“The best experience I have ever had” – Gabby

Back in October, we welcomed Gabby, 19 from Matlock, to the Record Office for 6-week work experience placement. Since then Gabby has been here punctually every Thursday afternoon and helped out with a number of tasks around the office, including sorting and labelling newsletters regularly received by the archives, preparing for an Explore Your Archives event, …

Explore Your Archive – A Derbyshire Spirit Story

From the Derby Mercury, 26 September 1860: A Derbyshire Spirit Story The following singular story is given in Owen's "Footfalls on the Boundary of Another World," as being told to the writer by William Howitt and given in Mr Howitt's own words:- The circumstance you desire to obtain from me is one which I have …

Explore Your Archive – Prisoners of War

I first became aware that there had been Napoleonic prisoners in Derbyshire when I came across an unusual gravestone at St Mary and All Saints church, Chesterfield, aka the Crooked Spire.  The inscription translated as 'In memory of Francois Raingeard, thirty years of age, Prisoner of War, died 1oth March 1812' and bore the message 'Stop Traveller!  If …

Another linguistic mystery

You will of course remember our post back in summertime about Jonas Theodor Meyer. (You don't? Well, refresh your memory if you wish by looking at https://recordoffice.wordpress.com/2013/06/28/a-mystery-solved/ .) And now, we present another mystery document - and again, it's not actually "one of ours". It belongs to someone who attended the recent Preserving Your Past …

English Heritage publish statement of historical significance about the Midland Mainline

English Heritage publish statement of historical significance about the Midland Mainline English Heritage have just published this statement about one of our local railway lines, drawing in part on material held here in the Strutt collection (viz., sub-series D3772/E52).  It is available as a download for a limited time, although I have saved a copy …

Explore Your Archive – Pride and Pugilists: Round Two

Jem Belcher had been left partially blind since 1803 after the ball struck his left eye during a game of rackets.  All too familiarly, he carried on after his 1805 defeat to Henry ‘Hen’ Pearce ‘The Game Chicken’, and suffered further losses against the future champion Tom Cribb in 1807 and 1809.  He seems to …

Explore Your Archive – Pride and Pugilists: Round One

Sir William Gell (1777-1836), archaeologist and topographer, author and illustrator, enjoyed a social circle that encompassed the royal court and the square ring. ...as I was to dine at the Princess of Wales’s to day at Kensington Palace I thought it proper as a specimen of rising & falling in poetry to send for Jim …

Explore Your Archive – Reading, Writing and the Theatre Royal

Compare and Contrast - a selection of Derbyshire Record Office documents regarding Regency children and education.

Explore Your Archive – Get the Ball Rolling

As we await kick-off of the first Explore Your Archive week, here is a vigorous selection of images for sporting ladies and gentlemen.

Explore Your Archive – On This Day: French Prisoners of War

From the Derby Mercury, 14th November 1811: On Wednesday the 6th inst. Dominique Ducasse, Captain and Aid-de-Camp to Gen. Dufour, Tugdual Antoine Kerenor, Lieutenant, and Julien Deslories, Ensign, three French prisoners of war at Chesterfield, were conducted from the house of correction there, by a military escort, on their way to Norman Cross Prison, for …