NEWSFLASH: British Newspaper Archive FREE

Yesterday, one million pages on the British Newspaper Archive site have become free and DO NOT require any subscription payment to view. There are 158 titles currently on offer, ranging from 1720 to 1880.

Image source: https://blog.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/2021/08/09/introducing-free-to-view-pages-on-the-british-newspaper-archive/

 

"This has been made possible through a new partnership agreement between the British Library and Findmypast, the family history company which manages the British Newspaper Archive. The BNA has over 44 million newspaper pages, mostly British and Irish titles, ranging from 1699 to 2009, or just under 10 per cent of all newspapers held by the British Library. The BNA is a subscription site, the payment made by users helping to digitize and preserve yet more newspapers." 

More information on discovering and using the 'free to view' titles is available on the British Newspaper Archive at https://blog.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/2021/08/09/introducing-free-to-view-pages-on-the-british-newspaper-archive.

 Newspaper Research

I subscribe to Newspapers.com and access to the 21,000 (plus) newspapers from the 1700s–2000s has enabled me to construct family trees of my North American ancestors. It is less helpful for my Irish, Scottish and English ancestors.

When news of the free British Newspaper Archive was announced yesterday, I decided to see how this could possibly benefit my research.

Notable Scottish Ancestors 

Several maternal ancestors, based on their professions, were the most likely to have appeared in an archived newspaper:

1. My 5th great grandfather, James Sangster, was a shoemaker in Aberdeen, Scotland. This was stated in the 1802 marriage record of his daughter (my 4th great grandmother) Ann Sangster to Archibald Douglass Crichton.
   
2. My 3rd great Grandfather, Joseph Robert Hind, was a jeweler in (possibly) Fife, Scotland. He died before his daughters marriage in 1877 where he is recorded as "jeweler - deceased".
3. The husband of my great-grandaunt William Stenhouse, was a policeman and his father John Gray Stenhouse was a Police Constable in Edinburgh, Scotland
   

Sangster - Crichton Marriage 1802

"Upon the sixteenth day of February one thousand eight hundred and two by .....Rev. Geo. Gordon one of the ministers of the diocese was lawfully married in the house of the Bride's father Aberdeen after due proclamation of banns Archibald Douglass Crighton Soldier of the 8th Reg't. North British Militia and Ann Sangster in Aberdeen Daughter of James Sangster shoemaker there. In the presence of witnesses Walter Anderson Wood Sawer in Aberdeen and James Williamson Shoemaker there."

Moreland - Hind Marriage 1877

"Name, Surname and Rank or Profession of the Father: Joseph Hind Jeweler (Master/deceased) and Agnes Hind Maiden Bell (deceased)

Stenhouse - Moreland Marriage 1904

William Stenhouse: Lochgilhead Asylum Attendant (formerly Gas Stoker) Bachelor; Son of John Gray Stenhouse, Police Constable (Edinburgh 1881 Census, 1901 Census)

Searching The British Newspaper Archive 

Here is a link to a Find My Past video https://youtu.be/RzqnCiy51vI where (yesterday) Mary McKee did a live stream (from her home in Northern Ireland) demnstrating how to make the most of these free newspapers.

 

It's free to search The British Newspaper Archive, but to view original newspaper pages, you'll need to choose a subscription package. When you register, we'll give you 3 free pages , which you can use to view any pages you choose.

 

To search the "Free To View" newspapers , follow the steps below.

 

Source: BNA

 

For my initial search I used "Constable Stenhouse" and selected "Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland" as my "Place" and the first two results were:

 

These two titles were NOT part of the FREE newspaper offering and require a subscription to view, however, this quick result is certainly encouraging.

I will be taking advantage of these records in the future in the hope that they can help me fill in some of the details of my British and Scottish ancestors.