Archive

22 August 2014 is the 529th anniversary of the Battle Bosworth, where Richard III was killed.  It is also two years on from the discovery in Leicester of the remains later identified as those of the king, so we have decided to explore our collections to see what they could tell us about Worcestershire’s experience...

Mythical creatures may not be the first things that come to mind when you think about historical archives or archaeology, but finding some in our collections was our challenge for this year’s Summer Reading Challenge – Mythical Maze. In the end it wasn’t too difficult, as well as the griffin on the medieval tile found...

This week’s Treasure has been chosen by Teresa Jones, Senior Archive Assistant, who has selected records providing an insight into crime and punishment in Worcester. Here, Teresa tells us more: If you are researching someone who was tried for a crime at Worcester you may find further information in the Calendar of Prisoners. Calendars of...

This week Bethany Hamblen, Archivist, shares a document encountered during the course of the Manorial Documents Register project she is currently working on. A seemingly ordinary court roll becomes a Treasure thanks to an unusual addition on the reverse. Here, Bethany tells us more: This fragment of a musical score was found on the dorse...

Can it really be 10 years since Who Do You Think You Are? hit the screens? Family history has been popular for many years, and TV has tried to use this to create a popular programme for a while, but previous efforts had failed. Partly it is because family history is usually very personal. We...

For this week’s Treasure Faye Sturgess, Archive Assistant, has chosen a plan of St Helen’s Church, Worcester dating from 1636 which was brought to our attention by a customer using our service. This item highlights how our users can bring collections to life for staff by giving us insights into their hidden gems. Here, Faye...

Maud, the eldest daughter of Charles Lyttelton 8th Viscount Cobham and her husband Hugh Wyndham were living in South Africa at the time of the outbreak of the First World War and remained based in South Africa for much of the duration of the War.  Maud was a keen letter writer, corresponding regularly with family...

Dragons, Wyverns, Unicorns and Mermen are some of the strange mythical creatures we have in our collections, on documents, inside books, and on tiles we’ve discovered. Salwarpe purse (13th/14th century) – featured in Worcestershire Treasures Mythical creatures are at the centre of this year’s Summer Reading Challenge in libraries, which is entitled Mythical maze. As part...

An exhibition from Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service is being held at The Hive to mark the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War. The exhibition begins on Monday 4 August to mark the 100th anniversary of the date Great Britain entered the war. The displays will include photographs and documents based on...

For this week’s Treasure Julia Pincott, Archive Assistant, has chosen one of our most popular resources used by customers in our Self Service Area at The Hive – our microfilmed newspaper archive. Here, Julia tells us more about a particular feature in Berrows, which focused on the effects of the First World War on the...