Cumbria Archive Service Annual Report 2012 - 2013
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Cumbria County Council Cumbria Archive Service Annual Report 2012 - 2013 Serving the people of Cumbria cumbria.gov.uk/archives The archives are Cumbria’s collective memory, providing authoritative evidence to help people solve problems and find out the truth. Archives encourage pride in individual and community identities, and bring our past alive as our frame of reference for the present and future. This has been the 50th anniversary year of the Archive Service, a time for reflection on how far we have come since 1962 when we gathered in the first archives (including the nationally important Lowther archive) and welcomed 337 visitors. Now we deal with over 100,000 enquiries every year, and care for over 11 miles of historic documents. These give us an unrivalled insight Cumbria’s archives are into the historical here for everyone, a unique, development of places throughout Cumbria, exciting and inspiring and the daily lives of resource that can help both important and everyone explore and ordinary people, offering us a fascinating appreciate what is so special immediacy and personal about Cumbria, its people and connection with past places. events and previous generations. Contents: 1 Executive summary 2-5 Focus on our customers 6-7 Lead an independent anf healthy life 8-10 A great place to be a child and grow up in 11-14 Partnerships 15-16 Reengineer services 17-18 Appendix A Acknowledgments 19-21 Appendix B Key Accessions 22 Appendix C Key Catalogues 23-24 Appendix D Performance Cumbria County Council Archives satisfy our natural thirst for knowledge, as well as building skills and confidence. Serving the people of Cumbria cumbria.gov.uk/archives Centres: Barrow Carlisle Kendal Whitehaven There was nationwide interest in the centenary Much attention in 2012 was focused on Queen of the sinking of RMS Titanic on 15th April 1912, Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee. One story from and 564 children from 14 schools participated Whitehaven Archives sparked national interest in archives learning events in all four archive – the unrolling of a “monster petition” (all 85 feet centres investigating the tragedy and its enduring of it) signed in May 1897 by 1,600 Workington impact. residents calling for a celebration route for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. Brochure for Carrs Biscuits of Carlisle, Whitehaven staff in 1952 including “White Star” biscuits supplied to the costume Titanic (ref DB 45) Model of the Titanic used in school groups Unrolling the monster petition from Workington, 1897 (ref SMBWO 1/12/1) 2012 2012 APR MAY JUN JUL AUG Carlisle Archive Centre Cockermouth Workington Whitehaven Archive Centre Appleby Buttermere Wasdale Head Seascale Kendal Archive Centre Sedbergh Millom Barrow Archive Centre Executive Summary Cumbria’s archives are here for everyone, a unique, exciting and inspiring resource that can help everyone explore and appreciate what is so special about Cumbria, its people and places. Archives are profoundly important for insight into the historical development learning. They capture the imaginations of places throughout Cumbria, and of young people, inspiring them to take the daily lives of both important and an interest in their surroundings. For adult ordinary people, offering us a fascinating learners, archives satisfy our natural thirst immediacy and personal connection with for knowledge, as well as building skills past events and previous generations. and confidence. It is noticeable this year that the Service is The archives are Cumbria’s collective still changing and developing, embracing memory, providing authoritative evidence electronic service delivery, and aiming to help people solve problems and find to increase audiences in new and out the truth. Archives encourage pride imaginative ways. Inevitably a report of in individual and community identities, this kind picks out only a few highlights and bring our past alive as our frame of from the year, but I would like to thank all reference for the present and future. our very dedicated staff and enthusiastic volunteers for their fantastic contribution This has been the 50th anniversary year to making Cumbria’s archival heritage of the Archive Service, a time for reflection accessible. on how far we have come since 1962 when we gathered in the first archives Thanks also to Friends of Cumbria (including the nationally important Lowther Archives and the Curwen and Kirby Trusts archive) and welcomed 337 visitors. Now for covering the costs of producing this we deal with over 100,000 enquiries every Annual Report. year, and care for over 11 miles of historic documents. These give us an unrivalled Anne Rowe, County Archivist cumbria.gov.uk/archives 1 County Cumbria Council Focus on our customers Archives are for Archives are for everyone, and our key aim is to engage as many people as possible in using the collections. Researchers love undertaking the intriguing and challenging detective process of piecing together evidence from lots of different documents to compile a family history or investigate local history. We have decades of Everyone experience of supporting individual research whether first time visitors or academic historians and regular customer surveys show how well we do this (see Appendix D). Amongst the more unusual enquiries we have received this year are: the Ancient Order of Froth Blowers; Joseph Threlfall, slave ship captain; the Cumbrian antecedents of William Hogarth, the painter; and the history of airship sheds. The Service continues to be well used fire in 1957 for a documentary into the by volunteers from the Cumbria County relationship between the Japanese History Trust who are researching the and British nuclear industries. This was history of local parishes and townships broadcast as a prime time documentary to compile the Victoria County History of in March to commemorate the 2nd Cumbria. As work progresses, the website anniversary of the Fukishima incident. of this collaborative community project will Staff contributed regular interviews to become a major online resource for the Radio Cumbria on topics as diverse as history of the county. Christmas in the Workhouse, handwriting, (www.cumbriacountyhistory.org.uk/). the Westmorland Home Guard, Victorian crime, house history, and Piel Island. We recognise that in-depth research Last, but by no means least, we tried is not for everyone, but there is plenty valiantly to answer the question posed by of evidence of a widespread interest in The Daily Mail about whether there had history, so we are increasingly exploring ever been a law allowing Whitehaven ways of making archives and historical women to go about bare-breasted. information available to a much wider audience. We want to help people enjoy Much attention in 2012 was focused on their heritage and understand why Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee, and Cumbria is the very special place it is we were able to publicise many records today. about royal connections with Cumbria. One story from Whitehaven Archives Many media stories rely on archival sparked national interest – the unrolling evidence. This year, we have provided of a “monster petition” (all 85 feet of it) information to the BBC for a feature on the signed in May 1897 by 1,600 Workington northern English roots of US Presidential residents calling for a celebration route for candidate, Mitt Romney. The Japanese Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. And National Television Company (NHK) Whitehaven staff looked splendid in their visited Whitehaven to film newspapers 1952 outfits when they hosted the Right and reports relating to the Windscale Royal Occasion Tea Party! 2 Serving the people of Cumbria Archives are for Everyone Interpretation and exhibitions use the archives to explore local topics and people. We aim to provide displays of archives in all our sites, external venues and on our website to showcase the fantastic range of sources which we care for. All four archive centres presented A new “Knight of Piel” is created by sitting in an ancient chair, wearing a helmet while alcohol is poured over their head. the exhibition “Treasures of the Archives” (ref Z3579/3) to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Archive Service. ... Whitehaven staff in 1952 Unrolling the monster petition from Workington, 1897 costume (ref SMBWO 1/12/1) cumbria.gov.uk/archives 3 County Cumbria Council The online display of 18th and 19th century Valentine cards provided a feel good factor for the BBC and local newspapers on 14th February. Successful and well-attended local history exhibitions were mounted in the villages of Arnside and Burton-in-Kendal. Lady Gillford’s House, part of the Carlisle Archive Centre provides the best facilities we have for exhibiting archives. A wide range of events was organised throughout the year. An exhibition entitled “Cumbria’s Hidden Heritage” about connections to the Transatlantic slave trade and the history of Black African and Asian people in Cumbria was opened by Peter Foley, one of Britain’s first black professional footballers. The display on Kathleen Ferrier, Coat of arms of Ceorge Clifford, 3rd Earl of (1912-1953) the English singer who won Cumberland 1558-1605 (ref WDHOTH 1/14) the Carlisle Festival competition in 1937 was largely prepared by volunteers and coincided with the Carlisle Music Festival. A Twitter account was launched for the Archive Service @CumbriaArchives All these activities to make archives accessible would not be possible without the underlying work to rescue, acquire, preserve, catalogue and digitise the collections. The key archives added to the collections this year are noted in Appendix B and the main cataloguing work features in Appendix C. A less than complimentary Valentine card 1863 (ref WDTE/Box15/9) 4 Serving the people of Cumbria Treasures of the Archives Kathleen Ferrier in concert (exhibition) Panoramic view of the docks in Barrow-in-Furness, 1881 (ref Z558) cumbria.gov.uk/archives 5 County Cumbria Council Lead an independent and healthy life Archival research provides a stimulating, educational and enjoyable way of keeping the mind active and learning new skills.