Welcome to the Birmingham Archdiocesan Archives

Welcome to the website of the Archives of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham in the United Kingdom; we hope you find it informative.

Archive Access

The Archdiocesan archives is open to researchers on most Thursdays and Fridays going forward. Please email the archivist at archives@rcaob.org.uk to check availability. Walk in appointments will not be accepted.

We look forward to seeing you again.

Searching the index

Please use our search facility to identify records of interest to you. Documents on the index are not available to view on line and must be researched in person. Unfortunately, we cannot undertake research of any kind on your behalf, but if you go to our Resources page, there are the contact details of independent researchers.

GDPR and DPA 2018

At this time, the Birmingham Archdiocesan Archives are undertaking a review of all collections to ensure that material is held in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulations and the Data Protection Act 2018 for archived material. Due to the substantial quantity of material held in the archive, this is an ongoing and active task and so, for a while, the database may not accurately reflect the accessible status of a collection or item.

We do not wish for this process to unduly disrupt researchers but we ask that you be aware that a request for access to certain material may have to be denied if it has been deemed likely “to cause substantial damage or substantial distress to a data subject”.

We thank you for your co-operation and understanding in this matter.

Our Collections

We hold the episcopal and administrative records of the Midland District (1688-1840), the Central District (1840-1850), the Diocese of Birmingham (1850-1911), and the Archdiocese of Birmingham (1911–present).

We are the repository for all the parishes in the Archdiocese, which comprises the ancient counties of Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Oxfordshire.

Other collections include the archives of St Mary’s College, Oscott, Sedgley Park School and Cotton College, and Besford Court School.