Focus on
'Can we be counted too?' Recognising LGBTQ+ lives in the 1991 census
Until 2021, the census did not ask for information about sexuality. One letter in our collection gives a personal perspective on why this data was needed.
Democracy and protest
Our records tell the story of Britain’s democracy and the rights of its citizens. They include foundational legal documents and the records of pioneering MPs. We also see protests against racism and inequality, campaigns for workers’ rights, and the struggle for the vote.
Stories from the collection
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Record revealed
List of people summoned to the 1265 Parliament
This document records the first time that citizens outside of the elites were invited to join an English parliament – without being asked to support new taxes. -
Record revealed
Sarah Parker Remond’s application to become a British Citizen
Sarah Parker Remond (1826–1894) fought for a more equal world as an abolitionist and suffrage supporter. Why and how did she apply for British citizenship? -
The story of
The 1888 matchgirls' strike
In 1888, the women and girls employed by Bryant & May in the East End of London went out on strike. Why did these workers feel so driven to remove their labour? -
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everyday reality for LGBTQ+ people in the 80s and 90s living under the infamous Section 28, and how was it eventually repealed?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
James Callaghan's notes on policy ideas
These handwritten pages offer a window onto a Prime Minister’s thinking about the issues of the day. In 1978, they ranged from education to the environment. -
The story of
Robert Wedderburn
Robert Wedderburn (1762–1835) was a British-Jamaican radical preacher, abolitionist and writer. -
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. -
The story of
The Imperial Typewriters dispute
The Imperial Typewriters dispute in Leicester saw over 500 workers, largely from South Asia, go on strike over discrimination in 1974. -
Record revealed
Printed circular produced by the National League of the Blind
In 1920, hundreds of members of the National League of the Blind (NLB) marched 200 miles to campaign for support. This printed circular explains what happened. -
Record revealed
A letter by the women workers at Fords of Dagenham
A handwritten letter written by sewing machinists working at Dagenham car plant who famously went on strike for equal wages in the late 1960s. -
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
Margaret Bondfield
Margaret Bondfield (1873–1953) was a trade unionist and Labour politician. In 1929 she became Britain’s first female cabinet minister. -
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
Shapurji Saklatvala
One of the first MPs of Indian heritage, Shapurji Saklatvala (1874–1936) was an agitator for change, which led to his surveillance by the Security Service. -
The story of
Alice Hawkins
Alice Hawkins (1863–1946) was a working class suffragette and trade unionist, who boldly campaigned for the rights of women. -
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.