Wenlock History Day will showcase town’s archives
Saturday 22 November 2014 sees an event taking place in Much Wenlock which celebrates an important body of local historical material being made available to the public.
Wenlock History Day is being presented by the Friends of Shropshire Archives in conjunction with Much Wenlock Town Council and the Heritage Lottery-funded “Volunteering for Shropshire’s Heritage” project, based within Shropshire Council’s archives and museums teams.
The event marks the completion of the conserving, digitising and cataloguing of thousands of documents, the earliest of which is a Royal Charter dating from 1468.
Volunteers have undertaken an enormous amount of detailed work on the collection. In many cases, individual documents, which include Bailiff’s Court papers, Coroner’s Inquests, Poor Law Settlements and Bastardy Examinations, had suffered from hundreds of years of inappropriate handling and storage, at least by modern standards. Within the conservation studio at Shropshire Archives in Shrewsbury efforts have been made to reverse previous damage, and action taken to better preserve this important archive for the future.
Michael Turner, manager of the Volunteering for Shropshire’s Heritage Project, said:
“After conservation, volunteers have digitised the collection, which will enable future researchers to see the original documents online. As the final stage in the process, using the extraordinary range of skills held by our volunteers, documents have then been meticulously transcribed so that they can be searched online, allowing access to documents that might otherwise be difficult to reach.”
The Wenlock History Day will focus on how the collection has come to be catalogued, some of the particularly interesting points involved in that process, along with opportunities for those attending to take a look at copies of documents and have a go at transcribing them ‘live’. Additionally, local historian Vivien Bellamy will give an illustrated talk on the history of Much Wenlock before leading an introduction and tour of the Guildhall in the town.
Tina Woodward, Shropshire Council deputy Cabinet member for visitor economy, said:
“I am delighted that this important archive is soon to be available online. With the huge interest that the public has in family history, house history and the history of its communities, having the Wenlock Borough Collection more readily accessible is a great addition for those with an interest in the history of Much Wenlock and the surrounding area. The Wenlock History Day will be a great way to launch this newly-available resource.”
The Wenlock History Day takes place on Saturday 22 November 2014 at The Priory Hall, The Bull Ring, Much Wenlock. The event starts at 10am and will conclude at approximately 1.30pm.
Tickets cost £5 (including refreshments) and can be booked by clicking here.
