How do I start searching the British Newspaper Archive?

Start with a simple search 

When beginning your journey with the British Newspaper Archive, the most effective place to start is with a simple search across the full collection. You can choose to search for a name in the Names box, or search for a place, event or more general subject in the Keywords box. You may even choose to search with a name in the Names box with a keyword or phrase entered in the Keywords box, returning results that include both. 

Once you enter your search terms, and select search, the site will return all available matches, ordered by the most relevant results. You can choose to order your results by oldest or newest publication date, or by the most or least recently added.

From here, you can refine your results by selecting the ‘Filters’ option. This will open a series of filters on the right-hand side, which can narrow your search by date, newspaper title, and publication place, with further options also available. 

Advanced search on the British Newspaper Archive

As you become more familiar with the tools, the Advanced Search function allows for more precise control, including excluding specific terms, searching for exact phrases and limiting results to defined time periods or front pages.

Browsing our newspapers

If you prefer to browse a particular newspaper, you can select a title from the full list on the front page and choose either to search that particular newspaper or to browse its editions. Alternatively, you can look through our newspaper collection by selecting ‘Browse Newspapers’ at the top of the page. These features are designed to help you move logically from broad searching to focused discovery, supporting you as you explore the depth and detail held within The Archive.