How to search
Starting your search
All searches are free, but you will need to register and purchase a package to view pages.
Packages are available from as little as £4.95. Click here for more details on the best package to suit you.
You can search our entire archive, going back to 1884, by entering a keyword(s) in the search box. Then click Start.
If you are looking for a name or event with multiple words it is best to put them in double quote marks eg “Mark Smith” or “Sandown Bay Regatta”. This will ensure you find the whole phrase, rather than individual keywords.
To refine a search you can enter multiple keywords or search terms in the search box using double quote marks eg “Mark Smith” “award ceremony”.
This will find pages which contain both “Mark Smith” and “award ceremony”, but not necessarily in the same article.
Advanced searches
To refine your search further you can use the Advanced search, click the plus sign to the right of Advanced search.
You can select a Date range for your search. You can enter a start date, end date or start and end dates. You will need to enter a complete date (day, month, year) for this to work.
Search for all words is selected automatically, however you can change this in Options. This will mean the search will look for all keywords or search terms entered in the search box.
If you are searching for an event or person, but do not know the exact name, you can search for several variations at the same time, for example “Sandown regatta” “Sandown Bay Regatta”.
To do this, enter the different search terms in the search box and de-select the 'search for all words' option.
The archive will now look for either of these keywords or search terms.
You can also choose to only search front pages or exclude them from your search under Options.
All sections of the newspaper are selected automatically for searches. You can refine your search by de-selecting those sections you do not want to search: Main, motoring, property, Weekender, supplements (such as bridal, Homestyle, Cowes Week, Isle of Wight Festival).
Search results
Fifteen results are shown per page including multiple results on the same page.
If there are multiple results on a page you will be shown separate extracts highlighting where your keyword or search term have appeared.
Results are ordered by relevance. You can change the order they appear to show the most recent first, by choosing Date (Descending), or oldest first by choosing Date (Ascending) in the Order by drop down menu.
Family announcements
Family announcements were run on the front page of the newspaper until January 1974. Any additional announcements were run on an inside page of the paper, which was noted on the front page.
The style of family announcements varies, depending on the type of announcement and year it was published, however all announcements start with a surname.
For best results search for Christian and surnames as separate words eg “Mark” “Smith” and ensure the tick box for Search for all words is ticked.
Early birth announcements often do not have the name of the baby, so try searching for the names of relatives instead.