For the last 400 years Britain has played a key role in the world - mainly because of its empire. There are three galleries in this exhibition that explore:
the rise of the British Empire;
living in the Empire;
the end of the Empire.
Within the galleries, there are case studies on the empire in Africa, Australia, North America, India and Ireland, using a wide range of sources.
The visual material is accessible to all pupils with or without teacher input. Pupils will enjoy the challenge of the 18th and 19th century language evident in the hand written sources. There is help in the form of document transcripts and simplified versions. Pupils would be advised to have access to a dictionary.
Activities: each gallery contains a selection of quizzes, worksheets and source questions. A glossary and a set of simple maps can be accessed within all galleries.
This gallery looks at why the British became empire builders. There are four case studies on the development of the British Empire in the following regions: North America; Africa; India; Australia.
This gallery looks at how should we remember the British Empire. The first case study looks at how the British viewed their empire. The next four case studies look at North America, Africa, India and Australia. There is also a case study on migration that considers people who moved to other parts of the empire. In addition to all the usual gallery activities, there is an opportunity to create your own online exhibition.
There are 12 galleries in this exhibition. Three look at the period before 1450:
Were the Middle Ages lawless and violent?
Who was responsible for crime prevention in medieval England?
What were the purposes of punishments given by the courts in the Middle Ages?
Three galleries look at 1450-1750:
Did governments in this period decide what kinds of people were to be regarded as criminals?
Did methods of crime prevention change?
What was the purpose of punishments in the period?
Three galleries look at 1750-1900:
Did the Industrial Revolution lead to more crime?
What new crime prevention methods were set up to deal with changes in crime in this period and what were the problems?
What was the purpose of the punishments used in the period?
The final three galleries relate to the 20th century:
What was the most important factor affecting crime in the 20th century?
Did police work change dramatically in the 20th century?
What was the purpose of 20th century punishments?
Within each gallery there are case studies using original documents with transcripts. The most visual material is to be found in the section Punishment 1750-1900, case study 3, on Victorian Prisons, which younger pupils might find more accessible.
Activities: each gallery has a worksheet, some source questions, and in some cases a game: Tug of War; Catch the Robber; The Watchman; Guilty or Innocent.
This gallery considers if the Industrial Revolution led to more crime through three case studies on: new crimes; crime statistics; the causes of crime.
This gallery considers what new crime prevention methods were set up to deal with changes in crime in this period and what were the problems. There are five case studies: Sir John Fielding; Sir Robert Peel and the New Metropolitan Police; provincial police forces; the growth of the police; complaints and criticisms.
This gallery asks what was the purpose of the punishments used in the period through four case studies on: transportation; prison reform; Victorian prisons; the treatment of juvenile criminals. The most visual material is to be found in case study 3, on Victorian Prisons, which younger pupils might find more accessible.
This exhibition investigates the growth of political rights in 19th century Britain, with a general introduction on the political rights we share today. There are nine galleries on:
Introduction
Radicals
Luddites
Captain Swing
Peterloo
The Great Reform Act
Chartists
White slavery
Suffragettes
Each gallery contains sources with related questions and activities that can be accessed by clicking on each source. There are transcripts for the handwritten documents and relevant text links to a glossary.
This gallery is about what happened at St Peter's Field. There are four sources to investigate, an activity using a cartoon with additional tasks and a gallery worksheet.
This gallery is about the agricultural labourers and how they tried to protect their jobs in the 1830s. There are seven sources to investigate and a gallery worksheet.
This gallery considers why the government changed the political system in 1832. There are 3 sources to investigate and a role-play activity on ‘was reform needed’, plus a gallery worksheet.
What was it like living in late 19th century Trimdon Grange (County Durham in the North of England)? This snapshot combines photos, maps and a census return.
This videoconference aims to introduce pupils to documents about Victorian child criminals and to the background of Victorian crime and punishment. Through a study of documents held here at the archives, including photographs and prison records, pupils will investigate Victorian attitudes to crime and punishment, as well as the social and economic background of this period. Pupils will then go on to study the Prison Record of a little boy named Henry Munday, and will use his experiences as a stimulus for creative writing.
Sources used:handwritten and typed document, picture
This provides information about the census. It also shows how the census can be used to study local history. There is an activity based on a page of a census return that can be investigated by clicking on each of the columns. There are also two quizzes and an interactive investigation using material from the 1891 census.
This is an investigation using material from the 1891 census. It starts with a census map, focuses down to street level and provides a photograph of the street. Some of the houses in the photograph can be clicked on to reveal the census return along with guidance questions to interpret the information provided by the census material.
This exhibition includes an introduction that focuses upon the Great Exhibition of 1851.This is followed by six galleries, each based on a different aspect of public life during the Victorian period:
industrial nation
happy nation
healthy nation
caring nation
lawless nation
divided nation
Each gallery contains a selection of sources and related questions, timelines and background information. In some galleries there are additional activities or games.
Pupils will enjoy the challenge of the 19th century language evident in the hand written sources. There is help in the form of document transcripts and simplified versions. Pupils would be advised to have access to a dictionary. A glossary can be accessed within all galleries.
Finally, pupils can reach their own judgment on the Victorian age and say if it was 'fair' or 'foul' in the Great Nation section of the exhibition.
Inspired by the life of a Victorian child prisoner, Prisoner 4099 was created in partnership with teachers, youth workers and young people from Worcester. It includes a radio play produced by students as well as numerous documents and images to allow other groups to create their own responses. The project has cross-curricular links to Citizenship and English.
The gallery addresses this question: How did the railways change the lives of people in Victorian Britain? There are a selection of sources and related questions. Pupils can play The Train activity to get a steam train to the seaside.
The gallery addresses this question: Were the rich just as likely to catch cholera as the poor? There are a selection of sources and related questions.
The gallery addresses this question: Did the treatment of the poor improve after the Poor Law Amendment Act in 1834? There are a selection of sources and related questions.
The gallery addresses this question: Were the streets safe in Victorian Britain? There are a selection of sources and related questions. Pupils can play the Victorian Crime activity and patrol the streets as a peeler, catch the criminals and decide their punishment.
This gallery contains a collection of five sources, a gallery worksheet on the suffragette movement and a link to our exhibition on Britain 1906-1918 where pupils can look at additional sources.
The aim of this videoconference workshop is for students to develop their understanding of the type of women who became Suffragettes and how the WSPU used militancy to promote their cause.
This snapshot on a WWII bombing raid is based on an interview with WWII airman Gordon Ford and looks at the experiences and effects of British bombers on German cities.
This videoconference workshop is designed for those taking the Edexcel GCSE coursework on Jack the Ripper.
Through a study of original correspondence taken from the Metropolitan Police Letter Books and the 'Jack the Ripper' letters held here at The National Archives, students will investigate why the police were unable to catch the murderer.
Moving Here explores, records and illustrates why people came to England over the last 200 years and what their experiences were and continue to be. It includes an online archive of original material related to migration history from local, regional and national archives, libraries and museums and gives visitors to the site the opportunity to publish stories of their own experience of migration. The site features numerous resources designed specifically for schools.
