The National Archives Podcast Series

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Latest Episodes:

Did she kill him? Addiction, adultery and arsenic in Victorian Britain Aug 22, 2014

Show notes

Florence Chandler was in her early 20s when she married much older James Maybrick, a Liverpool cotton broker, in 1881. Eight years later, tensions seethed. James was addicted to arsenic. Both were unfaithful. When James died suddenly, Florence was arrested for his murder. Was Florence victim or aggressor? Was she tried for her morality? Relying primarily on records from The National Archives, Kate Colquhoun re-examines the case dubbed by many as the greatest miscarriage of English justice and she asks what light it sheds on late Victorian society.

Kate Colquhoun has written a biography of Joseph Paxton and a history of Britain through its food. She also wrote the non-fiction bestseller Mr Briggs' Hat, about the first murder on a British train.

War and Peace conference: Closing remarks: the First World War and intelligence Aug 15, 2014

Show notes

Closing remarks by Gill Bennett, former Chief Historian, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1995-2005.

This talk was recorded live at the one-day conference, War and peace - diplomacy, espionage and the First World War, held on 28 June 2014 at The National Archives, Kew.

Big Ideas: Big Data for Law Aug 15, 2014

Show notes

Big data is big news. Did you know an estimated 90 per cent of the world's data was created in the last two years (see www.ibm.com/big-data)? Insights gleaned from large datasets are increasingly driving business innovation and economic growth. Underpinning this 'big data revolution' is a powerful combination of low cost cloud computing, open source analytics software and new research methodologies. These are enabling us to move from simply storing large sets of data to extracting real value from them. Big data analysis can now tell us everything from the most borrowed library books in 2013 to the most overweight areas in England.

John Sheridan, Head of Legislation Services, introduces the Big Data for Law project. Why does data matter in law? What are we doing to transform the legal research? Can you imagine what an annual 'census' of the statute book might look like and what it could be used for? If you care about law, how it works and how we can make legislation clearer and more accessible, this talk is unmissable.

This event took place as part of Big Ideas, a series of monthly talks on big ideas coming out of The National Archives' research programme.

Writer of the month: A very British murder Aug 08, 2014

Show notes

A Very British Murder is Lucy Worsley's account of a national obsession - a tale of dark deeds and guilty pleasures

Lucy Worsley is Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces, the independent charity which opens up The Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace and Kensington Palace to more than three million visitors a year. Before that, she worked for English Heritage and Glasgow Museums. As well as writing books about history, she presents history television programmes for the BBC.

This talk was part of Writer of the Month - a series of talks, in which each month a high profile author shared their experiences of using original records in their writing.

Lines in the sand Aug 01, 2014

Show notes

Dr Juliette Desplat, of The National Archives, gives an overview of the consequences of the First World War for the Middle East.

This talk was recorded live at the one-day conference, War and peace - diplomacy, espionage and the First World War, held on 28 June 2014 at The National Archives, Kew.

Peacetime diplomacy and the New European Order Aug 01, 2014

Show notes

Professor Alan Sharp, of the University of Ulster, examines diplomacy after the Paris Peace Conference.

This talk was recorded live at the one-day conference, War and peace - diplomacy, espionage and the First World War, held on 28 June 2014 at The National Archives, Kew.

Wartime diplomacy: The role of the Empire Aug 01, 2014

Show notes

Dr Bryan Glass, of Texas State University, examines the role of the Empire during the First World War.

This talk was recorded live at the one-day conference, War and peace - diplomacy, espionage and the First World War, held on 28 June 2014 at The National Archives, Kew.

The road to war: At home and abroad: propaganda and intelligence Aug 01, 2014

Show notes

Dr Martin Farr, of Newcastle University, discusses propaganda and intelligence in the lead up to the First World War.

This talk was recorded live at the one-day conference, War and peace - diplomacy, espionage and the First World War, held on 28 June 2014 at The National Archives, Kew.

Wartime diplomacy: Getting global: American involvement Aug 01, 2014

Show notes

Dr Richard Dunley, of The National Archives, discusses American involvement in the First World War, particularly the three-way dynamic of British-American-German relationships.

This talk was recorded live at the one-day conference, War and peace - diplomacy, espionage and the First World War, held on 28 June 2014 at The National Archives, Kew.

The road to war: The prelude to war Aug 01, 2014

Show notes

Dr Stephen Twigge, of The National Archives, outlines the political landscape preceding the First World War - the July Crisis.

This talk was recorded live at the one-day conference, War and peace - diplomacy, espionage and the First World War, held on 28 June 2014 at The National Archives, Kew.