Researching Derbyshire Canals

As long ago as the period of the Roman occupation, the Fosse Dyke from the River Trent to the River Witham had been constructed.  But, the first canal with locks was not cut until 1567 at Exeter.  There were no further major developments until the 18th century, when a series of technical innovations such as …

Treasure 48: Erasmus Darwin’s prescription notebooks

These notebooks are a series of medical practice records, covering the 1740s to 1780s.  Each entry deals with an individual patient, recording symptoms and treatment. It's clear that there is more than one style of handwriting in the books, but we believe the later entries to be the work of Erasmus Darwin (1731-1802) who moved …

Archives at the Abbey: 1 (un)stately home, 4 boxes, 8 hours, 600 visitors (well almost)

It was the busiest weekend I think we have ever had for staff from the record office, you have already heard about how we popped up at the Wirksworth Festival, which sounded amazing. I couldn't make it along myself as I went along to Calke Abbey, home of the Harpur-Crewe family, with a small selection …