Free access to records from the UK's National Archives now available

Coincidentally, following a tweet I sent to the National Archives at Kew this morning on the very same subject, requesting details and a timescale, TNA has now announced that it is indeed offering free access to its records, as initially promised on April 1st (https://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/2020/04/uks-national-archives-to-offer-free.html).

The full announcement from TNA is available on its blog at https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/news/digital-downloads/, and with the key part as follows:

Registered users will be able to order and download up to 10 items at no cost, to a maximum of 50 items over 30 days. The limits are there to try and help manage the demand for content and ensure the availability of our digital services for everyone.

To access the service and download for free, users will be required to:

• Register/sign in to their Discovery account before adding items to their basket (maximum ten items per basket)
• Abide by the terms of our fair use policy
• Complete the order process to receive a download link, which will remain active for 30 days. (The link will also be saved in ‘Your orders’ in your account for 30 days)

Our usual terms of use still apply – digital copies can be downloaded for non-commercial private use and educational purposes only, and bulk downloads and web crawlers are not permitted.

A list of records available is at https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/?research-category=online   ("please note that it includes collections available on other sites that may charge for access, and are not included in this offer")

Go have some fun!

(With thanks to TNA)

Chris

My next 5 week Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course starts May 4th - see www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. My next book, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is out shortly, also available are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.