Lancashire Archives

Situated in Preston, the Lancashire Archives, previously known as the Lancashire Record Office, serves Lancashire, England. It was established in 1940.

Preparations

It was in 1808 that the Lancashire Justices first took an interest in the records, ordering the Clerk of the Peace to "arrange the Public Records in his office in such a manner as to him shall appear to be the most proper, for their preservation and utility". In 1879, the Justices obtained an Act of Parliament allowing them to build offices for "county business". This included a room for keeping the county records. Sessions House was built in 1903 with rooms for documents in it, yet still the Lancashire Archives was not fully established.[1]

Correspondence with George Veitch of the University of Liverpool began in 1907. On 15 July he began to inspect and classify the records. Before this, the records were kept in bad conditions and vulnerable to dust and dirt. He wrote descriptions of the documents and carefully stored them in a newly arranged strong room. Veitch created a numbering and lettering system, known as the County Records Index, so that documents could be found easily. Veitch advocated the rich history these archives provided and encouraged the preservation of them.

At this point in time, the archives were not open to the public as they are today. Members of the public would write to the Clerk of the Council asking to see documents for various reasons.[2]

In December 1937, the Preston and mid-Lancashire branch of the Historical Association sent a petition to Lancashire County Council, asking whether the council could "sanction and establish a depository for documents of local interest". A committee was set up to investigate the situation. In December 1939, after consultation with Dr. George Herbert Fowler, the committee recommended that a full-time Clerk of Records be appointed. This was still not pursued.[3]

In 1939 two members of the county council looked at the official records. Unimpressed with the state of things, they pressed the matter. Finally, in May 1940, Reginald Sharpe France was appointed as County Archivist and the archives were established. In November 1940, the Master of the Rolls recognised the Lancashire Archives as a manorial repository. The first deposit to the Archives came from the Fylde Historical and Antiquarian Society.[3]

Commencement

Sharpe France worked alone until 1941, when an unqualified assistant was appointed in case he was called into service. However, it was his assistant who was called into service, not Sharpe France, requiring him to hire another assistant. Due to World War Two, there were almost no enquries for documents or searchers – only 66 visitors are recorded in 1940, and 90 in 1941. This meant Sharpe France and his assistant could acquire documents and catalogue them without interruption.[3] In 1941 the County Records Sub-Committee of the council's Finance Committee was set up, with A. J. R. Houghton appointed as the first chair, a position he held until 1952. This committee was responsible for the records from 1941 to 1974.[4]

After the war, knowledge of the archives spread, and it became increasingly popular. In 1948, the University of Liverpool established a Diploma in the Study of Records and Administration of archives, and Sharpe France was invited to give a course of lectures. Later, in 1949, Sharpe France was granted a Fellowship of the Society of Antiquaries and got a seat on the Council of the British Records Association. [5] In 1950, the archives held an exhibition for their 10th anniversary, opened by Earl Peel, on March 15–18 March at the county office in Preston. Around 2000 visitors attended it.[6]

More visitors aaccessed the archives as years passed. Guide to the Lancashire Record Office was first published in 1948.[7] In 1951, 1276 documents were produced, 2350 written correspondences were received and 5706 documents were produced.[8] However, as visitors increased and as more documents were taken in, a strain began to develop on the archives. In 1960, the archives moved to Sessions House in Preston to cope with this extra demand.[9]

Sessions House

In 1962, the second edition of the Guide to the Lancashire Record Office was published to favourable reviews, selling 346 copies.[10]

A year later, in 1963, the first archaeologist, Ben Edwards, was appointed. His work included visiting sites and giving lectures. He also established a system of record cards for indexing sites.[11]

However, minutes of the County Records Sub-Committee from a meeting on 17 October 1966 noted the need for more accommodation – around four and a half million documents were in the strongrooms, which were likely to fill up in a year. The archives could not accommodate all the visitors comfortably, and visiting schools caused "more than a little chaos". There was no private accommodation for staff, as their desks were given to visitors. Refreshments had to be taken in the repairer's room, thus disrupting the repairer's work. The repair room was too small, meaning big maps could not be repaired. Bookshelves were overflowing. During the period from 1969 to 1970, the county council's expenditure on the record office (as it was then known) was 0.05 of a penny rate. All this led to an "increasing nervous tension amongst the staff" and the need to build a new record office.[12]

In 1972 the construction of a new, purpose-built building for the archives began. In 1975, the archives moved to Bow Lane in Preston. This ten-week operation began on 30 June and surprisingly caused no major inconvenience. The official opening, by Lord Clitheroe, was held on 31 October. Two special exhibitions were held at the archives to commemorate this event.[13]

Bow Lane

A year after the move to Bow Lane, in 1976, Reginald Sharpe France, the first County Archivist, retired. John Keith Bishop was appointed as the new County Archivist. The year 1976 was a busy one for the archives. With the new premises came increased demand, and a late opening on Tuesday evenings was introduced. The archives also launched a job-creation scheme, employing seven people in 1976.[14]

In 1979, Ken Hall was appointed as County Archivist.

In 1986, the Friends of Lancashire Archives was formed. An independent organisation and registered charity, the FLA was set up to promote and support the archives. The FLA put on activities for members, including talks and training opportunities, as well as walks and social events. Over the years the FLA has raised over £75,000 for the archives. According to their website, they are currently funding a cataloguing programme for the archives.[15] The first president of the FLA was Lord Lieutenant Mr Simon Towneley.[16]

Later on, in 1989, the Lancashire County Council gave the archives a go-ahead to introduce computers into their work. This was made possible by the Hope Floyd Bequest fund, a fund set up in 1973 after the death of Thomas Hope Floyd. A location index was available on computers, and the issuing and returning of documents in the search room was much quicker. At a cost of £21,530, this helped the archives deliver a quicker, better service.[17]

In 1993, Bruce Jackson was appointed as County Archivist.

References

  1. ↑ Article written by R. Sharpe France, 1952 for ARCHIVES, No.7, in the Lancashire Archives, LCC 968
  2. ↑ Correspondence files from 2 July 1907 to 31 December 1928, in the Lancashire Archives, LCC 1075
  3. 1 2 3 Article written by R. Sharpe France, 1952 for ARCHIVES, No.7, in the Lancashire Archives, LCC 968
  4. ↑ 27 January 1941, Minute Book of the Records Sub-Committee, in the Lancashire Archives, CC/FVM/1
  5. ↑ 14 March 1948, Minute Book of the Records Sub-Committee, in the Lancashire Archives, CC/FVM/1
  6. ↑ 17 April 1950, Minute Book of the Records Sub-Committee, in the Lancashire Archives, CC/FVM/1
  7. ↑ R. Sharpe France, Guide to the Lancashire Record Office (Preston: Lancashire County Council, 1948)
  8. ↑ Lancashire Record Office Reports Volume 1: 1951–60, page 4
  9. ↑ Lancashire Record Office Reports Volume 1: 1951–60, page 273
  10. ↑ Lancashire Record Office Reports Volume 2: 1960–66, 1962, page 3
  11. ↑ Lancashire Record Office Reports Volume 2: 1960–66, 1963, page 3
  12. ↑ 17 October 1966, Minute Book of the Records Sub-Committee, in the Lancashire Archives, CC/FVM/1
  13. ↑ Lancashire Record Office Reports 1967–1975, 1975, p.3
  14. ↑ Lancashire Record Office Reports 1976-1980, 1976, p.3
  15. ↑ http://www.flarchives.co.uk/about-us.html
  16. ↑ Documents from the organisation of the 50th Anniversary of the Archives, in the Lancashire Archives, LCC/1043
  17. ↑ Newspaper cuttings of various dates, in the Lancashire Archives, LCC 887

External links

Coordinates: 53°45′30″N 2°42′41″W / 53.7584°N 2.7113°W / 53.7584; -2.7113

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