Twitter Digest for September 2022

Welcome to the latest Twitter Digest, and this month’s Archive of the Week tweets began with a bit of a mystery. We have been given this photograph:

… but we don’t know who the people are, or if the building is in Derbyshire. Look familiar to anyone?

We continued with an unusual one for DRO – Bishops Transcripts of parish registers from the 1880s and 1890s, including a few Quaker burial grounds. Derbyshire used to be in the Diocese of Lichfield until 1884, so most BTs for Derbyshire are at Staffordshire Record Office.

More familiar is a Scrapbook relating to search expeditions for arctic explorer Sir John Franklin (1849-1886). It has a real ‘homemade’ feel to it, and includes multiple newspaper articles, charts and even reward posters:

Quiz Time! Here’s your starter for 10: This 1685 item is a receipt from Henry Barber of Salop –

Do you know: What is Salop known as today?

We almost missed World Letter Writing Day, but it must have inspired us. We went with an old favourite: from the architect William Porden to his daughter Eleanor, carefully written so a little girl learning to read could decipher it.

Who remembers this blogpost?

Still on the education theme, anyone find it hard to convince your little ones to go back to school this time around? You’re not alone; this naughty kitten didn’t want to go either! This poem, from the Longstone Parish Magazine of March 1914 was shared to celebrate Explore Your Archives theme of Learning for this month.

Then to celebrate International Literacy Day we highlighted Time Thieves of Tutankhamun, the debut novel by local author Bill Bevan. The Wirksworth resident is best known for books on archaeology, but this is a magical adventure story is just the thing to get your child hooked.

September also marked National Wildlife Day and World Beard Day.

So, here’s a photography of David Bellamy!

The late naturalist and tv presenter was a patron of the Creswell Heritage Trust, once melting the hearts of schoolchildren at Creswell Crags by recreating the Ice Age with giant puppets & masks.

Of course, I’m sure you all knew that Thursday, 22^nd September was Derbyshire Day!

And your Bonus Question is: Henry describes himself as a Barber Chirurgion.

What might this be?

Now and then, we get a little Search Room Surprise:

How’s this for the design of a Victorian photograph album?

Some of the pages are beautifully decorated too.

And just look at the surface design lining this beautiful ornate box, home to an 1808 parchment grant of arms for the Harpur-Crewe family:

And for a closer look at those fabulous colours

And Finally

The answers to the quiz:

1. What is Salop known as today?

A: Salop is Shropshire

• He describes himself as a Barber Chirurgion. What might this be?

A: Chirurgion is an archaic spelling of Surgeon.

As a barber, Henry would have had access to razors and other tools useful for surgical procedures such as amputation of limbs. Medicalisation of surgery did not develop until the 18th century.