The blog for the Borthwick Institute for Archives at the University of York.
Written by Lydia Dean, YWT Project Archivist On 2nd May 1946, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, then called Yorkshire Naturalists’ Trust, was legally incorporated. Founded in a post-war context, where the Government was keen to provide a ‘vision of a brighter Britain’1, the Trust’s first objective was “to protect places and objects of natural beauty or of … Continue reading Yorkshire Wildlife Trust: 70 years on
Written by Helen Watt, Marc Fitch Project Archivist When David Cressy examined aspects of marriage in Tudor and Stuart times, he asked whether or not love played a part in courtship and marriage then (1). Unlike other historians, such as Laurence Stone, he considered that love was fundamental to marriage in that era and in … Continue reading ‘Till death us do part’?: marriage, love and wills in the Archbishops’ Registers
Written by Sally-Anne Shearn, Genesis Project Archivist In April 2015 we launched Project Genesis, an ambitious two year project to create the Institute’s first online catalogue using AtoM, or Access to Memory, a web-based, open-source application for archival description and access. One year on, we are proud to announce that the Borthwick Catalogue (or Borthcat … Continue reading Introducing the Borthwick Online Catalogue
Written by Lydia Dean, YWT Project Archivist The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust (YWT) is one of the largest Wildlife Trusts in Britain and its 97 reserves cover some of the most varied landscapes in the UK. It works to protect and conserve Yorkshire’s wild places and wildlife, with reserves including Spurn National Nature Reserve, Flamborough Cliffs, … Continue reading Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Project
Written by Lydia Dean, Archives Assistant York County Hospital was established in 1740 and until 1977, when the current hospital opened, was the main hospital in York. The hospital was originally run as a charity, supported by wealthy subscribers. It continued to be run in this way right up to the 20th century when the … Continue reading York County Hospital and World War One
‘We had a boy of 17 with us in the holidays, one of the dearest people I’ve ever known. He was asked to write the enclosed for someone in Canada, & did it in the hope that it might help people to understand that the persecution is not made up of isolated pogroms, but of … Continue reading Holocaust Memorial Day
Written by Matthew Badham George Harris was a confectionery manufacturer who is generally credited with the renaissance of the York-based Rowntree business during the 1930s. This paper is an account of Harris’s life which begins by tracing his involvement in World War I through to his marriage in 1923 to Frieda Rowntree. Enrollment in his … Continue reading Borthwick Publications: George Harris and the Marketing Revolution at Rowntree
Written by Catherine Dand, Project Conservator As the Archbishops’ Registers Revealed project is drawing to a close along with the year 2015, I wanted to offer a brief overview of my involvement in the project. It can be quite tricky for a conservator to accurately convey exactly what it is they do in the workshop. … Continue reading A Festive Conservation Run-down of the Archbishops’ Registers Project
Written by Lydia Dean, Archives Assistant Today is December 21st, Midwinter day and also the traditional date of the feast of St Thomas, which sees winter traditions continuing all over Britain, Europe and further afield. In York, the longest night and shortest day heralded the ancient custom of the Yule Riding and the beginning of … Continue reading Yule and Yule’s Wife
Written by Gary Brannan, Access Archivist We’re now coming to the end of a project which started life in October last year to conserve, digitise and make available online the Registers of the Archbishops of York 1225-1646. The project – generously funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation – will also develop new tools and … Continue reading Revealing the Registers: some personal highlights