Old newspapers online

[gardener]

This site http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/ is great! You can search all you like for free and find all sorts of odds and ends of info. You can also get 15 free credits to start you off (and get you hooked, obviously).
A search for "Cradley Heath" can be easily narrowed down by date and then you can find sad things like the boy who died after being scalded by a pan of parsley sauce and endless accounts of people drowning in ponds/canals/vitriol
Possibly not a site for the squeamish or easily depressed.
(15 credits won't get you much though, I could see two articles, one cost 5 and one cost 10, but some of the snippets can help)

[Rob]

You have to pay!! I saw this fantastic snippet "Tiger Inn, Eel Street, Oldbury, committed suicide in a most determined manner. She resided at the public-house named with her aunt ... " clicked for more details and found i have to pay to see the rest of the story!!
Good site though Gardner but alas i'm now a pensioner and this is beyond my means.

[gardener]

I did say that it was free to search
I registered and got 15 free credits, just had to supply an email, no credit card details. So I could see two articles for free.
I don't think that the site is expensive really, most of us pick and choose what we spend money on.

[grangers14]

It looks good.
I have added it to links.
Jo

[jac]

Fantastic site!
My sub. was a present from "the ode mon" (Bless his little fairce)
Found many reports re. my canal boat ancestors... usually fighting, and the men were as bad as the women!

According to one report, my g.g.grandad was rather handy with his billycock!!

Jac

[MarkCDodd]

Find My Past has indexed millions of these newspapers and will continue to index over the next few years.

The first batch are online as of today.

[tottie]

I used the free Christmas offer on FMP and still have some credits over. Proved great for finding two items of my Midlands relatives in the newspapers.