Sketch of the manor of Ashburton, Devon, 1605
General conditions
General conditions
The National Archives Catalogue provides access to information about the records. There are also many images of documents and parts of documents available on the existing National Archives website which includes DocumentsOnline.
Applications for a loan must be received not less than six months prior to the opening date of the exhibition. This is to allow sufficient time for the necessary condition checks, paperwork, conservation, photography and mounting to be carried out.
Applications will normally be acknowledged within three weeks.
The normal loan period is three months.
The suitability of a loan will normally be assessed against British Standards 5454 'Recommendations for the Storage and Display of Archival Material 2000'. In cases where a document is unable to be lent, due to its condition, size, format, original photographic material etc., a good quality facsimile will be suggested as an alternative.
The documents will be accompanied to and from the exhibition by a senior member of The National Archives staff who is given absolute discretion to withdraw the documents on loan if dissatisfied with the conditions at the designated venue.
The borrower will be responsible for expenses incurred by The National Archives in making a loan. These will include the following:
- Standard charges for conservation treatment (if required), mounting and packing exhibition items as set out in the current Lord Chancellor's Statutory Instrument
- The cost of security negatives, microfilm, photographic or facsimile copies and insurance where required
- Travel and accommodation. For security purposes air travel will be at business class rates. Subsistence expenses should not be paid to The National Archives officer accompanying the items as these expenses will be included when the invoice is raised.
An estimate of costs will be provided, along with the acknowledgement, within three weeks of receiving the loan request.
Documents are lent for the purpose of public exhibition only and may not be made available for study or other purposes outside their showcases without the written consent of the Keeper of The National Archives. After they have been mounted in the showcase for exhibition they must be left undisturbed, except in the case of any emergency, until the exhibition is dismantled.
Documents are lent to a single institution. No application for a travelling exhibition will be accepted.
No mark in pencil, ink, paint or any other material may be made on any document lent, nor may any such existing mark be obliterated. No adhesives of any kind my be applied to the documents. All materials used within the cases, with which the documents may come in contact, must be acid-free.
Any caption or credit used for display purposes, and any description given in a catalogue, must state that the document is on loan from The National Archives, UK and The National Archives reference.
One copy of the exhibition catalogue must be sent to The National Archives free of charge.
Irrespective of the terms of the loan, the borrowing authority shall return any or all of the exhibits at the written request of the Keeper of Public Records.
The Keeper of Public Records reserves the right, at any time, not to proceed with a loan.
