Migration and citizenship
Official documents chart the movements of people to and from Britain over the centuries through ships’ manifests, naturalisation certificates and applications for passage. While laws and public information campaigns show the state’s responses to a changing population.
Migration and citizenship highlights in pictures
Stories from the collection
The story of Ivor Cummings
Read about Ivor Cummings
Ivor Cummings (1913–1992) greeted the iconic arrival of the Empire Windrush at Tilbury in 1948. He became known as the 'gay father of the Windrush generation'.
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Louise Bennett-Coverley
Described by the Birmingham Post as the ‘queen of Jamaican theatre’, Louise Bennett-Coverley (1919–2006) was a poet, performer, folklorist, writer and educator.
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Sir Learie Constantine
Sir Learie Constantine (1901–1971) was a renowned cricketer, author, politician and persistent campaigner for racial equality and justice.
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The Imperial Typewriters dispute
The Imperial Typewriters dispute in Leicester saw over 500 workers, largely from South Asia, go on strike over discrimination in 1974.
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Christine Granville’s application to become a British citizen
Christine Granville, Special Operations Executive agent extraordinaire, was Churchill’s favourite spy. How did this document possibly save her life?
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Insaaf
Insaaf was a film made by the government, filmed partly in Urdu, to promote employment rights under the 1968 Race Relations Act.
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Ormonde, Almanzora and Windrush
Passenger lists for the ships that carried post-war migrants from the Caribbean to Britain can be crucial resources for people tracing their family history.