This page highlights some of the main collections of material which can be viewed on our microfilm readers.
Newspapers
Most of our local newspapers are accessible on microfilm, including the Hull Daily Mail (1885-2018), Hull Times (1857-1984) and several other newspapers. These can be used to find information on specific events, individuals and subjects, such as family announcements, shipping reports and reporting during WWII. See our newspaper holdings page for further details.
The Flashback series is also now accessible on microfilm. Published monthly by the Hull Daily Mail it contains 20th century photographs of people, places and events in Hull, and is indexed by subject and name for ease of access.
Family History Resources
We also have copies of national resources for family history on microfiche such as:
- General Register Office birth, marriage and death index (1837-2004)
- General Register Office indexes of overseas events (1837-1994)
- International Genealogical Index (up to March 1992)
- Indexes to wills and probate (1853-1943)
Microfilms of archive material
In order to preserve original documents, some of our most frequently used records are accessible by microform to preserve the originals. Some individual items have also been microfilmed - the catalogue entry for each item will usually state that it needs to be viewed on microfilm if this is the case. These include:
- Early burgess rolls and electoral registers, 1835-1949
- Burial registers for Hull's municipal cemeteries, 1847-1994
- Whaling logbooks, 1772-1841 [L DMWH]
- Shipping registers, 1804-1994 [C DPC/1]
- Selected Quarter Sessions order books, 1506-1846 [C CQA/1/1-16]
- Selected Magistrate's Court minute books, 1863-1876 [C DPM/1/76-102]
- Selected Methodist records, various dates [within C DCE, C DCM, C DCT, C DCW]
- Registers of apprentices, 1651-1855 [C BRG/6-12]
- Bench Book 1, 1445-1552 [C BRB/1]
- Forster and Andrews organ ledgers, 1844-1916 [L DBFA/1/1-15]
- Series of 286 letters (ref L DIAJ) written by Amy Johnson to her partner Hans between 1922 and 1928
A number of items relating to Hull are kept at other repositories, but microform copies of some of these are available at the History Centre:
- Holy Trinity parish registers, 16th-19th cent. - originals at East Riding Archives
- Philip Larkin's first workbook [U DPL/1/1] - original at the British Library
Most of our microfilms and fiches are available in the library area on a self service basis, but microfilms from the University Archives and a number of other collections need to be requested through the Searchroom when you arrive.