The blog for the Borthwick Institute for Archives at the University of York.
Written by Simon Batchelor, BA (Hons), MA, MA (Res), Customer Services Assistant at the University of York Library. One item in the rare books collection has recently caught my attention; drawn in the corner of the an endpaper is the picture of a youth, standing on one leg, he is holding a horse collar up … Continue reading Gurning and the art of face pulling.
Written by Neil Adams, Archives Assistant ‘Not a dry eye was to be seen, and the dreadful shrieks and sobs of the bereaved widows and the fatherless, in passing the habitations of the sufferers, were such, as to beggar all description – truly it was the scene of desolation’ (Yorkshire Gazette) Shortly after one in … Continue reading The Stillingfleet Tragedy
Written by Rosie Denton and Sally-Anne Shearn. Part One can be read here. ‘I want to run over & have a talk with you sometime. I have been feeling more and more lately that I oughtn’t to be here.’ So began the letter that was to change the lives of Lawrence and his mother forever. … Continue reading Lawrence Rowntree – A Life in Letters (Part Two)
Written by Rosie Denton, Archives Trainee. Those of you based in York may have already heard of Lawrence Edmund Rowntree, the subject of a recent exhibit at York Castle Museum which was covered in the York Press. For those to whom the name is unfamiliar, Lawrence (or Laurie as he was always known) was the … Continue reading Lawrence Rowntree – A Life in Letters (Part One)
Written by Gary Brannan, Access Archivist The Registers of the Archbishops of York contain a great many interesting stories – but few more dramatic than the story of what has been described as the ‘most notorious clerical strike in medieval English history’ – Archbishop Neville’s feud with the Chapter of Beverley Minster in 1381 from … Continue reading Strike in the Chapter House: Archbishop Neville and the Canons of Beverley
Written by Sally-Anne Shearn, Genesis Project Archivist Recently I added the archive of the Unitarian Chapel on St Saviourgate, York, to our online catalogue Borthcat. I knew next to nothing about the chapel or the archive when I began, not even that it was the oldest surviving non-conformist place of worship in the city, dating … Continue reading 5 Things: The St Saviourgate Unitarian Chapel, York
Written by Jenny Mitcham, Digital Archivist This is the third in a series of blog posts celebrating The Retreat Archive and our digitisation project as it nears completion. The Retreat is one of the most important institutions in the care and treatment of mental health patients. Over the last two and half years, staff at … Continue reading Spotlight on the Retreat Archive: Pianos at the Retreat
Written by Tracy Wilcockson, Conservation Volunteering Co-ordinator As the program of work to clean the Atkinson Brierley Architectural Archive reaches its milestone of 50% completion – that is a staggering 3167 plans cleaned – we thought that it would be worth looking back over the past five years, to consider the significant achievements and beneficial … Continue reading Halfway there… Conservation cleaning of the Atkinson Brierley Archive
Written by David Pilcher, Retreat Digitisation Assistant This is the second in a series of blog posts celebrating the Retreat archive and our digitisation project as it nears completion. The Retreat is one of the most important institutions in the care and treatment of mental health patients. Over the last two and half years, staff … Continue reading Spotlight on the Retreat Archive: A splendid time is guaranteed for all!
Written by Jane Rowling, Retreat Digitisation Assistant This is the first in a series of blog posts celebrating the Retreat digitisation project as it nears completion. Over the last two and half years, staff at the Borthwick have been working through the Retreat archive, updating the catalogue, preparing the documents for digitisation, carrying out conservation … Continue reading Spotlight on the Retreat Archive: A Window on the 19th Century Pharmacist