Archives Revealed programme awards 10 new cataloguing grants

Archives Revealed has awarded 10 new cataloguing grants, totalling nearly £350,000, to archives across the UK.

The funding programme is a collaboration between the Pilgrim Trust, the Wolfson Foundation, and The National Archives. It funds cataloguing to ensure that significant archive collections, representing the lives and perspectives of all people across the UK, are made accessible to the public for research and enjoyment.

The successful cataloguing grant applicants are:

• Cadbury Research Library, University of Birmingham – £35,000
• Dorset History Centre – £35,000
• Falmouth Exeter Plus – £35,000
• National Library of Scotland – £35,000
• Oxford University Museum of Natural History – £35,000
• University of Dundee Archive Service – £32,000
• Museum of the Order of St John – £35,000
• North Lanarkshire Council – £34,000
• Fuel Productions Ltd. – £20,000
• Amberside Trust – £35,000

Jeff James, Chief Executive and Keeper of The National Archives said: “With our partners the Pilgrim Trust and the Wolfson Foundation, we are thrilled to award Archives Revealed cataloguing grants to these 10 archives.

“We have no doubt that their projects will be huge successes and will open up incredible but previously inaccessible collections for the benefit of everyone.”

Paul Ramsbottom, Chief Executive of the Wolfson Foundation said: “We are pleased to continue our partnership with The National Archives and the Pilgrim Trust to catalogue significant collections from across the UK.

“These grants open up precious but hard to access collections, and the 10 archives supported this round are no exception.”

Sue Bowers, Chair of the Archives Revealed Panel and Director of the Pilgrim Trust said: “The Pilgrim Trust is delighted to see 10 cataloguing grants awarded to help unlock and make accessible these exciting and diverse collections about UK heritage.

“The quality of applications remains extremely high and the popularity of the Archives Revealed grant programme shows a real demand to ensure archive collections are available for all to enjoy.”

The archive services that have been funded this round will use their grants to catalogue an interesting and engaging variety of collections, covering subjects such as healthcare, natural science, politics, the arts, and notable historical figures.

The Dorset History Centre will use the grant to catalogue their UNESCO-inscribed Thomas Hardy collection, bequeathed to them by the author upon his death. Similarly, the Cadbury Research Library at the University of Birmingham plans to ‘Unlock the Avon Papers’, a collection made up of the personal and political papers of former British Prime Minister, Anthony Eden, creating opportunities for learning and engagement.

The Museum of the Order of St John seek to, for the first time, make the early archives of the St John’s Ambulance Service accessible and searchable; revealing almost 150 years of history.

Oxford University’s Museum of Natural History meanwhile will be looking to ‘Unearth the Buckland Archive’, unlocking the collection of pioneering 19^th-century geologist and theologian William and Mary Buckland (née Morland).

Paul Smith, director of Oxford Museum of Natural History, said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive this award from the Archives Revealed Cataloguing Grant fund.

“This funding will help us preserve and record Buckland’s archive so that his pioneering contributions to 19th century science can be accessed, enjoyed, and studied by all. We cannot wait to share this collection with the world.”

Fuel Theatre will use their grant to open their collection to the public, telling its stories of how UK artists come to realise their vision.

Also exploring their arts-based collection will be Amberside Trust, who seek to explore the representations of industrial change in the northeast of England.

The National Library of Scotland will co-curate catalogue descriptions of five archives created by women active in campaigning for peace, democracy, and against nuclear proliferation in Scotland. The project will be enlivened by inter-generational conversations between female activists.

The newly awarded grants bring the total number of cataloguing projects supported by Archives Revealed to over 50, many of which have already made enormous progress in opening up their collections.

Find out more about all the cataloguing projects funded by Archives Revealed