Record revealed
Police report on the disappearance of Agatha Christie
This letter details the circumstances of the strange disappearance of famous author Agatha Christie in 1926.
Crime, courts and justice
The National Archives holds a wealth of documents that traces how crimes have been investigated and prosecuted over the years. Records range from the police files of ordinary people to historic pieces of legislation that defined society’s laws for centuries.
Stories from the collection
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Focus on
Emily Capper and the 1934 Gresford Colliery disaster
Our records tell the story of Emily Capper's desperate campaign to recover the bodies of the victims, including that of her son. -
Focus on
The queer Victorian origins of the word 'camp'
Did you know that the word ‘camp’ was used by members of the LGBTQ+ community as early as 1868? -
The story of
Sir John Fielding
Sir John Fielding grew to become one of England’s first and greatest police detectives. And for his entire crime-fighting career, he was blind. -
Focus on
Section 28: impact, fightback and repeal
What was the everyday reality for LGBTQ+ people in the 80s and 90s living under the infamous Section 28, and how was it eventually repealed? -
Focus on
The origins of Section 28
Section 28 of the 1988 Local Government Act negatively affected LGBTQ+ lives for decades. How did such a seismic piece of legislation come about? -
Record revealed
The Treason Act
The Treason Act defined the crime of ‘high treason’ in law for the first time. It is one of the oldest pieces of legislation still on the statute book today. -
Record revealed
Angry letter sent during the ‘Bread or blood’ riots
This angry letter offers a rare view of the words of ordinary people at the time, threatening violence in response to falling living standards in rural England. -
Record revealed
The Monteagle Letter
Is this the most famous anonymous letter in British history? Perhaps it should be. Without it, the Gunpowder Plot might have succeeded. -
Record revealed
List of suffragettes arrested from 1906–1914
More than a thousand people who supported women’s right to vote were arrested for their activism. This document records them – and includes some famous names. -
The story of
Sophia Todd
Was a woman arrested for murder in Victorian Liverpool an unfortunate person caught up in a series of ill-fated events, or something much more sinister? -
The story of
Nancy Cunard
On the Windrush passenger list, white socialite Nancy Cunard (1896–1965) is described as a 'writer', but she was also a staunch activist for Black civil rights. -
The story of
The Caravan Club
The police raid on a secret queer nightclub in 1933 gives an insight into the lives of gay men in interwar London and their defiance in the face of persecution. -
The story of
Maud Allan
Maud Allan (1873–1956) was a celebrated West End dancer in the early 20th century until she became entangled in one of the most sensational trials of the 1920s. -
The story of
Emmeline Pankhurst
Emmeline Pankhurst (1858–1928) was a tireless political activist, who led the WSPU – the militant faction of the movement for women’s suffrage. -
The story of
Radclyffe Hall
Radclyffe Hall (1880–1943) lived relatively openly as a lesbian in an era that condemned such relationships. Today she is an icon of LGBTQ+ literature. -
The story of
William Cuffey
William Cuffey (1788–1870) was a disabled, working-class campaigner. He was a leading figure in the Chartism movement, famed for his powerful oratory. -
The story of
The Mangrove Nine
The trial of nine black protestors who were arrested while demonstrating in Notting Hill in the early 1970s became a public platform to criticise police racism.