Search Results

One of the documents which we have in our display cabinets in our strongrooms is a relatively recent addition to our collection. A couple of years ago we acquired a Commission of Array for the City of Worcester dated 14 September 1642, which was just as the first military actions of the Civil War were...

It is unusual to find information on a naval career in our archives. Here we discover something more about the life of Charles Dixon, whose naval career appears to have begun in the 1770s. The Foley Scrapbooks which are part of the Palfrey Collection have always been one of my favourite archives. And no matter...

The word wigs comes from “periwigs” which was the name of the particular long, curly wigs that became popular after Charles II was returned to the throne in 1660. They were used to simulate real hair and primarily used for adornment. However at the time, head lice were everywhere, and nitpicking was painful and time-consuming. Wigs stopped lice infesting...

Today we mark Explore Your Archive 2015 by looking at the extraordinary life of a man who worked for a short while as House Surgeon at Kidderminster Infirmary and went on to take part in one of the early Arctic Expeditions.  A chance discussion with a researcher in our Original Archive Area led to the...

We have started a new series on Tuesday highlighting the underrepresented parts of history and our collections – you can find them on social media by looking for #HiddenHeroes or #HiddenHistory.  These people or groups may be hard to find within the archives, or difficult to find in the archaeological record. It may be due...

Thanks to those of you who had a go at Almond Jumballs and sent in your photos. Rebecca’s are pictured below, which we were told were very almondy and tasty. Historical Shaped Biscuits Within the Slice of the Past recipe book, containing recipes taken from the archives, is one for Gingerbread. Gingerbread biscuits have been...

We are pleased to announce that our annual Archaeology Day will be on Saturday 17th November. We have an exciting programme of talks lined up from our staff about excavations and projects we’ve been running, and also by guests from other archaeological units and research groups who’ll share about their own work and discoveries in...

One of the great things about my job as an Archives Assistant is that I get to review a wide range of collections, whether it’s to assist researchers in the Searchroom, to undertake cataloguing and support digital preservation or deliver physical outreach and online campaigns such as Explore Your Archive. Recently I was given the...

More from the recently catalogued deposit highlights Havergal’s impressive body of work, despite a life cut short. If you missed Part One, find it here.  ‘Writing is praying with me: for I never seem to write even a verse by myself’, said Frances Ridley Havergal. This is perhaps unsurprising given the English religious poet and...

Feckenham Manorial Moated Site is a nationally significant scheduled monument. Despite this, it has been on an ‘at risk’ heritage register – until now, that is. Owned and managed by Redditch Borough Council, it is also a key green and recreational space within the heart of Feckenham village, and the focus of a community group’s...