Parliament's history free to all

The project is costing £1.4m

Historians and researchers will be able to examine 18th Century parliamentary papers instantly from home, once an ambitious new project is complete.

The entire archive is being placed on the internet, free of charge, for anyone who wants to access it.

The delicate documents are being automatically scanned by a robotic machine at up to 900 pages per hour.

The £1.4m Southampton University project is part of a £10m digitisation programme financed by the government.

Eventful period

The available material will form a permanent record of one of the most eventful periods of British history, covering the British Raj in India, the deportation of convicts to Australia and the beginning of the anti-slavery movement.

The material is rare because a fire that destroyed the House of Commons in 1834 also destroyed many manuscript records.

The Commons Speaker Michael Martin said: "Parliament's work throughout the centuries has shaped the United Kingdom's history and it is right and proper that its records are as accessible as possible to all who want to study them.

"Every society learns from the study of its history.

"I hope that, by providing easy-to-use access to the historical records of Parliament, this project encourages more people to study and understand the way in which our country was governed."