Our Collections: Spotlight on Library Resources Blog Posts

Spotlight on: Primary Sources Online

"Primary Sources" is the term we use to refer to original source material, such as diaries, letters, news reports, or photographs,  that document a particular event or time period as it happened. "Secondary sources" are the academic works that analyse these original source documents and form theories around them. So, for instance, if you are studying the period of civic unrest that erupted in Brixton in the early 1980s, you would look at primary sources such as eyewitness testimonies or contemporary newspaper and television reports, as well as secondary sources such as academic journal articles and books written about the events afterwards. Similarly, if you are studying Shakespeare, the primary source would be the original play script, while secondary sources would be books and articles analysing the play, or perhaps reviews of performances. A creative work such as a novel or poem may also be a primary source, while critical works about it would be the secondary source. In this blog post, we shine the Library spotlight on some of the digital archives of primary sources that you can access via the Library's subscriptions. Many of these are in facsimile format, meaning they are reproduced exactly as the printed version originally appeared, so you can view not only the content, but also the historical context in which it appeared, complete with contemporary illustrations and advertisements. These sources are invaluable not only for the historical record of events, fully searchable by keyword, but for examples of graphic design, illustration, photography and fashion throughout the history of printed media. 

One rich source of such material is the Gale Primary Sources database, which includes access to the following online archives:

• 17th and 18th Century Burney Newspapers Collection: Over 700 newspaper titles and pamphlets digitised from the collection of Reverend Charles Burney (1757–1817).
• 18th and 19th Century Collections Online, and 19th Century UK Periodicals: Full-text digital versions of books and journals dating from 1700-1900, sourced from almost one hundred major world libraries.
• British Library Newspapers: The BL’s archives of regional and national newspapers from the 19th century. 

Gale Primary Sources also provides digital archives of the following newspapers and magazines:

• The Times (over 200 years' worth) and Times Literary Supplement (TLS, 1902-2013);
•  The Illustrated London News in colour (1842-2003);
• The Listener, the magazine that accompanied BBC broadcasts (1929-1991).

(Note: for current and recent issues of The Times go to the Nexis database; and for our current TLS subscription, see UR Library search).

Other digital newspaper archives we provide include The Guardian and Observer (1791 - 2003), New York Times (1851-2015) and Vogue (1892 to the present) via the ProQuest platform (see the PressReader app for current issues of the Guardian, plus hundreds more current global newspapers and magazines). 

The above sources cover mainly news articles, with the Burney collection also including ephemera such as pamphlets, which were a key means of distributing information in the centuries before the invention of broadcast media. The Library also subscribes to digital archives of other types of primary sources, which are more personal than printed media, such as letters and diaries. These give unique personal insights into historical characters and events, and include: 

Letters of Charles Dickens: 1820-1870 (Past Masters): A fully searchable, full-text database of the great writer's correspondence. 

John Johnson Collection: A digital archive of printed ephemera covering everyday life in Britain in the eighteenth, nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

English Historical Documents (currently accessible on campus only): Thousands of primary sources such as government and cabinet proceedings, military dispatches, newspaper articles, pamphlets, personal and official letters, and diaries covering British history from 500 AD to 1914. This rich resource can be searched by keyword or browsed by subject; for example, the Medical History and Health theme reveals an article about the influence of the moon on surgery, written by John of Arderne in 1376. 

Some of these digitised items can make for fascinating reading. A simple search for "Roehampton" on our Gale Primary Sources databases reveals, among other items, an illustrated pamphlet detailing the damage caused by a hurricane which hit the area around Roehampton Lane in 1780. A large Elm tree outside "Lord Bessborough's House" (now Parkstead House, Whitelands College) was badly damaged, causing some distress to an unfortunate cow:

"Several very large branches or limbs, were torn from this tree and thrown into the road, which overwhelmed a cow that had taken shelter on the spot where they fell, and entangled her in such a manner, that she was unable to extricate herself 'til assisted by some neighbouring servants."

(Citation: Edwards, E. (M.DCC.LXXXI. [1781]) 'A short account of the hurricane, that happened at Roehampton-Lane, and places adjacent, on the fifteenth of October, 1780, illustrated by four outlines. Washed and tiented. By E. Edwards, associate of the Royal Academy', London: Printed by H. Reynell, No. 21, near Air-Street, Piccadilly, available: https://link-gale-com.roe.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/CB0127279487/GDCS?u=roe_ttda&sid=bookmark-GDCS&xid=1cffc3fb&pg=1 [accessed 14 May 2024].)

Even more dramatic are the pamphlets to be found in the John Johnson collection that describe, with graphic illustrations, the brutal murder of Jane Jones by Daniel Good, which took place in Roehampton in 1842. These sensational reports, the tabloids of their day, describe how Jones' body was dismembered and burned by Good, but he was still caught, tried at the Old Bailey, and executed. (Go here to see the full pamphlet complete with grisly illustrations - login required). 

(Citation: The full account and latest particulars of the awful, inhuman, & barbarous murder of a female, by cutting off her head, arms, and legs, and burning them, with the proceedings of the coroner's inquest [Shelfmark: Broadsides: Murder and Executions folder 5 (39); JJ exhibition catalogue no. 228; with John Johnson ink stamp; brittle, with damage to corners] 1842, , Printer: Paul & Co., 2 & 3, Monmouth Court, Seven Dials, London].)

This pamphlet, entitled "The Roehampton Murder," illustrates the scene of the crime:

(Citation: The Roehampton murder [Shelfmark: Broadsides: Murder and Executions folder 5 (40b); John Johnson ink stamp; creased]. 1842).

This "monster murderer" was sufficiently infamous at the time for his likeness to feature in an exhibition at Madame Tussaud's waxwork museum, as described in this illustrated brochure from 1897, also found in the John Johnson collection:

(Citation: Sala, George Augustus,1828-1895 (SOURCE: L.C.N.A.F.), 1892. Madame Tussaud's exhibition catalogue written by Geo. Augustus Sala. [Shelfmark: Waxworks 5 (23)].)

Whilst such sensational reporting of a horrific murder may be of interest to students in disciplines as diverse as Criminology and Journalism, there is plenty more pleasant content to enjoy. The John Johnson Collection also contains a wealth of material representing Britain's rich cultural history, especially in the performing arts, such as playbills and theatre programmes.

Dickens' letters give a unique flavour of the London life that he depicted in his novels, as well as his personal observations on the times he lived in, and insights into his personal life and social circle. There are several letters to his friend Angela Burdett-Coutts, the heiress and philanthropist who lived in Roehampton and had a close connection with Whitelands College. In fact, Dickens was subsequently involved in the prize-giving system she introduced for Whitelands students; a record of this, entitled A Summary Account of Prizes for Common Things Offered and Awarded by Miss Burdett Coutts at the Whitelands Training Institution, 1855-56,  is now held in the Whitelands College Archive. You can read more about this part of Roehampton's history on this page. 

These primary source materials are well worth exploring whatever your area of study or research. From the history of printed media to first hand accounts of historical events or performances, there is something of interest for everyone.  Find them listed in our  A-Z list of databases, marked with the tag Primary Sources and Archives. (TOP TIP: If it also has a tick next to the name, you can find the content via our UR Library Search platform too!)