I love it when a plan comes together…

... with the original survey book alongside which it was created. Plans and survey books are easily separated.  They are superficially very different: a survey may look like a standard hardback of several pages, and the plan that goes with it may be a single sheet, rolled up or folded.  The difference in size and …

Rediscovered: plans of Osmaston Manor, 1850-1873

It happens this way in archives sometimes.  One minute, you are moving a roll of plans from one shelf to another, and carefully keeping a record of its new location; the next, you are rediscovering some long-lost treasure*. It was in 1978 that we acquired collection D1849, the archives of the Osmaston Estate.  The collection includes rent books, …

Treasure 29: Bryan Donkin’s day book

This treasure has been nominated by Maureen Greenland, on behalf of the Bryan Donkin Archive Trust, of which she is Secretary.  Maureen writes: The many letters, diaries and records held in the Donkin Collection (D1851) throw light on both the personal and the working life of the brilliant engineer Bryan Donkin. Born in 1768, he …

Believe It or Not?

In the summer of 1826 Sir George Crewe, 8th Baronet, and his wife, Lady Jane Crewe, took an extended trip in North Wales. While visiting the town of Conway (or Conwy, to be more accurate linguistically), they took in the parish church there. Although they thought there was little worthy of attention in it, Lady …

Treasure 22: Servants’ Wages book, Derby Royal Infirmary

This treasure is chosen by David Jenkins, who used to be one of the archivists, but now works as Derbyshire County Council's Corporate Records Manager.  He writes: I have chosen a Servants’ Wages book from the Derby Royal Infirmary which details the wages paid at the Infirmary from 1828 to 1855. The Infirmary was built by …

A volunteer solves a mystery: not Jane Borough of Chetwynd Park but D’Ewes Coke of Brookhill Hall

Cataloguing can be a tricky business.  We are all human, and it’s easy to make mistakes – but isn’t it nice sometimes to put one right? We had a researcher in last month who spent some time looking at D5369/15/31-42, described in our catalogue as the personal diaries of Jane Borough of Chetwynd Park, Shropshire.  However, …

Treasure 2: 19th century papers about slavery

The title on the spine of this volume (our reference D3155/WH/2939) is Confidential Papers on the West India Question.  It's a hefty thing, as you can see from the video below, in which I show point out just four examples of the contents.  There are another two in the same collection. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN-yUeDEkD0 Those three volumes form …

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: Wirksworth Balloon Ascent

From the Derby Mercury, 12th November 1823: On Friday evening last a very numerous and respectable assemblage of the inhabitants of Wirksworth were highly amused by the ascent of a fire balloon of extraordinary dimensions, the property of Mr. James.  It ascended from the bottom of the hill called Oakcliffe, and took a southerly direction …