That excellent Victorian chatroom, Notes and Queries has been available to browse online for several years now. However, and whether this a recently-added feature or I am just plain thick, I have just discovered that it is possible to search the volumes.

This is an absolute goldmine of information for anyone interested in folksongs, ballads, dance, folklore, customs etc.

The Annual Register, Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine and Gentleman's Magazine are also worth a look.