Ronald Butler

We have just received notice that Ron died on Thursday last week. Members will know him from his years as Editor of the YAJ, and also serving on the Council of the YAS.

Our sympathies go to his family, and surviving brother, Lawrence.

The funeral service will be held on Monday, January 30th at 1 p.m.
in the Church of Our Lady (R.C.), Gale Lane, Acomb, York;
followed by interment in Fulford Cemetery, York.
Family flowers only

21/01/12

 

Change to Opening Hours

In the new year there are going to be changes in our staffing arrangements. In view of this we are currently reassessing the opening times of the Library and Archives.

Tuesday and Wednesday are currently our afternoon and late evening days when we are open until 8pm, however, these evening sessions are largely unused.
The new opening times will be:

Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday 10.00am - 17.30pm
Friday 10.00am - 13.00pm
Saturday 9.30am - 17.00pm

These changes will take effect from 1st January 2012.
It is hoped that these new arrangements will be more convenient for members who wish to spend some time in the Library or Archives, but do not wish to be there late into the evening.

 

Pontefract Friary Excavations - Summer 2011

St RICHARD’S FRIARY - EXCAVATIONS 2011 -WHAT WE FOUND!

A PUBLIC MEETING TO REPORT ON THE RESULTS OF THIS IMPORTANT DIG WILL BE HELD ON FEBRUARY 21st 2012 AT 7-15pm, IN THE CENTRAL METHODIST CHURCH, NEWGATE, PONTEFRACT, WF8 1NB.

Excavation Director Simon Tomson, and others, will give illustrated lectures outlining the discoveries made during August and September 2011 beneath the old infirmary, Pontefract.
Admission is free, and there is plenty of parking on site.

 

Announcing the latest publication in the Wakefield Court Roll Series

The Wakefield Court Roll publishing section of the YAS has just published the fifteenth in its series of volumes of the court rolls of the manor of Wakefield. This volume, edited by Dr Constance Fraser, is an edition of the manorial court roll for the three years 1433 to 1436.

As recently as September the national importance of the records of the manor of Wakefield, now held by the YAS, was recognised by the UK committee of the Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation of the United Nations (UNESCO),
at a reception to celebrate the 2011 enrollments on the UNESCO UK Memory of the World Register.

The Wakefield manorial court rolls begin in 1275 and have survived almost complete for the six centuries from 1328 down to the last manorial court held in 1925. There are more than 670 court rolls in the archive and many other types of records.

Since a publishing committee for the Wakefield court rolls was established in 1977, its volumes have come to be recognised as a unique project in both its aim and scope.
Its intention is to publish court rolls from all centuries and to produce them translated from their original Latin into English and, usually, as a detailed summary of the contents, rather than a word-for-word transcript, with the many repetitions and redundancies of language this would entail.

There are now fifteen volumes in the series, publishing rolls from the fourteenth to the eighteenth century. If you would like to obtain a copy of the newly-published court roll or any of the earlier volumes still in print, you can find the details on the Wakefield Court Rolls page of the website.

 

 

Luddite Link

The Yorkshire Archaeological Society is proud to be a contributor to the Luddite Link partnership which provides a gateway to information and resources about the Luddite movement in West Yorkshire. Other partners include University of Huddersfield, Kirklees Museums & Libraries, West Yorkshire Archive Service, Sheffield Archives, Huddersfield Local Studies Library, Mikron Theatre Company, Lawrence Batley Theatre and the Colne Valley Museum.

Throughout the bicentenary year (2012) there will be commemorative events by the partners and a developing resource here about the Luddites and Luddism. See www.ludditelink.org.uk for more information.

The YAS has a number of books on the Luddites including:

Frank Peel, The Risings of the Luddites, Chartists and Plugdrawers (Brighouse, 1895)

D.F.E Sykes and G.H. Walker, Ben o' Bill's, the Luddite: a Yorkshire Tale (1898)

Proceedings under the Special Commission at York... 2nd to 12th January 1813, for the trial of offences connected with the late offences in the West Riding of [Yorkshire] (Leeds, 1913)

An historical account of the Luddites 1811,1812 and 1813, with report of their trials at York Castle from the 2nd to the 12th of January 1813, before ... the Special Commission (J Cowgill, Huddersfield, 1862)

A full reading list covering material held by all partners in the project is available here http://ludditelink.org.uk/reading.php

We also hold the original watercolours for George Walker's Costume of Yorkshire which depict industry in Yorkshire at the time the Luddites were active.

It is with sincere regret that we announce the death of Dr. Richard Hall on Tuesday 13th September 2011. Richard was President of the YAS from 2005-2010.

His death was sudden although he had been ill for some time. He will be sadly missed by his family and everyone who had met him.

Jo Heron

The funeral service was held on Monday 26 September in the choir of York Minster.

 

Memory of World Celebration

Representatives from the Yorkshire Archaeological Society were amongst guests at the House of Lords on Mon 5 September to celebrate this year's UNESCO Memory of the World UK Register inscriptions.

UNESCO's (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) UK Memory of the World Register aims to highlight documentary heritage which holds cultural significance specific to the UK. The UK Register helps raise awareness of some of the UK’s exceptional, but lesser-known documentary riches by awarding them with the globally-recognised Memory of the World status.

2011's twenty inscriptions include two collections from Yorkshire: the Wakefield Court Rolls (Yorkshire Archaeological Society) and Anne Lister's diaries (West Yorkshire Archive Service)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Teresa Nixon of West Yorkshire Archive Service with Dr Paul Harvey, Chairman of Wakefield Court Rolls Publishing Section and Dr Brian Barber, YAS Management Board. Photograph reproduced with the permission of Parliament.

 

 

Yorkshire Archaeological Journal 2011

The 2011 YAJ has now been sent out to members. If you are an individual member of the Society and have not recived your journal it is likely that your subscriptions are in arrears. From 2011 the YAJ will be sent out directly by Maney Publishing, however, all enquiries from Individual YAS members and Affiliated Societies (excluding Instutional members) should be directed to the Membership Secretary. Only Institutional members who have not received their YAJ should contact Maney direct. If you are not a member and would like to purchase a copy of the Journal please contact Sales at Claremont.

The contents of the 2011 journal include:

Some Recent Research at two Yorkshire Long Barrows: Denby House, Rudston & Esh's Barrow, Helperthorpe by Alex Gibson

J.M.N. Colls and the Baildon Moor Prehistoric Field Complex by Keith Boughey

Bronze Age Cremations, Iron Age and Roman Settlement and Early Medieval Inhumations at the Langeled Receiving Facilities, Easington, East Riding of Yorkshire by Jane Richardson

Results of an Archaeological Test Pit Excavation in the Refectory Building at Rievaulx Abbey by Jane Wheeler and Gerry McDonnell

The Augustinians and the Romanesque Font from Everingham, East Riding by Rita Wood

The Court Records of the Diocese of York 1300-1858: An Under-Used Resource by Philippa Hoskin, Simon Sandall and Emma Watson

William Wrightson, the Yorkshire Whigs and the Yorkshire 'Peterloo' Protest Meeting of 1819 by Brian Barber

'Blending Instruction with Amusement': The Huddersfield Philosophical Society Exhibition of 1840 by David Griffiths

An Eisteddfod for Yorkshire? Professor Moorman and the Uses of Dialect by William Marshall

Walter Bentley [obituary]
Peter B. Davidson [obituary]
Jean Le Patourel [obituary]

 

 

2011-12 Programme of Events

The YAS's 2011-12 programme of events is now available online. The programme includes all YAS events, YAS section events and those of our affiliated societies.

As well as the lecture programme there are two excursions planned for autumn 2011: Glasshouses: a Wesleyan model village & the Nidderdale Metcalfes (Tue 4th October) and Norton Conyers, architecture & landscape history (Sat 5th November) for more information please email Janet

All members will receive a printed copy of the programme and more information about up-coming events with their latest copy of Update in the post later this week.

 

 

Vernacular Buildings Reports

As many members may be aware copies of building reports made by the Yorkshire Vernacular Buildings Study Group are held in the YAS Archives. A full list is now available of all those reports held at the YAS on our website. To make an appointment to view a report or request a copy please contact the archives. Please note the building name, parish/township, building report number and archive reference number when enquiring about reports.

 

Art Researchers Guide

Yesterday saw the launch of ARLIS's Art Researchers Guide to Leeds to which the YAS is a contributor.

This handbook describes the major libraries and repositories in Leeds with art and design resources and directs researchers to the most appropriate libraries and archives to suit their research needs.

Whilst the Yorkshire Archaeological Society may not appear to be an obvious place for art researchers many of our collections are visual or relate to art, design, or architecture. Within the library is our print collection of Yorkshire people and places. Many books also relate to topography and buildings. Books on the ancient world, the middle ages and later periods of history contain illustrations of mosaics, pottery design, stained glass, monuments and churches. Some of our early printed books also feature impressive illustrations.

Our archives include estate and family collections containing illustrated manuscripts and travel journals, maps, plans, architectural details and photographs. Illuminated deeds, decorative seals and heraldic manuscripts are also to be found in our archive collections along with posters, scrapbooks, drawings, cartoons and printed ephemera. The original watercolours for Walker's Costume of Yorkshire published in 1814 are also one of our most notable holdings.

14/07/2011

 

Online archive guide

It is now possible to search the archive holdings on the YAS website.

The Guide provides an overview of the contents of the YAS’s collections. It currently covers all items deposited or gifted to the archives between 1867 and 2008.

The collection descriptions derive from the two published guides to YAS records; “Catalogue of Manuscript and Deeds in the Library of the Yorkshire Archaeological Society 1867-1931” by E.W. Crossley and “Guide to the Archive Collections of the Yorkshire Archaeological Society 1931- 1985” by Sylvia Thomas, plus details of new collections drawn up by previous and current archive staff.

Some collections are only one item, in other cases one collection may extend to many boxes. In this guide the contents of each collection is summarised; the degree of detail given in many cases depends on to what extent the collection has been catalogued. You will find more in-depth listings of some collections on Access to Archives or the West Yorkshire Archive Service's online catalogue, for other collections detailed lists are only available in paper form at Claremont.

Please contact the archives to find out if more information is available on particular collections. When enquiring about collections please quote the Collection Reference.

The archive guide

 

 

Unesco status for Wakefield court rolls

It was announced today that the Wakefield court rolls held in the YAS archives will be amongst the new additions to the UNESCO UK Memory of the World Register

The Wakefield court rolls record the business of Wakefield manor (one of the largest in England) from the 13th to the 20th century and offer a unique insight into the life of the manor's inhabitants. Covering not just Wakefield, but a huge area of the West Riding from Holmfirth to Halifax, Heptonstall, Dewsbury and Normanton (31 miles from east to west, 21 miles from north to south), these historical documents are probably the most complete set of surviving English court rolls.

The rolls are written in ink on parchment and after 1737 on paper, bound together at the top and originally rolled up (hence the name “court rolls”). Until 1733 the rolls are written in Latin (with the exception of the Commonwealth period), and thereafter are in English.

UNESCO's (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) UK MoW Register aims to highlight documentary heritage which holds cultural significance specific to the UK. The UK Register helps raise awareness of some of the UK’s exceptional, but lesser-known documentary riches by awarding them with the globally-recognised Memory of the World status.

The majority of the 670 court rolls were gifted to the Society by the the Lord of the Manor the Earl of Yarborough in the 1940s along with other historical documents relating to the manor. A few rolls which got detached from the main collection are held in other archives including the University of Leeds, Sheffield Archives, the British Library and The National Archives.

As the manorial administration was centred in Wakefield, the rolls were originally stored in the Wakefield Rolls Office, an eighteenth-century building (demolished in 1913). After 1913 the records were stored in the cellars of the offices of the manor steward, where the damp conditions led to considerable deterioration in the condition of the documents. A conservation appeal was launched by the YAS in the 1990s and many of the rolls were repaired thanks to grants and private individual and corporate donations. Today the rolls are housed in a secure and climate-controlled environment at the YAS's headquarters.

We are delighted at being awarded this prestigious status and hope that it will highlight the importance of our archive collections and encourage more people to use them.

 

 

 

Claremont windows repair

Claremont is well over 200 years old and it’s feeling its age! It has 17 Georgian and 15 Victorian windows (330 panes in total), all of which were in desperate needed of repair. As a grade II listed building this had to be done sensitively by specialist joiners.

If you have visited Claremont recently you will have seen that work is in progress and noticed the improvement that the renovation and repainting have made to the look and functionality of the windows.

The Claremont windows appeal was launched last year to raise money to finance this huge undertaking. Members have been generous in donating, however, we still need your help!

To donate to the Claremont Windows Appeal click here

 

Journal articles

For details of how to submit articles for consideration for the YAJ, please contact the YAS Secretary by email or post.