#ArchiveOfTheWeek

Derbyshire Record Office

@derbyshiredro.bsky.social

1 day ago

Calligraphic ink handwriting reading 'The Art of Writing in all the hands with variety of ornament. Arithmetick, Here Life and Ornament Togther Start And Nature Smiles in FLOURISHES of Aart Loos as ye CURLIN Tendrils of the Vines All Fancys Wanton Play yet all Corect DESIGN. Benjamin Wilson, Leeds, July ye 8th day Anno Dom. 1736', with eight ink drawn animals around the sides: squirrel, owl, dog, monkey, snail, butterfly, bird and dragon, and another bird above the name Benjamin Wilson.

Close-up of the drawing of the dragon.

Close-up of the drawing of the owl.

Our #ArchiveOfTheWeek are the papers of John and James Taylor, publishers and bankers who were based in London and Bakewell. Amongst them is this spectacular manuscript page by Benjamin Wilson FRS (1721-1788), featuring intricate drawings of animals.

#ArchiveAnimals #Archive30

Derbyshire Record Office

@derbyshiredro.bsky.social

1 week ago

Four people are stood in front of a wooden background, with John Craven (2nd from the left) presenting a certificate of commendation to three members of staff from Castleton Church of England Primary School.

Our #ArchiveOfTheWeek is a photo of Castleton CofE School staff receiving an award for developing a wildlife area in the grounds of the local Youth Hostel in 1993. It is being handed to them by the legendary John Craven, journalist and President of Young People's Trust for the Environment.

#1990s

Derbyshire Record Office

@derbyshiredro.bsky.social

2 weeks ago

Sepia toned photograph dated c1900. Shows a women know as ‘Old Alice’ sitting with her back to the camera on the right of the image. She wears a dark heavy coat and a straw boater style hat. She sits on a wooden box. To the left of her stacked up again a stone wall are bundles of fabrics on a makeshift bed. Other wooden boxes are stacked up against the wall. Alice lived outside with these items for shelter.

Our #ArchiveOfTheWeek is this photo of ‘Old Alice’ of Little Eaton c.1900. She lived nearly 20 years outdoors with only a wooden bacon box for shelter before entering Shardlow Workhouse, where she died in 1927. A powerful reminder of the strength found in even the toughest lives. #WomensHistoryMonth

Derbyshire Record Office

@derbyshiredro.bsky.social

3 weeks ago

Printed double page of adverts, dating from the 1940s. Each advert consists of text only, giving the name of the business, the place it operates from and a brief description of what the business is. For instance: 'J.H. Nelson & Sons. Pork Butchers. Bakewell. Est. 1842. Deliver in Eyam & Grindleford Districts every Thursday. Tel 44.'

Printed double page of bus timetables, dating from the 1940s. On one side are timetables for route 84, Sheffield - Buxton and for route 40 Sheffield - Bakewell. The other page has timetables for buses run by Henry Hulley & Sons, as well as several adverts.

Printed page of adverts, dating from the 1960s. Each advert consists of text only, giving the name of the business, the place it operates from and a brief description of what the business is. For instance: 'Joyce Birks. Ladies' Hair Stylist. Registered. The Lydgate, Eyam. Telephone 615'

Parish magazines are goldmines for local history—not just the articles, but the adverts too. Our #ArchiveOfTheWeek are Eyam parish magazines from the 1940s–60s, revealing long‑gone village businesses and even bus routes and travel habits. Fascinating windows into everyday life!

Derbyshire Record Office

@derbyshiredro.bsky.social

4 weeks ago

A printed advertisement for telephones sold by John Davis and Son circa 1883. An engraved illustration shows a wall-mounted circular telephone with a pocket watch dangling in front of it and reads 'The Mechanical Telephone. The ticking of a watch can be heard most distinctly.'

#OnThisDay 150 years ago the first telephone call was made! Our #ArchiveOfTheWeek is this 1880s advert surviving in the Eckington parish collection. Did the vicar make calls with this Victorian 'hands free' phone, we wonder?

#Victorian

Derbyshire Record Office

@derbyshiredro.bsky.social

1 month ago

Handwritten recipe with title 'Oystar Pie'.

Handwritten recipe for Oystar Pie continued.

Typed transcript of the Oystar Pie recipe

To celebrate British Pie Week, our #ArchiveOfTheWeek is this recipe for oyster pie from about 300 years ago! Up to you whether to make it, or just enjoy the vocabulary, such as caudle and verjuice.

#BritishPieWeek #HistoricRecipe

Derbyshire Record Office

@derbyshiredro.bsky.social

1 month ago

A handwritten page in a notebook. It begins 'Friday May 29th 1840. Journey to London.' It then lists each stop on the journey and how many miles there was in between.

A double page from the same notebook continuing the details of the journey.

A modern document, showing a table which summarises the journey, giving place names and distances in miles.

Our #ArchiveOfTheWeek, this fascinating notebook, shows that if you were travelling from Chesterfield to London in 1840 you would have changed coach 17 times and have needed 65 horses in total! The 158 mile journey would have taken 7 hours and 45 minutes.
#EYAConnections

Derbyshire Record Office

@derbyshiredro.bsky.social

1 month ago

The cover of the fixture card has two lines of lattice work at the top and bottom, framing most of the text. This reads: Gresley Hockey Club Affiliated to the Derbyshire County Hockey Association Season 1938-9. It lists the President and Vice Presidents, the Honorary Secretary and the Honorary Assistant Secretary.

Our #ArchiveOfTheWeek is a Gresley Hockey Club fixture card for the 1938/9 season, part of the Sharpe Bros & Co Ltd, Swadlincote collection. It remains a mystery how this came to be grouped with the papers of sanitary earthenware manufacturers…

#1930s #hockey

Derbyshire Record Office

@derbyshiredro.bsky.social

1 month ago

Page of a volume showing a handwritten family tree. At the top of the page written in red capital letters is the family name of Gell. The rest of the page is covered in writing with lines linking family members. Next to some names are the relevant family coat of arms in the shape of shields with various colourful decorations, including stripes, rosettes and swords and crowns.

Lineage, inheritance, or simply knowing who was who—pedigrees were once essential. Our #ArchiveOfTheWeek, this 1830 volume tracing the Gell family of Hopton Hall (and their connections) is packed with beautifully illustrated coats of arms. A striking window into family history.
#EYAConnections

Derbyshire Record Office

@derbyshiredro.bsky.social

2 months ago

Our #ArchiveOfTheWeek is a Granada Television programme created to mark 300 years since the plague struck Eyam.
These clips offer a fascinating glimpse into village life — from atmospheric footage of Eyam itself to pageant rehearsals and interviews with villagers of all ages.
#LocalHistory

Derbyshire Record Office

@derbyshiredro.bsky.social

2 months ago

Three sketchbooks, open and showing black and white pen and ink landscape drawings of a winter tree in front of a barn, a house seen from across a wall, and a gate into a yard with buildings behind.

Our #ArchiveOfTheWeek is D6995: Jack Bronson, artist and illustrator, who was born in Loscoe. Here are some of his landscape drawings, but the collection has a varied mix of nature, cartoons and DH Lawrence related images.

#art

Derbyshire Record Office

@derbyshiredro.bsky.social

2 months ago

Handwritten court deposition dated 10 May 1666 by Anne Blazdell of Ilkeston (carpenter’s wife) before Anchitell Grey (justice of the peace) admitting she stole cheese from William Hunte (mercer) and sold it to Mary Curtis (tailor’s wife) and Catherine Watts (husbandman’s wife) in exchange for drink. She told both purchasers where she had stolen it.

Typed transcript of the document, which begins 'The informat[i]on of Anne the wife of Francis Blazdell of Ilkeston in the said Countie carpinter taken upon oath before Anchitell Gray Esq one of his Maiesties Justices of the peace May the tenth day 1666.'

DO NOT celebrate #NationalCheeseLoversDay by stealing cheese. Our court records tell of cheese thefts in 1666, 1767 and 1818. In 1666 the guilty party was Anne Blazdell, wife of an Ilkeston carpenter, who stole a cheese and sold it in exchange for drink.
#ArchiveOfTheWeek #17thCentury

Derbyshire Record Office

@derbyshiredro.bsky.social

2 months ago

Double page spread of a book, the left page showing map "38" featuring the Clay Cross tunnel, and surrounding fields, some of which are coloured pink or blue. The right page is filled with text headed "Sir Henry Jno Jos'h Hunloke to Messrs Stephenson & Co."

Our #ArchiveOfTheWeek is a book that speaks volumes: mapping and describing some of the land owned by railway pioneer, George Stephenson, in #Derbyshire, making him a very wealthy man at his death in 1848.

#Railway200 #trains #Victorian

Derbyshire Record Office

@derbyshiredro.bsky.social

3 months ago

The cover of the programme, which reads: Derby School Dramatic Society / Scenes from The Comedy of A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare / given by the boys of the Junior and Preparatory School, in The Big School, on Monday, April the Third, 1933, Preceded by a short entertainment.

A cast list entitled Dramatis Personae, including Philostrate, Master of the revels to Theseus, played by F H Longbottom and Bottom, a weaver, played by T Lee.

A bit of cheer in the bleak Midwinter. Our #ArchiveOfTheWeek is a programme for A Midsummer Night's Dream, performed by Derby School's Dramatic Society in The Big School, 1933. For those who know the play, guess who FW Longbottom was playing?
That's right - Philostrate. Bottom was played by T Lee.

Derbyshire Record Office

@derbyshiredro.bsky.social

3 months ago

Bundle of printed poems printed on cream and pink card. They have titles such as “New Year Wishes”. The last verse of the poem entitled “A New Year’s Greeting” reads “Permit me then to wish for you; A glad and bright New Year; Laden with every needful gift, To comfort, bless and cheer.” Its signed “T.C, The Orchard, Belper, Dec 28th 1899”.

The poems of Thomas Crofts of Belper (1815-1904) are our #ArchiveOfTheWeek. Included are poems for Christmas and the New Year, beautifully printed on card, some in gold lettering. We like to think he gave them to friends and family with good wishes for the year ahead.

Derbyshire Record Office

@derbyshiredro.bsky.social

3 months ago

Open page of an orderly book which reads: "The men having made complaints that the small beer was bad, the Commanding Officer has been with the contractor who has promised that it shall in future be better. Whenever the soldiers have just grounds for complaint they may depend on being attended to, + having the cause removed, but they are on no account to make complaints of a trifling nature, as they will most certainly be punished for it."

Front cover of a small brown leather bound volume: the Orderly Book of the Derbyshire Regiment 2nd Battalion under Lieutenant Colonel Mundy, 1798.

Derbyshire Militia 2nd Battalion orderly books for 1798-1805 are our #ArchiveOfTheWeek. The battalion was commanded by the Mundys of Shipley Hall and the books record daily orders, comings and goings. Here the soldiers have complained about the quality of the beer!

Derbyshire Record Office

@derbyshiredro.bsky.social

3 months ago

Handwritten 1920s financial ledger, showing sums of money (£17 or £18) provided to suppliers including Mohawk Radio Company, Edison Swan Electric Company, Whiteley Boneham and Company and others

Our #ArchiveOfTheWeek is the Radio Scheme accounts of Derbyshire Association For the Blind, founded 1914, still going strong as Sight Support Derbyshire. The idea in 1927 was making the new world of wireless broadcasting accessible to people with visual impairments by providing radio sets.

Derbyshire Record Office

@derbyshiredro.bsky.social

4 months ago

Selection of watercolours by Philip Browne showing the parish churches of Dore, Blackwell, Tibshelf, Ault Hucknall, Cromford and Hartshorne about 1823, with a photograph of Kirk Langley about 1890s.

Amongst the archives of the Diocese of Derby is our #ArchiveOfTheWeek, three volumes of watercolours of the county's parish churches, created about 1823 by Philip Browne. Photographs of some churches were added between 1870 and 1900.

#EYAReligion/Spirituality #art

Derbyshire Record Office

@derbyshiredro.bsky.social

4 months ago

Typed page with the title 'The Industrial Archaeology of the Cromford and High Peak Railway'.

Two photographs of limestone blocks stuck to a black piece of paper. The south-facing brick depicts a replica of a waggon surrounded by the name Cromford & High Peak Railway and date 1825. The name of the contractor, P.H. & Co., in the four corners of the stone. The north-facing stone bears the name of the engineer Josias Jessop (d.1826), It also bears the coat of arms of the Cromford and High Peak Railway, together with it's motto 'Divina palladis arte.

A black piece of paper with three photographs stuck to it. The top one is captioned 'Milepost 22', the middle one 'Black Rocks' and the bottom one 'Wassen company's lead smelter'.

Our #ArchiveOfTheWeek is this impressive A-level project by Trevor Jordan from 1977. It contains many photos, including ones of two limestone blocks which were once set into the Newhaven Tunnel, as well as other industrial archaeology features of the Cromford and High Peak Railway.

Derbyshire Record Office

@derbyshiredro.bsky.social

4 months ago

Programme for a dinner to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the Derby Hebrew Congregation on 22nd June 1949. It is printed on cream card with gold lettering.

Our #ArchiveOfTheWeek are records of the Derby Hebrew Congregation, founded on 5 April 1899 and closed in 1986. In June 1949 the Congregation celebrated its Golden Jubilee which included a dinner at the Assembly Rooms at the Market Place in Derby.

#EYAReligion/Spirituality

Derbyshire Record Office

@derbyshiredro.bsky.social

5 months ago

It 's not quite winter yet, but the cold weather is heading our way. Our #ArchiveOfTheWeek is a recording of Brian Gill remembering being inspired to travel from Sheffield into the Hope Valley to walk during the famous heavy snow of 1947.

#1940s #weather

Derbyshire Record Office

@derbyshiredro.bsky.social

5 months ago

An open archive folder containing loose documents written in 18th century handwriting.

A statement by Dorothy Ford dated 21 November 1758 stating that: she had taken or stolen out of the Garden on Backside belonging to Anthony Clough in the Parish of Saint Werburgh in the said Borough one Quilted Petticoat, one white apron, one white Scotch Cloth Handkerchief, and one Black Shalloon Gown which she had hung in the said Garden on Backside to dry, and that she suspects the same to be stoln [sic] by some person or persons within the said Borough.

Take a peek into the #1700s with our #ArchiveOfTheWeek, Derby Borough Quarter Sessions. It dealt with all sorts: road repair, illegitimate children and all kinds of petty crime, like the theft of a quilted petticoat, apron and fine woollen gown from a garden in Nov 1758.

Derbyshire Record Office

@derbyshiredro.bsky.social

5 months ago

From Allestree to Enugu with Amity A great facet of #BlackHistoryMonth is its embrace of international and local themes. It helps us perceive those invisible dotted lines connecting people to places: places left behind, returned to,…

In #BlackHistoryMonth our #ArchiveOfTheWeek are records of the Derby Branch of the International Friendship League. Read more about their bid to "break down mythical barriers" one friendship at a time in our latest blog post: recordoffice.wordpress.com/2025/10/17/f...

Derbyshire Record Office

@derbyshiredro.bsky.social

5 months ago

A sheet of paper, beautifully caligraphed, stating 'The Art of Writing in all the hands with variety of ornament… Benjamin Wilson, Leeds July ye 8th day Anno Domini 1736'. Around the text are drawings of animals including a squirrel, monkey, dog, snail, butterfly, birds and a dragon.

Our #ArchiveOfTheWeek is this example of gorgeous calligraphy. Benjamin Wilson was only 15 when he made this in 1736 and was largely self-taught. He later moved to London and became a painter, theatre manager and scientist!

#calligraphy #18thCentury

Derbyshire Record Office

@derbyshiredro.bsky.social

6 months ago

Page from Herbert Turner's diary, headed "List of Tools etc."

Extract from Herbert Turner's diary "Tuesday January 18th… Charley and Thomas began at quarter time. I went to a lottery, for Gold watch put up by George Bunting, it was held at the Crown Inn, Lordsmith St and won by a Mr Gillyalt at Brills' Ironmonger. Weather very mild the last two or three days, like spring."

Blacksmith Herbert Walter Turner, born 1856, was very active in his community in Brimington and Chesterfield until his death in 1919, as recorded in his detailed, thoughtful and quirky diaries. This gem of late Victorian #LocalHistory is our #ArchiveOfTheWeek.

Derbyshire Record Office

@derbyshiredro.bsky.social

6 months ago

The plan shows two images. The top image shows the extension on the left hand side, measuring 17.6 by 16 yards. The extension and the desks on the right hand side, are coloured in yellow. The second image is a sketch of the front of the school. The roof and three windows are coloured blue.

Our #ArchiveOfTheWeek is a plan of an extension to Wirksworth Infant National School. Erected in 1851, fees were £4 pa for the upper room, £2 for the lower. Free places limited to 12, but trustees could admit more giving due regard to the character of the school.

#EYAEducation #LocalHistory

Derbyshire Record Office

@derbyshiredro.bsky.social

6 months ago

A handwritten will and separate inventory. The front page of the inventory lists everything in the 'House Place' (kitchen/living room) and includes chimney ornaments, 5 chairs, 2 deal tables and 1 mahogany table, a tea urn, arm chair, 2 decanters, chine and a lot of jugs and glasses.

A governess's life could end in poverty but not in the best households! Our #ArchiveOfTheWeek is the 1847 will of the Harpur Crewe's governess, Amelia Wheldon. She retired to a comfortable 3 bed cottage on the estate and gave lots of bequests to her friends and relations.

#EYAEducation

Derbyshire Record Office

@derbyshiredro.bsky.social

7 months ago

Printed sale catalogue, headed: "Messuages and land at Parwich, to be sold by auction by Mr Harlow at the house of Francis Roe, the Wheat Sheaf at Parwich in the county of Derby on Monday the 16th day of June next at 3 O'clock in the Afternoon.

Handwritten list of names headed "Sir Richard Levinge, Bart". On the right-hand page is a scribbled note from Th. & J. Goodwin of Ashbourne dated 31 May 1806, "Sir - Having the Estates described on first side to dispose of have sent you an advertisement. Please to communicate it to your Brother". Addressee not named.

Our #ArchiveOfTheWeek is D614, an 1806 Parwich sale catalogue. Sale catalogues are full of treats for the historian, with plenty of social, economic and topographical titbits. This one includes a list of freeholders and leaseholders.

#history #19thCentury

Derbyshire Record Office

@derbyshiredro.bsky.social

7 months ago

A pile of several copies of the Architects Christmas broadsheet, dating from 1969 and the 1970s.

A cartoon from one of the Architects Christmas broadsheets, entitled 'Low energy environment for low energy architects'. It shows a wind-, solar- and water-powered office, including 'rotting files methane for lighting' and a management meeting which sends hot air up to warm the architects' floor.

Our #ArchiveOfTheWeek are these 'Architects Christmas broadsheets', as produced by the staff of Derbyshire County Council's Architect's Department. They contain humorous articles, satire and cartoon illustrations, mainly about colleagues and their work environment.

#EYAHumour #history

Derbyshire Record Office

@derbyshiredro.bsky.social

7 months ago

Anne Banton sitting in a wood chair, wearing a black dress, shawl and bonnet, outside Calke Abbey. Her feet rest on a knitted cushion. There is a column of ivy behind her left shoulder. The cream surround to the photograph states that it was taken by J. W. Price of Derby.

Our #ArchiveOfTheWeek is a photo of Anne Banton of Ticknall on her 100th birthday in Aug 1890. Having worked as a dairy maid at Calke Abbey, she celebrated with her family and the Harpur Crewes. She was paraded in a carriage and ate a hearty meal with her descendants.

#Victorian #history