Newspapers and other online news sources from the 17th – 21st centuries: England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland

This database provides access to over 1,270 newsbooks, newspapers, pamphlets and a variety of other news materials published in England, Ireland and Scotland, plus papers from British colonies in Asia and the Americas. The collection is particularly rich in 18th century London newspapers. All the major titles are included, such as the Daily Courant from 1702 to 1735, the first daily newspaper published in London, and the London Gazette from 1665. Periodicals, such as Tatler (1709-1711) and Spectator (1711-1712), are also included.

Also represented are English provincial titles from 1712, Irish newspapers (the earliest being the Dublin Intelligence of 1691), Scottish ones from 1708 onwards, and many 18th century American ones too, including the New England Courant (1721-1723).

Features the newspapers, periodicals, pamphlets and broadsheets that form the Nichols newspaper collection held at the Bodleian Library. All 296 volumes of bound material, covering the period 1672-1737 have been digitized. This collection charts the history of the development of the press in England and provides invaluable insight into 17th and 18th century England.

British Periodicals traces the development and growth of the periodical press in Britain from its origins in the seventeenth century through to the Victorian 'age of periodicals' and beyond. On completion this unique digital archive will consist of almost 500 periodical runs published from the 1680s to the 1930s, comprising six million keyword-searchable pages and forming an unrivalled record of more than two centuries of British history and culture.

Provides access to the full-text of nearly 460 British popular and literary periodicals published from the 17th century to the early 20th century. Includes amongst others the Anti-Slavery Reporter, London Review, Royal Magazine or Gentleman’s Monthly Companion, some religious titles such as The Wesleyan-Methodist Magazine. Topics covered include literature, philosophy, history, science, music, architecture, drama, the fine arts and the social sciences.

A digital collection of 18th century journals published between 1693 and 1799, including many rare or ephemeral titles drawn from the Hope Collection at the Bodleian Library and the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Centre, University of Texas at Austin. The journals are invaluable to the study of all aspects of the eighteenth century, including crime, sport, advertising, the theatre; fashion; politics, revolution; agriculture; social issues and society life. There are also polemics, poetry, letters to the press, reviews of drama and novels, contemporary adverts and essays on almost every conceivable topic.

Arguably the most important British national paper. The subscription doesn’t include Sunday Times and supplements. You can find much information on cultural affairs, such as a plays and operas, Law reports and court circulars, etc. Supplementary research tools are useful, helping you for instance with old currency.

Online access to two million fully searchable pages in 48 national and regional titles chosen by leading experts and academics from the holdings of the British Library. From the Glasgow Herald to the Graphic, from the Illustrated Police News to the Preston Chronicle, the collection greatly enhances research into the history, society and culture of the UK from 1800 to 1950. The website also offers contextual essays regarding the role of newspapers in the Victorian age, bibliographic head-notes and a chronological overview.

Note: Oxford does not has access to Part V. You can either visit the British Library or use British Newspaper Archive (BNA) as a private subscriber. Also note that BNA has content which is not available in any part of British Library Newspapers.

Most of the content of BNA is available in libraries as the subscription resource "British Library Newspapers" (s.a.).

Search millions of articles by keyword, name, location, date or title of historical local newspapers, held in the British Library and now digitised. Note that while searching is free there is a charge to access the full-text. Alternatively, go to the British Library to access British Library Newspapers, Part V

British Periodicals traces the development and growth of the periodical press in Britain from its origins in the seventeenth century through to the Victorian 'age of periodicals' and beyond. On completion this unique digital archive will consist of almost 500 periodical runs published from the 1680s to the 1930s, comprising six million keyword-searchable pages and forming an unrivalled record of more than two centuries of British history and culture.

Provides access to the full-text of nearly 460 British popular and literary periodicals published from the 17th century to the early 20th century. Includes amongst others the Anti-Slavery Reporter, London Review, Royal Magazine or Gentleman’s Monthly Companion, some religious titles such as The Wesleyan-Methodist Magazine. Topics covered include literature, philosophy, history, science, music, architecture, drama, the fine arts and the social sciences.

Largely for contemporary newspapers (1980s-). Vast database that provides access to over 20,000 news sources from all over the world. Particularly excellent for UK, North American and much of Europe. Its coverage is largely current and recent, but does go back 20 years in some cases. For UK newspapers, generally covers broadsheets from 1980s and tabloids and local/ regional newspapers from more recently. Also include BBC Monitoring Service. Much overlap with Factiva. If you can't find a newspaper in Nexis UK, then try also Factiva.

Largely for contemporary newspapers (1980s-). Provides essential news for the UK, America and Europe with a collection of more than 10,000 authoritative sources includes thousands of current newspapers. Excellent for national but also local, regional newspapers and specialist or professional news. Much overlap with Nexis. If you can't find a newspapers in Factiva, then try also Nexis UK.

The Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) Daily Report has been the United States' principal record of political and historical open source intelligence for nearly 70 years. The original mission of the FBIS was to monitor, record, transcribe, and translate intercepted radio broadcasts from foreign governments, official news services, and clandestine broadcasts from occupied territories. FBIS Daily Reports, 1974–1996 constitutes a unique archive of transcripts of foreign broadcasts and news that provides insight into the second half of the 20th century; many of these materials are firsthand reports of events as they occurred.

FBIS Daily Reports, 1974–1996 consist of translated broadcasts, news agency transmissions, newspapers, periodicals, and government statements from nations around the globe. These media sources were monitored in their languages of origin, translated into English, and issued by an agency of the US government.

FBIS collections relevant for British studies: Western Europe, 1974-1996

Arguably the most important British national paper. The subscription doesn’t include Sunday Times and supplements (but see below for The Times Supplements (1910-1916))
You can find much information on cultural affairs, such as a plays and operas, Law reports and court circulars, etc. Supplementary research tools are useful, helping you for instance with old currency.
Post-2011 issues can be found in Factiva. Note: due to an industrial dispute The Times ceased printing from 1 December 1978 to 12 November 1979.

Founded in 1821 as the Manchester Guardian, becoming The Guardian in 1959 (and moving to London in 1964), The Guardian is an important British newspaper which gives readers online access to facts, firsthand accounts, and opinions of the day about the most significant and fascinating political, business, sports, literary, and entertainment events from the past 200 years. Originally the voice of Manchester’s liberal industrial middle classes, in the past fifty years its readership has included an increasing proportion of public sector workers, and the newspaper has a reputation for following a liberal/ social democratic political stance. Ownership of the newspaper passed to a trust in 1936. Although it’s a national newspaper, you can see that reports from the provinces are included. Advertising likewise provide a fascinating insight into daily life and economic history as well as business histories. Post-2003 issues can be found in Nexis or Factiva.

Despite the similarity of names, The Sunday Times was an entirely separate paper from The Times until 1st January 1967, when both papers came under the common ownership of Times Newspapers Ltd. To this day, The Sunday Times remains editorially independent from The Times with its own remit and perspective on the news.

An important British weekly magazine which is generally considered to be right-of-centre and conservative. It focuses largely on political and cultural aspects. One feature of this database is that you can look at the spread of your search term in the different publication dates.

From 1841 to 1992, Punch was the world's most celebrated magazine of wit and satire. From its early years as a campaigner for social justice to its transformation into national icon, Punch played a central role in the formation of British identity—and how the rest of the world saw the British nation.

Founded in 1842, this resource providers researchers with access to 150 years of British social history, fashion, theatre, media, literature, advertising, graphic design and politics, as well as those interested in genealogy. With its debut in 14 May 1842, the ILN became the world’s first fully illustrated weekly newspaper, marking a revolution in journalism and news reporting. The publication presented a vivid picture of British and world events – including news of war, disaster, ceremonies, the arts and science – with coverage in the first issue ranging from the Great Fire of Hamburg to Queen Victoria’s fancy dress ball at Buckingham Palace.

Founded in 1843 as weekly news magazine, The Economist provides authoritative insight and opinion on international news, politics, business, finance, science and technology. The Economist incorporated the Bankers' Gazette and Railway Monitor from 1845 to 1932, it also described itself as "a political, literary and general newspaper". The database covers 8,000 issues and more than 600,0000 pages, offering full-colour images, multiple search indexes, topic and area supplements and surveys, together with a gallery of front covers (via the browse by date option). Maps, images and financial tables can be searched separately. The international coverage of the Economist is well known, but it’s worthwhile remembering that social and cultural aspects are also reported on, such as theatre reviews.

Gives full access to every issue published since July 1997.

The Telegraph Historical Archive, 1855-2000 has over 1 million pages of content and includes the Sunday edition from its inception in 1961. The archive offers a fundamental insight into domestic and international affairs and culture over a timespan of almost 150 years.

Online Telegraph Historical Archive 1855-2016 and from 2000- in Factiva. Hardcopy: The Daily Telegraph and Courier [1855-1856] - Daily Telegraph [1856-1937] - The Daily telegraph and Morning Post [1937-1969] - The Daily Telegraph [1969-] ; microfilm: July /Dec 1856-Sept 1937 .

Founded in 1888, The Financial Times Historical Archive provides an online, fully-searchable facsimile run of the London edition of the FT. Each item in this complete collection is categorized by both subject and topic, with every individual article, advertisement and market listing included and searchable for retrieval individually and in the context of the full page and issue of the day. Post-2010 issues can be found in Nexis. Note there is a 30-day embargo.

Sold in over 160 countries and read worldwide, the International Herald Tribune is one of the most innovative and original newspapers, famous for its objective and clear coverage. Bringing an international perspective, it provides a valuable counterpoint to the Anglo-American press, adding a new dimension to research. The International Herald Tribune Historical Archive, 1887-2013 features the complete run of the International Herald Tribune from its origins as the European Edition of The New York Herald and later the European Edition of the New York Herald Tribune. The archive ends with the last issue of the International Herald Tribune before its relaunch as the International New York Times.

Access to subscriber-rated content and a Power Search facility that gives access to 8 years of the FT, along with 22 million articles from 500 of the world's leading business press publications. This resource requires you to register before use.

The Daily Mail is a well-known British daily tabloid newspaper, whose circulation figures have consistently been among the highest in Britain since its publication. This resource provides access to more than 100 years of this publication. The archive is an invaluable source for all manner of projects on British and world history, politics, society, culture, publishing, and much more. In its aim to represent the working middle-class and actively campaign for particular causes, it provides an important vocal alternative perspective to other newspapers. The resource also includes fully scanned and digitised copies of the Daily Mail Atlantic Edition, which were edited and produced on the White Star and Cunard liners between Southampton and New York between 1923 and 1931. Because there were no legal deposit requirements for these unique off-shore editions of the newspaper, which differ in many ways from that day’s printed Daily Mail, they are not held in any Legal Deposit library.

The resource can be viewed in full digital facsimile form, with copious advertisements, news stories and images that capture 20th century culture and society.

This resource was acquired in February 2018 thanks to a generous donation by the Daily Mail and General Trust.

A daily national middle-market tabloid newspaper in the UK. It is the flagship of Express Newspapers, a subsidiary of Northern & Shell. It was first published as a broadsheet in 1900 by Sir Arthur Pearson. Its sister paper, the Sunday Express, was launched in 1918.

Express Newspapers also publishes the Daily Star and Daily Star Sunday.

This rich, easy-to-navigate database is ideal for students and researchers of English literature and other humanities or social science subjects. Unparalleled opportunities for tracking the literary activity and critical opinion makers of the 20th century are now possible in a powerful digital environment. More than 250,000 reviews, letters, poems and articles in more than 5,000 issues of the TLS are available, and-for the first time-the identities of anonymous contributors are disclosed.

Originally a “newspaper for women by women”, the Mirror was first in the world to carry photographs; at its height, it had the largest daily UK circulation. Apart from providing more populist or extreme views, advertising, for instance, gives a fascinating insight into its intended readership. Again, much is covered, from politics, economics, social affairs to cultural affairs. Note: Bodleian Libraries does not have access to The Daily Express nor The Daily Mail.

The Times Supplements consist of a series of full-text searchable, geographically-based issues, originally published between 1910 and 1916, as supplements of The Times. The Supplements cover various aspects of mainly South America, Russia and then Japan. Dedicated issues to World War I and one-off special issues were also published.

The Listener was a weekly magazine established by the BBC in 1929 under its director-general, Lord Reith. It was developed as the medium for reproducing broadcast talks, initially on radio, but in later years television as well, and was the intellectual counterpart to the BBC listings magazine Radio Times. The Listener is one of the few records and means of accessing the content of many early broadcasts. In addition to commenting on the intellectual broadcasts of the week, the Listener also previewed major literary and musical shows and regularly reviewed new books.

The Picture Post Historical Archive comprises the complete archive of the Picture Post from its first issue in 1938 to its last in 1957—all digitized from originals in full colour. Picture Post’s innovative use of photo-journalism captured the imagination of the British people, with readership at its peak estimated at 80% of the population. In the era before television, it became the window on the world for ordinary people, bringing the major social and political issues of the day into popular consciousness.

Ever since it was launched in 1986, The Independent has enjoyed a reputation for quality and innovation, something Andreas Whittam-Smith and his two co-founders, Stephen Glover and Matthew Symonds, made as a guiding principle when they conceived the idea of a new, upmarket British newspaper.

Hardcopy: 1986:Oct.:7/31-2008:Dec.:26/31 [microfilm] Films 1549; from 19 September 1988 online in Nexis.

A tabloid newspaper launched in 1918, the Sunday Express is a sister publication to the Daily Express. Express Newspapers also publishes the Daily Star and Daily Star Sunday.

A daily tabloid newspaper published from Monday to Saturday in the UK since 2 November 1978. On 15 September 2002 a sister Sunday edition was launched.

A weekly tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom. It was launched as a sister title to the Daily Star on 15 September 2002. The Daily Star Sunday is published by Express Newspapers, which along with the Daily Star also publishes the Daily Express and Sunday Express.

Free online resource from the National Library of Wales where readers can discover millions of articles from the Library’s rich collection of historical newspapers. You can search and access over 250,000 pages from 24 newspaper publications up to 1919 and will grow to over 1 million pages as more publications are added.

Newspapers include Aberystwyth Observer, South Wales Star, Aberdare Times, Celt (Bala) and many others.

The Scottish national newspaper which is published in Edinburgh. It was launched in 1817 as a liberal weekly newspaper. It is an important source of information for Scottish/Celtic studies, world history, literature and the arts, foreign policy, conflict resolution, and migration studies.

Irish Newspaper Archive & Radical Irish Newspaper Archive

INA provides access to over the archive of 110+ Irish national and regional newspapers, covering over 300 years of Irish culture, history, and politics. It includes, for instance, Freeman’s Journal, Irish Press and Irish Independent, but also regional publications such as the Dublin Evening Post.

The Radical Irish Newspaper Archive includes 100+ titles covering a broad sweep of nationalist, republican, feminist, and socialist publications covering mostly the revolutionary period 1913–23. This collection will also be useful to researchers of the post-independent Ireland.

Founded originally as a moderate Protestant Irish nationalist newspaper, it was a predominantly Unionist until the 1930s. It is an important source for studies on Irish history and culture, but also Irish views on international events. The Irish Times passed into the ownership of a trust in 1974.

To find newspaper by place, use Advanced Search > limit Material type to "Newspapers" > Change "Anywhere" to "Place Name".