I'm back into the archives, scouting out more 18th-c engineers. Always lifts the spirits, except that year on year the public spending cuts are having a terrible impact on access to record offices. I've just discovered that the deeds registry at Wakefield has cut its hours yet again, now open only on Monday and Tuesday. What's more they will retrieve only 5 deeds per session booked. These new constrictions will be set in place until at least the new year. They apologise - and the staff shortage isn't their fault - but for people travelling any distance to carry out research, it is a massive inconvenience.