Papers of the Dukes of Newcastle
JISC (Non Formula Funding) award (1995-1999) to catalogue political papers in the archive of the Dukes of Newcastle
Heritage Lottery Fund award (2000-2004) to catalogue and conserve the estate papers in the archive of the Dukes of Newcastle
An extensive archive survives for the Dukes of Newcastle under Lyne and their Cavendish, Holles, Pelham and Clinton forebears. It is a complex collection, reflecting the development of the family and the careers of its individual members. An overview of the family history is available to introduce new users to the context in which the papers were created and retained over the centuries.
The principal part of this archive, known at the Newcastle of Clumber Collection (from the name of the former family seat at Clumber, Nottinghamshire), came to the University in 1955. Researchers generally relied on a catalogue created in the 1950s, and on further lists describing small additional groups of material which have been added in recent years. The latest major accession was a very substantial body of legal and financial papers, almost doubling the size of the collection.
The collection is a rich resource for historians, covering many periods and subjects. For 10 years from 1995 it was one of those receiving priority attention, resulting from a wish to make descriptions more detailed and useful, and the need to create catalogue records for newly acquired material.
In October 2005, the Newcastle of Clumber papers were Designated as an Outstanding Collection by the Museums, Libraries and Archive Council (MLA)
A very extensive programme of cataloguing and conservation work has been undertaken on the collection supported by two major funding awards.
Heritage Lottery Fund award (2000-2004)
This generous grant supported a project which ran for four years and which enabled the full cataloguing of the Newcastle Family and Estate Papers.
The papers form a complex accumulation of records, including material ranging from medieval deeds to 20th century property records. Title deeds and family settlements make up a significant part of the Collection, which also includes accounts, rentals, surveys, correspondence, maps and plans, manorial records, inventories and so on. The papers cover a wide geographical area, from the Nottinghamshire heartland to estates in Dorset, Kent, Lincolnshire, London, Surrey, Wiltshire and Yorkshire.
The papers have substantial historical interest, but were poorly served by their existing finding aids, which were only summary in nature – mostly completed to bundle level. Users could become discouraged by the sheer mass of material and the difficulty involved in identifying specific subjects, people or places. As a result, the Collection tended to be use only by professional or very experienced historians. In addition, there were several more recent accruals for which there were no publicly available catalogues, and which had to be sorted and processed before cataloguing work could be commenced.
Thanks to HLF support, the project fulfilled all of its aims in providing electronic access to catalogue records for the family and estates series in the Newcastle Collections. These are now available via the Manuscripts Online Catalogue. This involved:
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The creation of collection and series level records to provide ‘gateways’ to the networked catalogues, available from both the Manuscripts and Special Collections web site and from national networked resources
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The enhancement of existing bundle level catalogues to provide much more detailed descriptions, usually at item level
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The provision of multiple access points to descriptions via searchable subject, place and name indexes
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The arrangement and multi-level description of unlisted collections
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Provision of effective links between the estate papers and the personal and political series in the Newcastle Archive (previously catalogued courtesy of a JISC award - see below)
In addition, the HLF award also addressed the physical needs of the Collection, ensuring accessibility for use and long-term survival. This involved:
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A full physical survey of the condition of vulnerable parts of the Collection
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The repair and conservation of parchment and paper deeds (including seals) and of maps and other papers which were in a fragile condition
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A programme of cleaning and physical protective measures
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The preservation repackaging of more than 5,000 parchment and paper deeds
JISC (Non-Formula Funding) Award (1995-1999)
A complex four-year project to catalogue political papers in the archive of the Dukes of Newcastle, this enabled the creation of detailed online catalogue records, with indexes, to series of papers concerning members of the family who had held official or political office:
Next project: Papers of the Dukes of Portland