The blog for the Borthwick Institute for Archives at the University of York.
Written by Sally-Anne Shearn, Genesis Project Archivist. In March 1915 an application was made for two little girls to be admitted to St Stephen’s Orphanage in York. Contrary to its name, those admitted to St Stephen’s were not necessarily orphans in the accepted sense of the word, the rules of admission required only that girls … Continue reading A Tale of Two Sisters
Written by Gary Brannan, Access Archivist Saturday 19th and Monday 21st September 2015 will see us undertake one of our yearly highlights – the annual University Open Day. Aimed primarily at students thinking of applying to study here in the near future, Open Day provides us with an opportunity to show off some of the … Continue reading Treasures on display: York University Open Day displays, 19th and 21st September
Written by Gary Brannan and Sally-Anne Shearn Sunday 13th September saw the presentation of the British Comedy Society’s Living Legends of Comedy Award to the writing partnership Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran. Often thought of solely as comedy writers, the Marks and Gran Archive held at the Borthwick illustrates their wider work in the development … Continue reading Living Legends: the Marks and Gran Archive at the Borthwick
Written by Tracey Wilcockson, Conservation Volunteering Co-ordinator Understanding the condition of an item is the first concern of a conservator when faced with a new object. A range of tools can be utilised to compliment the conservator’s knowledge of materials and degradation in this undertaking. Historically, microscopes, magnifying glasses and loupes have been used to … Continue reading Shedding new ‘Lite’ on Atkinson Brierley
Written by Sally-Anne Shearn, Genesis Project Archivist One of the most enjoyable aspects of Project Genesis are the personal stories that emerge from the many and varied archives held here at the Institute. Most recently the addition of the Borthwick’s charity records to the online catalogue revealed the story of Grace Green and, through her, … Continue reading The Sextoness of Goodramgate
Written by Ruth Mather, Volunteer, Atkinson Brierley Conservation Project One of the largest and most interesting sets of plans in the Atkinson-Brierley collection is that relating to the rebuilding of Sledmere, a country house in East Yorkshire. The house was built in 1751, and in the 1780s and 1790s underwent significant renovations. Like many grand … Continue reading Sledmere House – Rising from the Ashes
Written by Kath Webb. Queen Victoria and the Duke of Wellington didn’t visit the Retreat! The monarch would never have signed herself “Queen Victoria” in 1856, and the signature of the Iron Duke in 1821 fails to match up with authenticated examples. Mischievous or deluded patients from the democratic Retreat “family” were probably responsible for … Continue reading Who came to see the Retreat? A look through the Retreat Visitors’ Books
Written by Sally-Anne Shearn, Genesis Project Archivist. A month into Project Genesis and work has progressed from the horticultural records of James Russell to the Borthwick’s ‘private deposits,’ a group of some fifty archives that range in date from the 11th to the 20th century and in subject from the manors of mediaeval Yorkshire to … Continue reading The School Books of Thomas Skaife
Written by Gary Brannan, Access Archivist Who Do You Think You Are? Live! (or WDYTYA, as it’s known) is the UKs biggest family history event. It’s estimated that over 10,000 visitors come each year to immerse themselves with everything that is on offer. For some, it’s pleasure, for others it’s a serious business. No visit … Continue reading ‘Who Do You Think You Are? Live!’ 16-18 April 2015
Written by Sally-Anne Shearn, Genesis Project Archivist This week is National Gardening Week which ties in perfectly to the first subject of Project Genesis, the archive of renowned horticulturist and landscape gardener James Russell. In many ways James Russell makes an ideal starting point for the project. Unusually for a Borthwick collection, the archive of … Continue reading Project Genesis takes root!