Biography historical researcher

By Philip Carter, Head of Digital and Publishing, Institute of Historical Research, University of London

British History Online has much to offer those approaching the period 1300 to 1800 via the life of a known individual—for whom some form of biography is possible—or via named but otherwise obscure figures who lend themselves to person-centred approaches to the past.

This guide begins with those sources—notably, diaries and correspondence—that provide information on the actions and opinions of a known individual, and which have most to offer the biographically-minded historian.

The subsequent sections are arranged with reference to different forms of human activity: listings of office- and post-holders; accounts of professional lives; lives engaged in group activities; and sources that offer biographical information as a consequence of a person’s death.

Of course, biographical approaches to the past also draw on many more B