97-015 Charlotte Norman Documents University of Sheffield Library. Special Collections and Archives Title: The Charlotte Norman Derbyshire well-dressing collection Scope: The collection comprises manuscript, printed, photographic and audio items relating in the main to Charlotte Norman’s interest and academic research into the Derbyshire well-dressing custom. It also contains a number of academic folklore text books and journals, magazines, transparencies and photographs of corn dollies, canal boat art and Derbyshire calendar customs other than well-dressings. Dates: 1834-1987 Level: Fonds Extent: 69 boxes, audio-cassettes and volumes Name of creator: Charlotte Norman Administrative / biographical history: The collection includes manuscript, printed, photographic and audio items relating in the main to Charlotte Norman’s interest and academic research into the Derbyshire well-dressing custom. It also contains a number of academic folklore text books and journals, magazines, transparencies and photographs of corn dollies, canal boat art and Derbyshire calendar customs other than well-dressings. This substantial archive comprises items gathered during two periods of research into the Derbyshire custom of well-dressing (the decoration of a well or spring with pictures created from flowers and greenery and held in screens constructed of wood and clay). It was whilst visiting Buxton in the summer of 1972 that Charlotte Norman, an American by birth and at that time called Charlotte Johnson, first became acquainted with the well-dressing custom. Here she saw: 1 97-015 Charlotte Norman Documents “An imposing structure about eight feet high that had been erected around and behind the well. This screen contained a flower mosaic of startling brilliance and surprising complexity. If this were a typical well-dressing, the custom might represent a little known form of folk art that would be worthy of further investigation.” Charlotte Norman left Buxton “convinced that the Derbyshire well-dressings offered a unique subject for a thesis.” During the remainder of that summer she returned several times to Buxton, making it the base from which she visited well-dressings in Derbyshire villages. This preliminary work indicated to her that “well-dressing as practised in some of the villages of Derbyshire is an art, craft and custom unique to that area.” Having been granted a three-month leave of absence from her position as Registrar at the Lowie Museum of Anthropology, fieldwork and further research were conducted over a three-month period in the summer of 1973. This centred on the town of Buxton and village of Youlgreave, but also involved visiting twenty-three villages with an active well-dressing tradition at that time. Such work had three stated purposes: · To record by means of observation, participation, interview and photography the methods, materials and techniques used in the preparation of the Derbyshire well-dressing screens; · To attempt to trace the historical background of well-dressing in Derbyshire, to ascertain how it has been preserved in this restricted area and whether or not there is hope for its survival in the future; · To determine the religious, social and economic significance of the custom of well-dressing in the villages that practice it and in the county of Derbyshire as a whole. This research contributed to a master’s degree in Folklore, for which she was studying in the graduate division of the University of California at Berkeley. Two photocopies of her completed thesis, ‘Derbyshire Well-Dressing: Folklore and Art’ (undated, but probably submitted to Berkeley in 1974/1975), are held in this archive. Charlotte Norman’s interest in well-dressings continued beyond the completion of her thesis, and it is evident from the large number of colour transparencies in the collection (approximately 1800) that she continued recording photographically the Derbyshire well-dressing custom throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s. It was during the early part of the 1980s that Charlotte Norman’s second major phase of collecting took place. This was fresh research, building on her earlier work, which she hoped would lead to a PhD degree. During this phase she undertook extensive research in the offices of Derbyshire newspapers, dictating onto audiocassettes articles relating to well-dressings and well-blessing 2 97-015 Charlotte Norman Documents ceremonies covering the period 1834-1963. She also undertook the creation of several indexes, relating to the geographical location of well-dressings and their subject and title. At this time she was collecting printed material relating to the custom, including contemporary newspaper articles, pamphlets, posters, postcards and smaller ephemeral items. Charlotte Norman’s research was cut short by her death in 1988. Source: By donation System of arrangement: By category Subjects: Well-dressing Names: Norman, Charlotte Conditions of access: Available to all researchers, by appointment Restrictions: None Copyright: According to document Finding aids: Listed 3 97-015 Charlotte Norman Documents File no. Contents Location Date range 1/1 Series of photocopies of photographs of Barlow 1902?-1977 well-dressings from Paul Smith’s collection Hope 1970-1979 Tideswell 1956-1979 Tissington 1972-1975 Youlgreave 1978 Various 1938-1979 C. Porteous, The well-dressing guide 1975 (Derbyshire Countryside) J. Womack, Well-dressing in Derbyshire 1977 (Dalesman) Cutting and photocopy from The Star re. Curbar 27 Jul 1981 wedding present to Prince Charles & lady Diana. Also well-dressing at Curbar using ostrich feathers Photocopies of photographs of well- 1966-1976 dressings. 14 on 7 sheets. From EFDSS- VW Memorial Library Well-dressings souvenir edition on Derby 2 Jun 1984 Evening Telegraph Collection of photocopies from The 1831-1853 Derbyshire Courier referring to well- dressings or tap-dressings 1/2 List of well-dressing material published in 1834-1963 Derbyshire newspapers & journals and dictated onto 24 audiotapes (Photocopy) 1/3 Floral decoration 4 97-015 Charlotte Norman Documents File no. Contents Location Date range 1. Antigua’s Walk of the Old Rugged Antigua 15 Mar 1991 Cross by Dana Lynn Joseph. Description of floral carpets made for Holy Week & the procession taking place on Good Friday (from American Way publ. by American Airlines/American Eagle) 2. Flower arranging and flower 10 Jun 1986 festivals in church by Grizelda Maurice. pp.99-102 3. Photographs of floral clocks, a 1911-1957 floral carpet and staircase photocopied from Paul Smith’s collection. 14 sheets, some duplicated 1/4 General 1. Cyril Hargreaves, Grandfather’s Derbyshire 1977 Derbyshire through the eye of the camera (Moorley’s, Ilkeston) 2. Sue Stiles, Dressing up the wells of 17 May 1992 England. Photocopy of article in the New York Times 3. Short entry on well-dressing from Jan 1987 Folkwrite. Photocopy 4. Well-dressing calendar (from Derbyshire 1985 Peakland Post) 5. Sales leaflet in colour of Ashford in Ashford in the Water n.d. the Water well. Hand-painted model in Coalport Fine China 5 97-015 Charlotte Norman Documents File no. Contents Location Date range 6. Baslow well-dressing week. Baslow 7-15 July 1984 Programme of events leaflet 7. The ancient art & old Derbyshire Derbyshire n.d. custom of well-dressing by a Hope well-dresser (J.W. Smith). Booklet 8. Typed list of newspaper entries on Derbyshire 2 July 1981 (1829- well-dressings made at Ashbourne 1896) Telegraph office. Covers entries copied from various publications (9 sheets) 9. Sketches of patterns of frames to Derbyshire n.d. hold dressings from 7 villages 10. By-gone Stalybridge – Hill well- Stalybridge n.d. dressing (Typed sheet) 11. Derby Evening Telegraph well- Derbyshire 30 May 1981 dressings colour souvenir (Photocopy) 12. Drinking wells – the history & the 1983 postcards by Alan Bower (photocopy from Picture Postcard Annual 3, 1983) 13. Cutting from The Star – ‘Blooming 15 May 1981 threat to well-dressing’ (Photocopy) 14. Ruby Hunt, Random reflections on July 1972 a village festival (photocopy from Lincolnshire Life 12:5, July 1972) 15. Marjorie Clark, Spalding Tulip Spalding May 1977 Parade (photocopy from Lincolnshire Life 11:2, May 1977) 6 97-015 Charlotte Norman Documents File no. Contents Location Date range 16. Ruby Hunt, The Donington mosaics Donington Sept 1975 (copied from Lincolnshire Life) 17. Two copies of well-dressing n.d. postcards (Paul Smith Collection) 18. Propitiating the water god by John 22 July 1982 Hall (New Society – 2 copies) 19. Derbyshire well-dressings by Derbyshire 1947 Stephen Caiger (photocopied from The Derbyshire Advertiser) 20. S.E. Thomas, Well-dressing Derbyshire Spring 1983 ceremonies in Derbyshire (photocopied from The Home Owner no. 161 publ. By the Halifax Building Society) 21. Copy of handwritten list of well- n.d. dressing villages together with map references 22. Horne, J.S., Holy wells of Staffordshire Oct 1951 Staffordshire from Staffordshire Life and County Pictorial 4:2, Oct 1951 (photocopy) 23. Knowlson, T.S., The origins of n.d. popular superstitions, customs and ceremonies. Section of holy wells (photocopied extract) 24. Derbyshire well-dressings (2 Derbyshire n.d. photocopies from Look around ... Derbyshire) 25. Photocopy of well-dressing n.d. (1971?) references 7 97-015 Charlotte Norman Documents File no. Contents Location Date range 1/5 Well-Dressing Calendars 1. Typed list of well-dressings in Derbyshire 1975-1984 Derbyshire, arranged by date 2. Name and address on paper bag 3. Derbyshire County Council, What’s Derbyshire n.d. on June, July 4. Lichfield District Information Derbyshire 1979, 1980, 1982 Centre, Well-dressings 79 & Well- dressings & events in Derbyshire 1982. Also 1980 5. Handwritten list – well-dressing – 1982 1982 6. Events in Buxton & the Peak Derbyshire 1977, 1979, 1980 District, March to December 1980, incorporating the Derbyshire well- dressings 7. Peak National Park, Events in the Derbyshire 1977, 1980 Park 8. Notes re. well-dressings written on 1980 back of envelope 9. Note re. dates of well-dressings 10 Jun 1980 sent to C.N. by Paul Smith 10.