Northumberland Working Lives - March 23rd 2010
23 March 2010.
The already impressive collections held in the Northumberland Archives at Woodhorn will now be catalogued and digitised thanks to an award of £249,400 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) The collections of some of Northumberland’s large landed estates, currently housed at Woodhorn, contain hugely important documents about the industrial, commercial and rural history of Northumberland. These archives provide a fascinating insight into the lives of the people living in the area many years ago. Everything from maps, leases, accounts and letters are all safely kept at Woodhorn and are often used by members of the public.
Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in the North East, Ivor Crowther said, “The collection at Woodhorn contains 800 years worth of fascinating information about the people of Northumberland. Archives take a lot of looking after and need to be stored carefully to ensure their survival; this lottery funding will help protect the valuable collections for many years to come. So if you feel like researching your family tree or simply learning more about the history of Northumberland, Woodhorn is the place to go.”
Cataloguing and digitising the archives means easier access to the collections, and a permanent and safe way of storing them. The collected works are enormously significant on a regional level, marking many pivotal moments in Northumberland’s rich history. For example, papers relating to George and Matthew Culley, well known agriculturists from North Northumberland. Their ideas played a large part in the agricultural revolution of the eighteenth century.
This project will also provide extensive training for volunteers taking part including identifying, reading and cataloguing eighteenth – twentieth century documents, providing people with tangible skills to take away from their experience. The newly digitised archives will also provide a unique resource for visiting schools and youth groups. Special training, on how to use and make the most of the archives will be delivered to teachers and use in workshops.
Keith Merrin, Director at Woodhorn, said, "This project enables us to open up many incredible historical records that are currently not accessible to the public and use them both on site and in education and outreach work with communities across Northumberland. We know from our experience at Woodhorn that the rich history of Northumberland, through its archives, has the power to inspire and engage people of all ages and backgrounds.”
Two large scale exhibitions will be created so that the fascinating documents, letters and files can be shared with as many people as possible. It will be shown at the museum and then toured around a variety of regional venues.