Free Historical Research

Historical Databases — Free

Five comprehensive databases spanning 10,000 years of UK history. From the Norman Conquest to Roman occupation — free to explore, no account required.

13,425
Domesday settlements
32,000+
Scheduled monuments
85
Historic counties
10,000+
Years of history

Records and counties

The documentary record and the county framework for local history research.

Domesday Book — ancient illuminated manuscripts
1086 AD

Domesday Book England

13,425settlements recorded

Explore William the Conqueror's great survey of England. Every county and settlement recorded in 1086 — landowners, ploughlands, mills and values. Search by county or village to discover how your location was documented almost a thousand years ago.

EnglandMedievalNorman
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Aerial view of the British landscape and its ancient field patterns
England, Scotland & Wales

British Counties

85historic counties

The 85 historic counties of England, Scotland and Wales — each with its own landscape, character and archaeological record. Historical context, Domesday connections, notable sites and a summary of what makes each county distinct. The essential framework for any local history research.

EnglandScotlandWales
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Sites and monuments

Protected and recorded heritage sites across all four nations of the UK.

Stonehenge, Wiltshire — Neolithic and Bronze Age monument
Neolithic to Medieval

Archaeological Sites

20key sites in depth

In-depth profiles of the UK's most significant archaeological sites — Stonehenge, Avebury, Sutton Hoo, Skara Brae and more. Covering Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman and medieval periods. Each site explained in full historical context.

EnglandScotlandWalesAll periods
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LiDAR scan revealing the earthworks of an Iron Age hillfort
All periods

Scheduled Monuments

32,000+nationally protected sites

The complete register of scheduled monuments across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — sites of national importance protected by law. From Neolithic stone circles to medieval castles. Sourced from Historic England (NHLE), Historic Environment Scotland (Canmore), Cadw and HED.

EnglandScotlandWalesNorthern IrelandProtected
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Early Christian rath and earthworks in Northern Ireland — monuments of the NISMR
Prehistoric to Medieval

Northern Ireland Monuments

1,934scheduled monuments

All 1,934 scheduled monuments in Northern Ireland — Early Christian raths and cashels, megalithic dolmens, Bronze Age cairns, souterrains and medieval earthworks. Drawn from the Northern Ireland Sites and Monuments Record (NISMR), maintained by the Department for Communities.

Northern IrelandEarly MedievalPrehistoricProtected
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Periods and battles

The periods and conflicts that shaped Britain, from Roman rule to the last battles.

Roman fort ruins in Britain
43–410 AD

Roman Britain

367years of Roman rule

Discover the Roman landscape of Britain. Legionary fortresses, town settlements, villa estates, temples and the roads that connected them. Explore how Rome shaped the landscape, economy and culture of Britain for nearly four centuries.

EnglandScotlandWalesRoman
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Glencoe valley, Scotland — site of ancient conflicts and Jacobite history
Roman to Jacobite

Battlefields of the UK

8,000+battles & skirmishes

Every major battlefield across England, Scotland and Wales from the Roman invasion to the Jacobite Risings. Search by era, county or country — each battle with combatants, outcome, significance and links to nearby heritage sites.

EnglandScotlandWalesAll periods
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Research guides

Guides and deep-dives for detectorists, local historians and the curious.

Guides, research tips and historical stories from Aubrey Research
Guides & stories

Research Blog

50+articles

Guides, research tips and historical deep-dives for metal detectorists, local historians and anyone curious about the UK's past. From reading LiDAR to tracing Roman roads, deserted villages and the Domesday Book.

Metal detectingLocal historyField guides
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Want the full picture?

Run a full report for any location in the UK

Aubrey combines all five databases above, plus LIDAR analysis, historical maps, literature search and AI interpretation, into a single comprehensive research report for any location.

Research your location →View a sample reportSee example reports
Unlimited access

What a full report reveals, anywhere in the UK

Pick any location and Aubrey pulls together 15 strands of its history, each drawn from the record:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
First month just £4.99, then £9.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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