Parliament for the people: Private acts

Student placement project

Project supervisors

Graham Moore

Department

Collections Expertise and Engagement

Maximum number of student placements available on the project per academic year

Two

Level of study

Open to PhD and MA/MSc students

Deadline for Expressions of Interest from students

Applications for this placement have now closed

Specific knowledge and/or skills required for the placement

Palaeography (early modern/seventeenth century, English language). There will be opportunity to improve this over the placement, but a basic knowledge is advised.

Project description

Records relating to naturalisation, property, and divorces are among our most widely-used items. However, these processes were initially only available by a ‘Private Act’ of Parliament. These underused records offer new insights into early modern social history.

This is an exciting opportunity to promote access to these uniquely surviving documents, newly transferred to The National Archives.

Research questions include

• What information is typically contained, and how can we best describe the Acts?;
• Can automatic transcription software help us retrieve information?;
• How do the Acts sit in context with other legislation?

Activities include

• Transcription and description of Acts for the reign of James I, and trialling transcription software use;
• Assessing patterns in the Private Acts’ content and contributing to cross-departmental work on The National Archives' legislation records;
• Targeting engaging Acts (according to own interests), and publicly presenting findings.

Students will gain

• Transferrable skills in public history and exhibitions, displaying findings via ‘Stories Unboxed’;
• Experience writing for public audiences, co-producing a ‘Record Revealed’ piece;
• Training in archival skills and new digital technology;
• Engagement with major archival project.