How to Order Documents from The National Archives

Archives  ·  Research Skills  ·  June 2026

The National Archives at Kew holds over eleven million records spanning nine centuries of British government and legal history. For the family historian or local history researcher, it is an extraordinary resource — and a slightly bewildering one. This guide explains how to find what you are looking for, how to order it, and what to do when it arrives in a hand you cannot read.

What Does TNA Hold?

The National Archives (TNA) holds records created by central government and the courts of England and Wales from the Domesday Book onwards. It is not a general archive for local records — those are held at county record offices — but for certain categories of document it is essential:

• Wills proved at the Prerogative Court of Canterbury (PCC) — the most important probate court in England, used by wealthier testators and those with property in more than one diocese. References begin PROB
• Chancery records — including depositions, decrees, and pleadings from one of the most important early modern courts. References begin C
• Exchequer records — including taxation lists such as the lay subsidies. References begin E
• Assize records — criminal and civil court records for the circuits. References begin ASSI
• State Papers — government correspondence from the Tudor period onwards. References begin SP
• Military and naval records — including service records, pension records, and muster rolls
• Census records 1841–1921 — available digitised through Ancestry and Findmypast, but the originals are at Kew

Understanding the Reference System

TNA references follow a consistent three-part structure:

The lettercode identifies the creating department or court. The series number groups records by type within that department. The piece number identifies the specific bundle, volume, or document. Some references have a fourth element — a folio or membrane number — pointing to a specific page within a larger volume.

Step by Step: Finding and Ordering a Document

1. Search the Discovery catalogue at discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. This is TNA’s online finding aid. Search by name, place, subject, or document type. The catalogue describes records at varying levels of detail — some entries describe individual documents, others describe large series with thousands of items inside.
2. Check whether the document is digitised. An increasing number of TNA records are available online, either through TNA’s own document viewer or through licensed partners (Ancestry holds census records and many PCC wills; Findmypast holds others). If it is digitised, you can view it immediately without visiting Kew.
3. Register for a reader’s ticket if you need to visit in person. Registration is free and can be done online in advance. You will need photographic ID. The reading rooms are open Tuesday to Saturday; book a seat in advance through the online system.
4. Order the document. At Kew, documents can be ordered through the online ordering system up to three days in advance (strongly recommended) or on the day from a reading room terminal, with a wait of up to 90 minutes. Up to three documents can be ordered at a time.
5. Photograph or order a copy. Personal photography is free and permitted in all reading rooms. Digital copies can also be ordered through the online shop, though these take time to arrive and carry a fee. Ensure you photograph every page, including endorsements and attached schedules.

When You Cannot Read What You Have Ordered

This is more common than you might expect. Researchers travel to Kew, spend a day photographing documents, and return home to find they cannot read a word of what they have. The script, the Latin, the legal terminology, or simple physical damage can all defeat a non-specialist reader.

This is precisely where Heritage Script can help. Documents ordered from TNA are often exactly the kind of material that requires specialist palaeography: secretary hand Chancery depositions, PCC wills in a compressed clerk’s hand, Exchequer taxation rolls in Latin, or Assize records covering multiple hands and languages in a single document.

Send photographs of your document and receive a no-obligation assessment within 24 hours. If the document is within scope, a full transcription — with uncertain readings noted and terminology explained — will be delivered as a clean, readable document that gives you everything the original contains.