Digitising History from below : The Old Bailey Proceedings Online, 1674-1834

The Old Bailey Proceedings Online has made available in a fully searchable online edition the largest body of texts detailing the lives of non-elite people ever published. This article explains the origins, methodologies, and outcomes of this project, and assesses how the website has been used in academic teaching and research since its launch in 2003. The limitations as well as the benefits of providing access to primary research materials in this medium are considered. It concludes with an outline of current plans for the digitisation, and integration into the current website, of further substantial bodies of digitised sources on related topics