On the Record at The National Archives

When King John sealed Magna Carta in 1215, it was meant to end a civil war. Instead, it sparked an idea that still resonates today.
In this episode, we explore two medieval documents that shaped ideas about power in society - Magna Carta and the 1265 summons list for a parliament led by the charismatic baron Simon de Montfort.
This is the first instalment of our mini-series People and Power, which looks at how people have challenged authority and fought to have their voices heard in Britain. Our guests are Paul Dryburgh and Jessica Nelson, historians at The National Archives.

Coming soon...In the gripping first episode to our People and Power mini‑series, we explore two medieval documents that reshaped ideas about power in society, Magna Carta and the 1265 summons list for Simon de Montfort's parliament.

Love letters might not be what you'd expect to find in a government archive, yet The National Archives holds an extraordinary collection spanning over 500 years of devotion, longing, sacrifice and passion. From heartfelt declarations to calculated proposals, intimate notes and secret exchanges, these records reveal the deeply human emotions captured in the nation's documents. 

As we open Love Letters, a free exhibition at our Kew site, running until 12 April 2026, showcasing correspondence from royalty, parliamentarians, relating to literary icons and to everyday people, this episode shares some of the stories behind these captivating records. 

Featuring specialists Sean Cunningham, Vicky Iglikowski-Broad and Mollie Clarke, we explore how these letters survived, what they reveal about relationships shaped by power, distance and circumstance. 
Read the full episode transcript here.

In our next episode of On the Record, we explore 500 years of devotion, longing and forbidden love from our new Love Letters exhibition at The National Archives in Kew running until 12 April 2026, uncovering the intimate stories preserved in the nation's archives.

The story of Britain's railways isn't just about steam engines and steel tracks—it's about the people who built them, worked on them, and sometimes fought for their rights along the way.
To mark the 200th anniversary of the first modern passenger railway in 2025, this episode explores the human stories hidden within The National Archives' vast railway collections, focusing on records up to around 1950.
Hosted by family history specialist Jessamy Carlson, with railway historian Mike Esbester and records specialist James Cronan, the episode uncovers tales from accident registers that capture moments of tragedy and resilience, staff magazines that connected workers across vast distances, and annotated timetables that reveal individual journeys from centuries past.
Read the full episode transcript here.