Treasures on display: York University Open Day displays, 19th and 21st September

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

The Sextoness of Goodramgate

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

Who came to see the Retreat? A look through the Retreat Visitors’ Books

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

Judging a Book By Its Cover

Written by Sarah Griffin, Rare Books Librarian at the University of York Nowadays many books are produced with a ‘perfect’ binding where the pages are stuck to the spine and invariably split open as soon as any pressure is applied. They are still the common book shape we are all familiar with but they are … Continue reading Judging a Book By Its Cover