The theme for this year's International Archives Week is 'Archives Are You', providing an ideal opportunity to emphasize the importance of making sure our collections are more representative. Throughout history, women have made extraordinary contributions both here in Wales and across the World. But these contributions often went largely unrecorded, and the struggle for women … Continue reading Women’s History in the Archives
Memory Archive: Helping People Living with Dementia
In this blog, Reina van der Wiel (Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales) and Catalena Angele (People's Collection Wales) discuss how and why the Archif Cof | Memory Archive was established on the People's Collection Wales website and its importance of facilitating reminiscence work with people living with dementia. Cowbridge RHS dance ca … Continue reading Memory Archive: Helping People Living with Dementia
“Jubilee tweets” – A sideways look at commemorating the Platinum Jubilee
Earlier this year Conwy Archives Service were asked how we were going to contribute to our authority’s commemoration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Discussion among the archive team and wider group of colleagues in the Culture and Information section led us to the idea of creating a social media campaign in which we would post/tweet … Continue reading “Jubilee tweets” – A sideways look at commemorating the Platinum Jubilee
Repairing Medieval Mortgages at NEWA
In December 2021, I was fortunate enough to be able to spend a week at NEWA, Hawarden, learning how to do parchment repairs with Mark Allen, the Conservator, working on some Flintshire mortgages and quitclaims dating from the 1300s to 1600s. The first phase of the practical work was to clean the documents with a … Continue reading Repairing Medieval Mortgages at NEWA
ARCW Records at Risk Online Toolkit
A key element of our Records at Risk project has been to develop a framework to support archive services throughout Wales in surveying and rescuing the records of private organisations. We have developed a number of resources and guidance documentation that provides information on risk monitoring and conducting records surveys, with a focus on remotely … Continue reading ARCW Records at Risk Online Toolkit
Welsh National Dress: Women at Market during the 1880s
While sorting through an old collection of glass slides I came across a set of four showing women in traditional Welsh dress. The glass slides form part of the WC Rogers Collection (D/D WCR) held at West Glamorgan Archive Service. The slides measure 12x16.4cm but each slide contains between 14 and 15 images. On further … Continue reading Welsh National Dress: Women at Market during the 1880s
Good Wishes: Valentine’s Card, 1875
You might have missed Santes Dwynwen day, but it’s still not too late to express your love by sending a romantic card on Valentine's Day. Archives and Special Collections, Bangor University, have this example of a Valentine Card from the 19th century which can be found amongst the Wynn Hall Manuscripts. Paper Valentines became popular … Continue reading Good Wishes: Valentine’s Card, 1875
Conserving the 18th Century Plymouth Estate Maps
I am a masters student of Conservation Practice at Cardiff University, and over the last few months I have been volunteering at Glamorgan Archives, assisting with the conservation of the Plymouth Estate maps. These are a collection of maps and surveys from 1766 covering much of the historic county of Glamorgan. They provide an important … Continue reading Conserving the 18th Century Plymouth Estate Maps
Witness testimonies from the 1839 Newport Rising uncovered as part of Explore Your Archive week
Crucial transcripts of the witness testimonies from the Chartist Trials, which reported on the 1839 Newport Rising, the last large-scale armed protest in Great Britain, have been shared by Archives Wales as part of Explore Your Archive week (Saturday 20th – Sunday 28th November 2021) Held online at the People’s Collection Wales for anyone to … Continue reading Witness testimonies from the 1839 Newport Rising uncovered as part of Explore Your Archive week
From claims of Welsh descendants of Queen Elizabeth I, to evidence of an octopus in the Bristol Channel: hidden history uncovered for Explore Your Archive week
A wealth of historic documents, each with unique stories from the past, are being shared ahead of Explore Your Archives Week (Saturday 20th – Sunday 28th November 2021).Items highlighted as part of the week include a 12-metre-long family tree from the 1500s claiming that a Welshman is descended from the Virgin Queen, Queen Elizabeth I; an … Continue reading From claims of Welsh descendants of Queen Elizabeth I, to evidence of an octopus in the Bristol Channel: hidden history uncovered for Explore Your Archive week