The National Archives is the repository of the national archives for England, Wales and the United Kingdom. It was founded by act of Parliament in 1838 to bring together and preserve the records of central government and the courts of law, and to make them available to all who wish to consult them. The records, beginning with Domesday Book (1086), span an unbroken period from the 11th century to the present day.
Today The National Archives advises government departments on best practice in records management as well as selecting those which will be kept in perpetuity. All documents selected are opened for public inspection at The National Archives thirty years after the file was closed, except in a few cases where the closure period is longer for reasons of national security, commercial sensitivity or personal confidentiality.
The National Archives is the treasure house of the nation's memory. Included on its 90 miles of shelving are a hugely diverse range of historical documents including returns for parliamentary elections in 1275, lists of Elizabeth I's jewels, Shakespeare's will, Guy Fawkes' confession, and the first American newspaper. There is Captain Bligh's account of the mutiny on The Bounty, Napoleon's post mortem, decrypts of the British Ambassador's despatches describing the start of the Russian Revolution, the abdication instrument signed by Edward VIII, minutes of Churchill's war cabinet and 617 squadron's account of the bursting of the Mohne and Eder dams. The National Archives is an invaluable resource for academic researchers, local historians, genealogists and many other groups of readers.