Arena

Trace your family history or investigate the history of where you live. We can help you get started with access to online family and local history resources including websites, maps and photographs.

 

Not a member? Join here

Our librarians are here to help answer your questions. If you have a family or local history enquiry fill in an Ask a Librarian form.

 

Through our free 30 minute enquiry service, we will respond to you with an answer to your query within 7 working days. This service is for everyone in West Sussex, not just library members.

Findmypast is available to library members in all West Sussex Libraries (not from home) and offers a range of UK databases to help you trace your family tree. Unique collections include the 1939 register of households at the start of WW2, and school admission registers and log books from the beginning of the 20th Century. 

 

The 1921 Census was released in January 2022, initially on a pay-to-view basis only. Although this means it won’t be included in our library subscription at the moment, free access for us is expected later in 2022. Visit Findmypast for more information about the 1921 Census and associated pricing.

 

Please note that our although our FMP subscription does not include access to the British Newspaper Archive, we have a separate subscription to the BNA, (available in our libraries only).

 

For more information about Findmypast, download or read our helpsheet here or watch these videos:

 

 

Ancestry is available to library members in all West Sussex Libraries (not from home), and includes a collection of worldwide databases covering everything from census returns to passenger lists.

 

Download or read our helpsheet here.

The videos below will give you a quick introduction to Ancestry and how to search for your ancestors. Please be aware that the Ancestry homepage has recently changed and this is not reflected in these videos.

 

 

To access any of these resources from home, follow the link and where instructed enter your library card number.

 

The Enquiries Team are here to help with any queries.

 

Dictionary of National Biography is available to library members from home. It gives a huge amount of information on famous or notable people who shaped the history of the British Isles and beyond. It includes biographies of over 60,000 men and women who died in or before 2016.

 

 

Illustrated London News is available to library members from home. It was the world’s first fully illustrated weekly newspaper. The publication presented a vivid picture of British and world events — including news of war, disaster, ceremonies, the arts, and science — with coverage in the first issue ranging from the Great Fire of Hamburg to Queen Victoria’s fancy dress ball at Buckingham Palace.

 

Times Digital Archive (TDA) is available to library members from home. It is an online archive of more than 200 years of The Times, covering 1785 - 2014.

 

 

 

 

Who's Who and Who was Who is available to library members from home. It is an encyclopaedia of influential and noteworthy people in all areas of public life. It includes authors, pop stars, royalty and many more.

Family Search: free database including billions of indexed records from around the world including UK parish registers and census.

 

Genuki genealogical resources and links

 

Free virtual reference library of genealogical information for the UK and Ireland.

BillionGraves is the world's largest resource for searchable GPS cemetery data, based on images of headstones. You don't need to register in order to search and view basic information including images.

British History Online

 

A digital library of key printed primary and secondary sources for the history of Britain.

FreeBMD 

Transcriptions of the Civil Registration index of births, marriages and deaths for England and Wales.

General Register Office 

 

Search their indexes and order birth, death and marriage certificates online (registration required).