, birth, marriage and death indexes, military records, immigration and emigration, and many more public records from the UK.
    *Available at Lancashire archives and libraries only. Please note that using Ancestry on an archives or library PC will enable you to search Ancestry's records, but not access some Ancestry features such as Family Trees and you may have difficulties attempting to use a personal Ancestry login on an archives or library PC or Wi-Fi.

Find My Past* (external link)

  • The 1921 Census for England and Wales
  • Public records from England and Scotland going back to 1200, including many from Lancashire Archives.
  • Census records, parish registers, occupational records, travel and migration, and many more. *Available at Lancashire archives and libraries only. Please note that you may have difficulties attempting to use a personal Find My Past login on an archives or library PC or Wi-Fi.

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (external link)

  • Stories of people who have shaped all aspects of Britain's past, from the fourth century BC to the present day, from royalty to rock stars.
  • Search by place to find out who was born, lived or died where you are. It also includes a special page devoted to Lancashire Lives.

Who's Who and Who Was Who (external link)

  • Published annually as a book since 1849, Who's Who lists people who influence British life, entries including notable figures from government, politics, academia, business, sport and the arts.
  • Who's Who contains over 30,000 autobiographical entries of noteworthy and influential people who impact British life, and Who Was Who over 90,000 entries, for people now deceased.

British Library Newspapers 1730 - 1950 (external link)

  • Includes the Burnley Express, Lancaster Gazette and Preston Chronicle
  • National, regional and local newspapers from the Eighteenth to Twentieth centuries taken directly from the holdings of the British Library.

Lancashire Archives collections (Lancashire County Council)

The collections at Lancashire Archives document the history of Lancashire and the people who have lived here over the last 900 years.

Mario interactive maps (Lancashire County Council)

  • Mario Maps is Lancashire's online mapping service. You can zoom in to any location in Lancashire and find a wealth of information embedded within the map which can be displayed.
  • This is a new version of Mario updated April 2022
  • This includes historic maps and photographs of the County
  • This site also provides interactive information on administrative boundaries and local census and social statistics, local services, schools, transport, council facilities and much more.
  • Lots of guides and videos are available to help you get the most from Mario.

Recommended websites (external link)

  • In our Good Web Guide, there is a selection of some of the best sites to get you going with researching your family tree. They include advice, information and access to some historical records that can be searched online.