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 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)
The author of this blog is anonymous. In 1902, seventeen year-old Winifred Rowntree noted that there was nothing for teenage girls in York to do in the evenings . Inspired by the local evening school for adults, she decided to establish a club that would aim to entertain and educate girls from the area around … Continue reading Honesty Girls Club: Educating the Girls of York
Written by Sally-Anne Shearn ‘Fun like sunshine, mixed with sense like salt’ was how an anonymous correspondent in The Times described Lady Victoria Bullock following her untimely death in November 1927, at the age of only 35. This description is borne out in the lively bundle of letters by Lady Victoria which were deposited at … Continue reading An English Socialite in Paris: The Letters of Lady Victoria Stanley
by Kath Webb, with an introduction by Nathan Williams This is the fourth 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 … Continue reading Spotlight on the Retreat archive: a satirical sketch of the Retreat in the early twentieth century
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 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 Sally-Anne Shearn, Genesis Project Archivist ‘Well I far from home but you are not out of my mind. I hope to be home by Christmas, if not before then.’ These words were written by 18 year old Private Thomas John Morgan to his 7 year old brother Llewellyn in May 1916. Two months … Continue reading Remembering Private Thomas John Morgan
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