Archives & Collections retains an extensive range of newspapers published in Birmingham, typically going right back to the first edition. The majority of holdings are accessible on microfilm in the Heritage Research Area but other titles will only be available to view by appointment in our searchroom, the Wolfson Centre, due to factors such as age, condition and size. Please see our online catalogue for an account of our holdings (from the online catalogue, there’s a guide on how to use the catalogue on the menu board on the left hand side of the page, otherwise we’ve written a blog post on how to use our online catalogue).
Why Use a Local Newspaper for Your Research
Local newspapers are an invaluable source of information and contain the documentation of the everyday legal, business and social interactions which do not always reach the same level of universal attention as events and episodes deemed worthy of meriting national coverage. And yet, the real nuts and bolts of life can be found in the local press, it’s one of the few places where the lives of so many are so closely chronicled, from the photograph of a civic dignitary planting a tree in a local park, to the unfortunate record of a fatality in accounts of the Coroners’ court, through to responses by local communities to social and economic changes.
For the family historian, local newspapers offer various jewels such as notices about births, deaths, and marriages; obituaries and legal notices, reports of court cases and wills.
Finding out where such information is hidden amongst the pages of the local press is a sticky issue. Unlike certain national publications such as The Times, very few local titles have been digitised throughout their holdings and most importantly, indexed.
What Are Your Options
We frequently receive enquiries from patrons hoping to locate an article which may have appeared in one of the Birmingham newspapers. Often the enquirer, through no fault of their own, has no specific details for when the article appeared in the newspaper, so we invariably have to ask them to try and narrow down the period of their research by trying to pinpoint a particular period of time. They may be able to discuss the topic with family and friends who may remember the event or have recall to supporting documents tucked away at home.
It’s not always the end of the enquiry if they can’t unearth any further ancillary details, as there are several resources to call upon to enable the researcher to carry on with their enquiry. The first is a listing of websites included on our Useful Websites List – some provide free access (but not always).
The Library of Birmingham provides patrons holding a valid Birmingham Library Services card with free access to a series of subscription websites. Some subscriptions can be accessed at home while others are only accessible in the library. The British Library 19th century newspaper collections (Birmingham Post 1857 – 1900) and the Gale News and Reference Powersearch (Birmingham Mail, Birmingham Post and Sunday Mercury c. 1998 – 2005) are significant for researching local newspapers.
For the purposes of this blog, we will take a closer look at the British Library 19th century newspaper collections and specifically its holdings for the Birmingham Post, 1857 – 1900.
Birmingham Post online 1857-1900
Researching a newspaper for an article without a date or reasonable timeframe can be extremely time consuming – you are searching through every page of the newspaper which can be a never ending task with little chance of reward.
If your research focuses on the cultural life of Birmingham in the latter half of the nineteenth century – you may be looking for an account of a social or political event, searching for an advertisement placed by your ancestor’s business or possibly an obituary notice, you can search the Birmingham Post (1857 – 1900) online free of charge.
The British Library Nineteenth Century Newspapers Collections database provides access to up to 160 regional newspaper titles.
How To Use The Database
Select the Advanced Search option on the homepage. Here you can place settings to narrow the range of your search.
Keywords & Phrases:
You have up to three search boxes in which to enter words or phrases which best describe what you are searching for and there’s a range of settings such as a keyword or author search you can apply if the basic search option doesn’t meet your requirements.
You also have the option to add in extra search boxes by selecting Add A Row. You can also use the Allow Variations option which will ‘Retrieve imperfect matches to accommodate spelling variations or approximate spellings sometimes found in historical documents’.
Archive:
You next have the option to set further settings by using the By Archive option but please note that if you select either of the categories offered, you may inadvertently exclude the actual category under which the newspaper you require is listed, so we advise leaving this option blank.
Time Frame:
The next option is to select a time period the search engine will use to locate a possible match for the words and phrases you have entered in the search boxes. Options vary according to what information you already have to hand and your specific requirements; if you already have the date of the article, you can select the box labelled On.
If you have only a general idea of when the article appeared in the newspaper or alternatively you want to see as many articles as possible on a particular subject then please select the Between option. Here you can select a date range including day, month and year although please be aware that if you select a very wide time range, you may have to view a considerable amount of results.
Here, you also have the option to include documents with no known publication date.
Newspaper Title:
The next option is to select a specific newspaper title – remember there are up to 160 titles included. Click on the downward triangle in the By Publication title box to select the title of choice. You also have the option to select three subsets of:
- by publication section which allows you to select particular categories of the newspaper such as Advertisements
- by document type which is similar to the options offered in By Publication but with slightly more variety
- by illustrated work which allows you to search for categories such as cartoons and photographs.
Once you are happy with your settings, please select the Search box.
Processing Your Results
You will hopefully be greeted with a series of results arranged in chronological order which should match or be a close fit for the data you have provided. If not, please return to the search facility, tweak your settings and have another think about the details you have at hand.
Each return will consist of the following:
- a minimised scan of the page on which the article is located
- the article headline
- details of which newspaper the article appears in along with date and edition number and categorisation – article, advertisements & notices, etc.
Please click on the article headline highlighted in bold and often printed in upper case to view the article.
The words and phrases used in your search of the database will be highlighted when you view each article.
The icons shown on the toolbar directly above the scanned image allow you to adjust the size of the image, select a portrait or landscape format and adjust light and shade.
The icons on the toolbar at the very top of the page will enable you to email the image, save it as a PDF file or produce a print out.
Other Ways to Search the Database
For a quick but less selective search, click the Browse icon on the Home Page. Select the publication title of your choice. Select a year and then enter a phrase or keyword to best describe your search requirements.
Birmingham Newscuttings Collections
We also retain a varied and considerable range of bound volumes of newspaper cuttings which have been tirelessly collected by staff over the years. Cuttings are grouped in volumes (many of which are indexed) by topic. There is further information and a list of the newscuttings on our webpages.
Cuttings of note include reports in the Birmingham press of inquests carried out by the Birmingham Coroner. These are regularly served if original inquest reports are inaccessible on the day of the visit to Archives & Collections, or reports are subject to the 75 year Data Protection closure ruling.
Paul Taylor, Archives & Collections Co-ordinator
The Iron Room 