Spring 2014 Newsletter of the Staffordshire Archives and Heritage Service

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Spring 2014 Newsletter of the Staffordshire Archives and Heritage Service

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New Museum Galleriesat Shugborough Park Farm The Museum team are

delighted to have been awarded a grant of £46,800 by the Heritage Lottery Fund towards the re-display of the agricultural history galleries on the fi rst fl oor of the mill block at Shugborough Park Farm.

Shugborough Park Farm was built in 1805 for Thomas, Viscount Anson to the designs of Samuel Wyatt. It is a Georgian ‘Model Farm’ – as well as providing food for the Shugborough estate, it was intended as an example of the latest technology and techniques for the education of the Ansons’ tenants and neighbours.

The existing displays have been in place for over 10 years, so are overdue for a change. Using objects from the County Museum’s agricultural collections, the new displays will tell the story of Shugborough Park Farm through the stories of the people who worked here during the

early 19th century: from Thomas Stanford the Bailiff, to Thomas Barnes the shepherd, Leonard Tams the pigman, Thomas Robins the cowman, and Mary Tomlinson the dairymaid

The Museum Service’s staff and volunteers will be working with Shugborough estate staff, local schools, and members from Colton History Society, the Landor Society and Staffordshire Industrial Archaeology Society to create new, interactive, family friendly displays at the Farm

The research, development and design work will take place during 2014, with the new displays being installed during next winter’s closed season at Shugborough, ready for the new season in March 2015. We’ll keep you posted on the project’s progress in future editions of ‘From History to Today’ and through the Archives & Heritage Facebook pages.

Websites & EventsStaffordshire Archives & Heritage websites and event details can be accessed from

www.staffordshire.gov.uk/leisure/home.aspx

Gateway to the Past

www.museums.staffordshire.gov.uk

and

www.archives.staffordshire.gov.uk

Staffordshire Past Track www.staffspasttrack.org.uk

Details of events to be posted onto our website along with the relevant booking forms as soon as they become available

The proposals would see the collections from Lichfield Record Office and the William Salt Library relocated into

two state of the art strong rooms. There will be enough space to store both collections in the new site and provide expansion space for 15-20 years.

There will also be a brand new modern reading room including a break out area for users for refreshments and an exhibition space to show off the fine documents that Staffordshire has in its Designated Archive Collections alongside some of the rare gems in the William Salt Library Collection.

It is proposed that a new service will be put in place at Lichfield as the Lichfield Local and Family History Centre within the Library. This will offer access to digitised collections and microfiche sources alongside the local studies collection within the Library. The digitisation project is already under way and the collections will be online before the new building has been finished.

The results of the consultation are still being analysed but the initial comments revealed a variety of views:

“Long over-due”

“More in one place is excellent”

“Nothing is more frustrating to a visitor abroad than to have to run around to several repositories”Of course there were also a lot of concerns expressed in some areas particularly around the future of the William Salt Library building and the misapprehension that the Library as a whole was closing:

“There is a real danger that unique and rare aspects of the William Salt Collection will be lost irretrievably, if the proposed plans go ahead”The Library is not closing but it is planned that it will move out of the present building. A separate working group has been formed from the Trustees to look at ways of ensuring that the Library’s identity is not lost in any new development. Ensuring that the collection is more widely promoted is a key part of the project.

Similarly people in Lichfield also expressed concerns:

“Dismayed that the archives from Lichfield will be housed in Stafford. Many older people use the records for genealogy & local history and will find the journey too far to Stafford especially for those who do not drive.”

As well as recognising some of the positive developments:

“No real problem with this if all of the contents are transferred or available free on line.”The digitisation project is a key stage as it will enable much wider access to Archive Service collections not just in Lichfield but across the whole county and beyond.

Support for the project has also been given by the committee of the Friends of Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Archive Service, North Staffordshire Historians Guild as well as key depositors such as Lord Shrewsbury.

The development of this new single site for access will take time and relies on funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The project team will continue to develop the bid and the proposals and continue to engage with key stakeholders. The start of any building work will be at least 18 months away. More information about the project will be given on our website and through this newsletter.

Joanna TerryHead of Archives and Heritage

Consultation on proposals to centralise County Archives and William Salt CollectionsDuring January 2014 the Staffordshire & Stoke on Trent Archive Service and the William Salt Library Trust consulted on proposals to bring collections together onto a new extended site at Staffordshire Record Office. The planning has been done jointly between the Archive Service and Trustees of the William Salt Library.

Opening TimesLichfield Record OfficeMonday, Tuesday and Wednesday: 9.30 am - 5.00 pm

Thursday: 11.30 am - 7.00 pm

2nd Saturday each month: 9.30 am - 12.30 pm

Staffordshire County Museum21st March - 24th October,open Weds-Mon 11am-5pm.

Staffordshire Record OfficeTuesday and Thursday: 9.00 am - 5.00 pmWednesday: 9.00 am - 7.00 pmFriday: 9.30 am - 4.30 pmSaturday: 9.00 am - 1.00 pm

Stoke on Trent City ArchivesWednesday: 10.00am - 6.00pmThursday, Friday and Saturday: 10.00am - 2.00pm

William Salt LibraryTuesday, Wednesday and Thursday: 10.00am - 1.00pm; 2.00pm - 4.00pm

During 2013, the Stafford office introduced a new additional scheme to help family historians. One

afternoon a week (currently Fridays from 1.30 to 3.00) a volunteer, Dianne Shenton, is usually available to offer one-to-one advice. This can be useful for those who have hit particular brick walls, or those starting out and wanting to improve their confidence for example with specific online sources. Dianne is heavily involved with the BMSGH in North Staffordshire and is a member of the Record Office’s Friday morning group and a regular attender at the once a month Family History Club. Book via the searchroom (01785-278373)

Buddy Support

Feasibility study plans: Proposed Ground, First and Second Floor Plans

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In August Hannah Dale was appointed as Archivist for the Agents of Change Project funded with a grant from the National Cataloguing Grants Scheme. Her task is to catalogue part of the family and estate collection of the Earls of Bradford of Weston Park, Weston under Lizard. Hannah is fast getting to grips with a formidable task and in her first update she says:

The Earls of Bradford held several estates across the country; the most profitable was the Bolton Estate in Lancashire, with rich mineral resources and well developed industry. The profits of this estate helped to finance Weston Park in Staffordshire as well as a London townhouse and a hunting lodge in Melton Mowbray. The Earl employed a succession of agents to manage the estate at Bolton under the supervision of his chief agent at Walsall. These local agents were responsible for the management of the estate and keeping Lord Bradford informed of events and progress. Later Bolton agents also seem to have acted as chief agent, overseeing The Earl’s estates in Castle Bromwich and Walsall.

The Bolton agents’ activities produced a very large collection which I have the privilege of cataloguing. So far I have listed over 800 volumes and more than 50 boxes with records spanning nearly 300 years. Due to the conditions it was kept in, the collection has a generous coating of coal dust, as does anyone in its vicinity. Despite the grime, the collection contains some fascinating material, everything from the construction of railways, to a Georgian gentleman’s haircut, and a 20 foot crater in the town. The project is still in its early stages and I shall keep you updated on my progress.

Please email Hannah Dale, Project Archivist for further informationhannah.dale@staffordshire.gov.uk

The exhibition focuses on the Anson family and their servants in the period leading up to the outbreak of war, and during the first months of the conflict.

At the beginning of 1914 life on the Shugborough Estate continued on its traditional path. The Anson family enjoyed a privileged lifestyle in Staffordshire and London. The 1911 census shows that domestic service was still the biggest employer of women and girls in the country. Shugborough employed a number of indoor servants including a housekeeper, house-maids, stillroom maid and a laundry maid. A number of estate workers, including gardeners, gamekeepers and wagoners were also employed.

The exhibition features photographs and objects which reflect the lives and roles of these people.

“Life on the Eve of War” opens on March 21st until 24th October 2014.

Staffordshire Great War website www.staffordshiregreatwar.com

The Staffordshire Great War website is now live. The aim of the site is to provide a central point for people to find out what events and activities are taking place in Staffordshire to commemorate the First World War over the next five years. It also provides information about the county’s main visitor attractions relating to the Great War and remembrance: the Army Training Camps and War Cemeteries on Cannock Chase, the Staffordshire Regiment Museum, and the National Memorial Arboretum.

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The new exhibition in the County Museum in 2014 focuses on the the golden age of the stately home - immediately before the outbreak of war. “Life on the Eve of War” will give visitors the chance to discover what life was like at Shugborough in 1914, before the Great War dramatically changed the lives of people living and working on the estate.

Appointment of Agents of Change Project Archivist

Life on the Eve of War

In December 2010, the Archive Service was first granted the Customer Service Excellence award, with continuing rolling assessment due over the next three years. In December 2013, we retained our full compliance after re-assessment of the final criterion and a broad brush overall review. We achieved a second “compliance plus” award for our friendliness and helpfulness, to add to that given last year for the quality of our work with volunteers. The new award lasts for another three years, with further ongoing review.

We are really pleased by this award, which reflects our belief in the value of high standards of service to the customer, and the involvement of our service users in assessing and evaluating what we do. In 2013, we incorporated the County Museums Service in our application for the first time, marking the extended and interlinked nature of the Service now. Our assessor commented on how smoothly all this adjustment had been organized for him.

Customer Service Excellence Award – “Compliance Plus”

Portion of a receipt for groceries bought by the Bolton Agent in 1899 (Temp Ref D1287/B/Box34/52)

Viscount Anson’s coming of age celebrations, 1904

Museum Development Officer Helen Johnson selects items for the exhibition

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The project provides for the digitisation and indexing of:

J all Church of England parish registers deposited with Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Archive Service, 1538-1900 (c. 3.400 registers);

J wills proved in the Consistory Court of the Diocese of Lichfield and in the courts of various Peculiars, 1521-1858 (c. 250,000 wills);

J marriage allegations and bonds, 1617-1900 (c. 180,000 documents).

Once the project is completed, we believe that around 6 million names will be indexed.

Where filming of records has already taken place digital images will be captured from the microform. Where material has not

previously been filmed, new filming will be undertaken. The first phase of the project will involve the parish registers held by the Archive Service. Work will begin at Staffordshire Record Office in February on new filming, whilst capture from existing films will be done off-site.

It is anticipated that the first records will be made available through “Find My Past” in late summer or early autumn 2014. Online access to the ‘Staffordshire Collection’ will be free at record offices and libraries in Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent.

Further information, including about payment options for home viewing, and latest news about the Project, can be found on the Project web page:

http://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/leisure/archives/collections/DigitisationProject/DigitisationProject.aspx

Coincidentally the commonplace book of John Newton Lane (1800-1869) came up at auction, and funds from the Friends of the Archive Service enabled us to secure this (7315). Started when he was nearly eighteen and continued through most of his life, it contains copies of writings, letters and poems of the kind thought worthy of note in 19th century society, with some thoughts and writings of his own.

We have been given an account book for the overseers of the poor for Heathylee in the Moorland parish of Alstonefield, dated 1776-1789 (7293). This was the sort of place where only a handful of farmers were eligible to pay rates, so careful accounts were kept, recording every payment made to the poor, money raised (“lunes”), and expenses claimed for journeys. Also in the Moorlands, a second copy of the 1777 Rushton Spencer enclosure award and map has been found (7294). This is a larger copy than the official deposited plan, and has more information of place-names recorded.

An interesting glance into employment relations comes from two files kept by successive Chairmen of Brittains paper manufacturers of Cheddleton and Hanley (7310). These include several items from the early 20th century relating to trade unions and staff benefits, and the effects of the First World War. Relating to the Second World War we have also received a map showing bombing in East Staffordshire, 1940-1941 (7299).

The most attractive item is a watercolour with partial reconstruction of the medieval wall painting in Clifton Campville church. This was uncovered in 1933 by the art historian Professor EW Tristram, who made this copy which has now been deposited by the church (D7300).

The largest collection we have received in recent months is that of the late TD Allen Civil (D7309). A former draughtsman at Bagnall’s locomotive factory in Stafford, he also collected and compiled throughout his life comprehensive research into

every Bagnall engine ever built from the 1870s. This collection consists of all his notes, photographs, engineers’ drawings, as well as information about the staff and factory. The papers fill gaps in the main collection of original Bagnalls records, of which he was co-depositor.

We have also received records from the former Staffordshire Environmental Fund, which gave grants to local projects from the tax on landfill from 1996 to 2013. These projects included churches, historic buildings including industrial heritage, museums, community centres, leisure activities, and wildlife, landscape or environmental projects, a total of 872 projects. The collection contains appraisal reports on project applications, annual reports, and a large series of photographs for successful projects, so gives a good illustration of a wide range of activities in Staffordshire.

Manorial Documents Register ProjectIn September work started on the revision of the Manorial Documents Register (MDR) for Staffordshire, which is maintained by The National Archives (TNA). Sarah Charlton, who has carried out similar projects in Bedfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire, was appointed as project archivist.

There are four sources for the information in the register:

J Existing MDR slips at TNA

J The Archive Service’s Manorial Records Guide (available on our website)

J Our collection catalogues

J The manorial documents themselves

We are grateful to two groups of volunteers for their help. The first group (Liz Ford, Jean North and Richard Totty) typed up the existing MDR slips in advance of the start of the project. The second group (Christine Norman, Jim Sutton and Richard Totty) are currently improving the catalogue descriptions of the manorial court rolls and court books, working on the original records at Staffordshire Record Office, where this is necessary.

If you would like to help with the improvement of catalogue descriptions, we would be pleased to hear from you. The eighteenth and nineteenth century court books are in English, so most people who have used historical records should have little difficulty with them. If you have knowledge of Latin and can cope with the earlier handwriting, then the mediaeval (c.1300-1500) and early modern (c1500-1700) court rolls would be for you.

Please email Sarah Charlton, Project Archivist for further information sarah.charlton@staffordshire.gov.uk. Sarah works part-time so you may not receive an immediate reply.

“Staffordshire Collection” Digitisation Project - Key family history sources to go online

SRO Accessions July-December 2013We are pleased to announce that the Archives and Heritage Service and “Find My Past” will be working together to put Staffordshire’s key family history sources online.

Following the death of the last member of the Lane family in 2013, we received a last batch of papers relating to the Kings Bromley estate (7286). It contains mainly personal papers with a few estate items, and includes information about the Lanes’ claim on the Crown made in 1842 in respect of an award made by Charles II for services rendered to him by Colonel Lane and Jane Lane (see image below). Unfortunately Prime Minister Robert Peel was discouraging about the award of a perpetual pension or a peerage.

Lichfield AccessionsThis period has seen fewer deposits from local clubs and societies. The Lichfield Rail Promotion Group deposited papers covering 1990 to 2012.

From diocesan sources, we accepted further marriage and clergy licence files from 1994 to 2010, and additional correspondence relating to Dean Savage from the 1920s. A volume of Shrewsbury Archdeaconry visitation records from 1822 was deposited, which includes along with the responses to questions a number of pen and ink sketches of the churches involved. Additionally, we received the marriage register from Lichfield Cathedral itself, covering 1838 to 1999 and including a significantly wider range than usual of occupations amongst the parties to marriages.

We were able to identify the link between two school exercise books and a farm account book, received from Tamworth Library. These were all linked to William Lindop, farming later near Lichfield.

Past Track Facebook Staffordshire Past Track now has its own Facebook site. You can find out what new images are on the site, have a go at identifying ‘mystery’ images, as well as having a taster of what’s on there already. We have already been able to identify two ‘mystery photographs’ in our collection, thanks to the comments and suggestions we’ve received. We hope you ‘like’ us and can ‘share’ our posts with your friends!

Over the next year or so, we are hoping to redevelop the ever popular Staffordshire past Track website www.staffspasttrack.org.uk. The site is now over ten years old, and in that time expectations of what a website offers have changed. We want to make it more interactive, giving users the opportunity to contribute in a much more intuitive way, as well as adding new resources from the County’s Archive and Museum collections.

The original paper mill at Hanley as built by the Fourdrinier brothers in 1827, before it was reconstructed in about 1908.

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Print and design by Staffordshire County Council, Print Commissioning Services. Telephone: 01785 276051 73579/2/14

Stoke-on-Trent City Archives have continued to receive some historically valuable photographic collections

during 2013, both large and small. An accession of only 26 photographs was received at the beginning of the year. They were a collection of photographs giving a snapshot of life in the 1950s in various institutions in the north and south of the City (SD 1624). Two of the institutions featured are Pittsburgh House Children’s Home on Lightwood Road, Longton and Burslem Joint Clinic. The Children’s Home photographs include girls involved in activities such as making soft toys and watching television; the Joint Clinic photographs show boys having speech therapy - blowing bubbles and boys doing exercises to help with combating flat feet.

We have just received the important Morgan Photographic Collection (SD 1655). This is an large collection of photographs taken by the late, well known and fondly remembered local photographer Jim Morgan. The photographs were taken between the 1940s and the early 2000s and cover a range of places and subjects including the Garden Festival, the construction of the A500 and A50 dual carriage ways, the M6 motorway and the demolition of Trentham Gardens.

The Papers of Sir Francis Joseph (SD 1631) document a remarkable life. He was principally an industrialist, his main interests being in coal and transport (particularly railways). Locally his many roles included being Director, Chairman and Managing Director of Settle, Speakman & Co., Ltd. and its subsidiary companies; this was a business he inherited from his father-in-law Joel Settle. He was also Director of Stafford Coal and Iron Co. Ltd, President of the North Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce, High Sheriff of Staffordshire, President of the North Staffordshire Colliery Owners’ Association and President of Stoke City Football Club. Beyond North Staffordshire he performed national and international roles which included being a Director of Rio Tinto Ltd, the London Midland & Scottish Railway, Birmingham Small Arms Co. Ltd., and the Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Co., Ltd. He was also involved with many other businesses and industrial enterprises which are too numerous to mention. He began his working life as a railway messenger boy in his native Liverpool; he remained connected to Liverpool and the surrounding area throughout his life.

This collection consists mainly of diaries and newspaper cuttings volumes charting Sir Francis Joseph’s career and community involvement. These two series of records are so rich in information that the newspaper cuttings volumes are currently being indexed as they record North Staffordshire High Society and significant local events between 1893-1953. The diaries, an unusually detailed record of personal and professional life, chart his career between 1926 and 1950 and are currently being summarised on behalf of the Archive Service by a volunteer. There are also personal papers within the collection documenting the honours and awards bestowed upon him; as well as his memoirs and family history.

The Highlights ofStoke-on-Trent City Archives Accessions 2013

Community Case DisplayThree members of Kings Bromley WI have been working on curating and installing a display in one of the Community Showcases in the County Museum. Margaret Nason, Carol Taylor and Mary Simmonds have chosen life at Kings Bromley Manor as their theme and have selected a variety of costume accessories from the collections (pictured below) of the kind that might have been worn by the lady of the house, the housekeeper and a housemaid.

Kings Bromley WI, which is celebrating its 85th Anniversary in 2014 was invited to take on the challenge as part of our programme of engaging Staffordshire’s communities with the museum collection. If you belong to a group that might be interested in working on a Community Showcase please contact melanie.williamson@staffordshire.gov.uk

A second Community Showcase has been curated by graduate placement volunteer Alistair Ford. This case explores the story of the later years of the Lotus shoe factory through the career of John Morris who worked at Lotus from the 1950s until the 1990s.

Curiouser and CuriouserLewis Carroll wrote Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in 1865. It has since become a classic, enjoyed by generations of children and adults alike. Central to the plot is a cast of peculiar characters who Alice meets in the dream world of Wonderland. Using the County Museum’s costume collection the exhibition Alice presents some of these well-known characters. The exhibition explores how their unusual appearance shapes the reader’s imagination and response to the book. Follow the ‘Curiouser and Curiouser’ trail through the museum to discover Alice, the White Rabbit, King of Hearts and many others. You can dress up as one of the characters or make a rose for the Queen of Hearts!

“Alice” opens on March 21st until24th October 2014.

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