Sources and resources: A quick view

 I use all of the main family history websites for my research, some free, some subscription, and many other useful websites too. This is a quick list of those cited in my blogposts and/or that I use most often. Note that, even some of the subscription sites offer some records free and that it's always worth entering names and places of interest in a Google search (including books, maps and images). 

So far I haven't needed to research family in Ireland or Scotland, so resources focused on these alone aren't included here. Although I have done a DNA test with Ancestry, and have looked at ethnicity estimates there and on other sites, I have not yet made my results public, and have not therefore used the many DNA analysis and matching tools available. 

Free online resources (scroll down for subscription and pay-to-view sites, and separate section on family history societies and regional archives I have found of use).

• FreeBMD - Transcriptions of the indices of the civil registers of births, marriages and deaths in England and Wales from July 1837, with useful search options by name and place (for coverage information see here)
• FreeCEN - A parallel project from Free UK Genealogy, allowing searches of transcriptions of the decennial censuses (1841-1811) UK-wide. The site is growing all the time, and also changing to reflect changing internet use. Searches can be filtered in various ways. Information of records covered is here.
• FreeREG - From the same stable as FreeBMD and FREECen, this site offers searches of transcriptions of parish registers. Like FreeBMD, this is a work in progress. Unlike some other transcriptions, additional information - where it exists - is transcribed from the original records. Information about coverage is here.
• FamilySearch - Extensive resource from the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints (Mormons); search transcripts from parish records, some censuses and other records. Browse images of digitised parish registers. Find out what and how to search the records. You can also search for historical maps. Also allows you to build a family tree online - but this is not unique to you, anyone else can edit people records in the tree.
• General Register Office (GRO) - Government site where you can search the official indices of civil registers of births, marriages and deaths for free, and where you can order a PDF copy of birth or death certificates for £7 (as at May 2021), or full certified certificates for all BMDs for £11, by post. It's easier to search for information on FreeBMD (above), but the GRO does give mother's maiden name for births, and ages for deaths, on all records, whereas FreeBMD only gives this information for later records. Search FreeBMD first, and then see the additional information at the GRO (which only allows a search two years either side of a specific year). 
• FindAGrave - Extensive and growing community-built database of information from headstones/grave markers from cemeteries across the UK, including photos and links to cemetery information where available. Search by name or find a cemetery by map view.
• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWCG) - Offers name searches for those who died in the First and Second World Wars, with results including rank, regimental/service numbers, regiment, date and place of death, and where buried (or recorded on a memorial). Biographical information (eg 'husband of ...', 'son of ...' and address) may also be shown. 
• Discovery - the search engine of the National Archives -  Allows searching of the very extensive holdings of TNA and the catalogues of archives across the UK. These are generally catalogue descriptions, but where digitised records are available, these can be downloaded, sometimes free, sometimes for a fairly small charge. Over 9 million of 32 million records (May 2021) are available for download. It's particularly useful for military, naval, police and occupational records, manorial and poor law records. Also find out what's held in archives local to where your family lived.
• Clergy of the Church of England database (CCed) - If you find or suspect you have ordained priests in your family tree in the period 1540-1835, this is a useful site to check their dates and place of training, ordination and any incumbancies/roles that they held. The search is a bit awkward and not immediately intuitive, but persevere!
• The Old Bailey Online - Proceedings of the Old Bailey, 1764-1913, searchable by name (of victims, perpetrators, witnesses etc) from the accounts of trials at the Old Bailey. Find criminal ancestors, but also police giving evidence and ordinary people who were witness to or victims of crime. Links to The Digital Panoptican - which offers more information on the lives of Old Bailey convicts pre- and post-trial. 
• National Library of Scotland's free online historical maps - A fabulous and extensive collection of high resolution historical maps from across the UK. Search/browse town plans and views (good for major cities), or at county or other levels. Find the streets where your family lived, and explore their neighbourhoods, distances travelled etc. 
• A Street near you - Brings together datasets relating to lives lost during the First World War, searchable by name, place, cemeteries, regiments, with photos and biographies where available, plotted on a worldwide map. Find out who fought - and died - from your family and their neighbours. 
• Charles Booth's London - Hosted by the LSE, the site allows you to search for places and names mentioned in Charles Booth's survey of London, including the notebooks and maps of poverty in London. Undertaken at the end of the 19th century, the survey drew on talks and walks with local police, churchmen, charities and business owners, to assess the levels of poverty of people living on each of London's streets. Maps were produced, colour-coded to show the extent of poverty. Really useful to get a sense of the lives and neighbourhoods of Victorian London Ancestors. 
• London Picture Archive - "Managed by London Metropolitan Archives (LMA), it provides free online access to over 250,000 images of London from the collections at LMA and Guildhall Art Gallery." Includes photographs, drawings and maps of London buildings and streets, many of which have disappeared or changed dramatically. 
• British History Online - "a collection of nearly 1300 volumes of primary and secondary content relating to British and Irish history, and histories of empire and the British world. BHO also provides access to 40,000 images and 10,000 tiles of historic maps of the British Isles". Great for finding out the history of the places ancestors lived and worked, who owned land (and therefore which manorial records to look for) and provided church livings locally.
• Lloyd's Register of Ships Online - The starting point for access to historical publications of the Lloyd's Register of Ships which are fully accessible and searchable online (up to 1960) via Archive.org. Use it to find out the names of ship's captains, any periods of time when they were refitting, changed name or were decommissioned, and details of their tonnage, vessel type etc. Great for background to seafaring ancestors if you know which ship they were on.
• Google Ancestor Search - A refinement on a standard Google search, provides fields for names, places etc. Results will include entries on family history sites as well as more general websites. A bit hit and miss, but worth trying.  
• Online Genealogical Index - If you're interested in family history records centred on a particular place (eg a parish, town, county etc.,) use this search engine to locate where those records might be accessible free (either freely available, free to members of the Church of the Latter Day Saints, or at to anyone at one of their physical Family History Centres. 
• The London Gazette (also The Gazette) - The official journal featuring statutory notices relating to insolvency, wills and probate, Honours (military and civil), name changes, church, companies and much more, since November 1665. 
• The Archives Hub - A useful resource to identify which archives might be useful for your research - by place or subject matter. 

Subscription and pay-to-view resources

• Ancestry.co.uk - Very extensive collection of parish, census, 1939 register, civil registration, school, military, occupational, poor law, criminal and many many other records. Allows you to build multiple family trees which can be private or shared publicly. Provides 'hints' from its records on people in your tree - which may or may not be accurate and need to be checked. Syncs with Family Tree Maker 2019 desktop software for Mac and PC, with app access for iOS and Android. New records are added all the time. Coverage (card collection) is here. Expensive, but offers are regularly available. Some records are freely available. 
• FindMyPast - Like Ancestry, this site has extensive parish register collections, including images and transcriptions, census records, the 1939 register, naval/merchant navy and crime etc etc. It also allows searching of The British Newspaper Archive (which is also available as a separate subscription site). It allows you to build an online family tree. There is an app too. Some records are also searchable without payment - details here.
• The Genealogist - Offers similar records to Ancestry and FindMyPast, although the census image scans and census search are generally of a higher quality. There is a focus on non-conformist registers as well as parish registers. The map explorer allows search/browse of records by place, and subscribers have access to a regular PDF magazine. You can also build a family tree online.
• MyHeritage - Similar record collections to the above, and family tree building features. Its unique features include photo enhancement and colorization, and most recently, animation. You can enhance or colorize a limited number of images without a subscription. Some record collections are also available free of charge.
• DeceasedOnline - Database of burial registers, searches are free. Pay-per-view by subscription or buying credits to see burial register scans and details of location of graves (where available), and who else was buried in the same grave. Content is growing all the time. See coverage information here. Searches on Ancestry.co.uk will include results for DeceasedOnline, but you will need to pay separately at DeceasedOnline to view records. 
• FindAWill - UK Government site allowing you to search by name (and year of death) for wills and probate records 1996-present, and 1858-1996, or soldier's wills. Details of how to search and what to expect to find are here. During the pandemic restrictions, PDF copies of wills or letters of administration could be downloaded for £1.50. The price may rise once access to archives in person becomes available again. 
• Fold3 - Sister site to Ancestry, results from Fold3's military records will be returned in Ancestry searches with basic information transcribed from the record. To see the full documents, you will need a separate subscription to Fold3; it is worth it if you have a lot of military ancestors or just want to find out more about their service records, pensions, medals etc., in documents that aren't necessarily available elsewhere (note that many military records are also available at the other subscription sites mentioned above). 
• Filae - An excellent resource if you have French ancestors, or family who lived in France from 1792, when civil registration began, until the early 20th century. There is an English language version. Search for births, marriages and death records made in local civic offices. They often include wider genealogical information, including ages, time of birth, the names and occupations of the parents of children and marrying couples, spouses, and their witnesses. Note that if you already know which department of France your ancestors came from, each has its own online presence where records are freely available.

Family history societies and regional archives

• Norfolk Family History Society (norfolkfhs.org.uk) - I am a member so receive the magazine issued each quarter and have access to search the Norfolk Online Record Search (NORS) Trace Your Norfolk Origins | NFHS (norfolkonlinerecordsearch.co.uk)
• Norfolk Record Office - NROCat - Search the catalogue of the NRO. Catalogue entries often provide sufficient information about a record that you do not need to pay to obtain the full record (but it's a useful finding aid if you do).
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