Welcome
Welcome to the Spring 2025 edition of the East Riding Archives e-newsletter!
In this issue:
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News & Projects- East Riding Archives retain Accredited Status; A Week in Archives; Virtual Ecologies: Chalk and Clay; Celebrating Mary Wollstonecraft; Archives Tours.
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What's On?- VE Day 80: WW2 Archives Display; Bridlington Community Showcase.
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Collections spotlight- Margaret: the Woman Crusader from Beverley; 'The One that Went Astray' - Broadgates Asylum.
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From Conservation- Disappearing Ink!
- New Additions to the Catalogue
Best wishes from the East Riding Archives and Local Studies Team.
archives.service@eastriding.gov.uk / 01482 392792
News & Projects
East Riding Archives Retain Accredited Status
 The East Riding Archives and Local Studies service are delighted to have received the excellent news of being accredited for the second time!
This achievement means that we have demonstrated and successfully met all of the criteria of the Archives Service Accreditation standard in terms of professional collections care, access, preservation, outreach and future-proofing our service.
Our accreditation status is reassessed every six years by an extensive application and external validation visit.
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A Week in Archives
 Image: Blake experimenting with methods of repairing historical documents in the Conservation workshop.
In April, the East Riding Archives welcomed Blake Price for his week of work experience. This busy week involved cleaning and repairing documents, collections management, digital preservation, retrieving records from the strongrooms, and learning about all aspects of work in archives.
We asked Blake to share his thoughts about his time at the Archives:
"Throughout my work experience placement at the archives in Beverley I have learnt a wealth of knowledge about how the job works and the roles incorporated within the “archives” careers umbrella. It has greatly helped me to learn more about the way archives work day to day and the types of enquiries and tasks an archivist would undertake. It has greatly aided me in solidifying my future career options and ideas which I hope to pursue within an archive setting."
The Archives wish Blake the very best for his future career!
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Virtual Ecologies: Chalk and Clay
 Image above: Virtual Ecologies workshop in action (Courtesy of Virtual Ecologies)
In February, the Virtual Ecologies project team delivered a ‘Chalk and Clay’ workshop at the Champney Treasure House exploring the history of chalk in its relation to the unique geology of the East Riding.
The work explored chalk as an industrial material, its relationship to the clay and alluvium deposits of the coast, and how chalk itself could by used creatively to make new art works. Documents from the East Riding Archives collections, and artefacts from East Riding Museums, were used as inspiration for the art works.
Read more about the fascinating Virtual Ecologies project, and this workshop:
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Celebrating Mary Wollstonecraft
 Image: Beverley High School pupils during an Archives workshop (Photo used with permission of The Wollstonecraft Society)
150 Year 9 pupils at Beverley High School took part in an inspiring series of workshops as part of The Wollstonecraft Society's event "The Wollstonecraft Museum". These workshops celebrated the life and legacy of Mary Wollstonecraft through history, drama, craft and creative writing.
The East Riding Archives were fortunate to deliver workshops on Mary Wollstonecraft's Beverley and also the Suffrage Movement to encourage pupils to consider the impact Mary had on women's rights.
The Wollstonecraft Museum project is led by The Wollstonecraft Society in partnership with the East Riding Archives, Square Peg Hull, and the Hull Maritime Museum.
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Archives Tours
We have been very busy with behind-the-scenes Archives tours this last few weeks and recently welcomed the East Yorkshire Local History Society and also Military Assistance Social Hub (MASH) Beverley to have a look around our strongrooms and conservation workshop.
Each tour lasts up to two hours and you will learn about how we preserve and provide access to East Riding's documented heritage.
To enquire about booking a tour for your group, please enquire via archives.service@eastriding.gov.uk
 Image: Military Assistance Social Hub (MASH) Beverley in the Conservation workshop.
What's On?
VE Day 80: WW2 Archives Display
at Champney Treasure House, Thursday 8 May 2025, 10am-4pm
 Photo: Selection of WW2-related documents from the East Riding Archives' collections.
Join us to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day with a special one-day display of original archive documents from the East Riding Archives’ collections relating to the Second World War. There will also be an opportunity to 'Ask an Archivist' your WW2 research questions!
Free entry, drop-in. All welcome! Our display will be located on the first floor of the Champney Treasure House.
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Bridlington Community Showcase
at Bridlington CYP, Gypsey Road, Bridlington. Thursday 29 May 2025, 12-4pm
Drop in, free entry.
 Image: Copies of historical documents relating to Bridlington and district.
The Bridlington Community Showcase is a fantastic opportunity to connect with local organisations and residents, celebrate our vibrant community, and explore all that Bridlington has to offer.
The East Riding Archives will have a stand at this event highlighting treasures from Bridlington's documented history, and there will be opportunities to have a go at our Archiverse Minecraft activity and What Was Here? App.
This exciting free event is organised by the East Riding of Yorkshire Council's Active Communities team. All welcome!
Collections Spotlight
Interesting stories found in the archives from the Public Services and Collections teams.
Margaret: the Woman Crusader from Beverley
From the late eleventh century, Christians -with encouragement from the Pope- made various attempts to conquer the Holy Land from Muslim hands.
The Crusades were not just a male prerogative: women joined these pilgrimages too. Sadly, as women were rarely taught to write, we know very little about women’s experiences. But there is an exception. Of one twelfth-century lady, we know a fair amount, because her (much younger) brother wrote her account down. Unfortunately, the original manuscript is now lost, but we have transcriptions which preserve the story. And best of all, the lady in question was called Margaret of Beverley.
When her mother was pregnant with her, her parents went on pilgrimage to Jerusalem, where Margaret was born. After their journey back to England they settled in Beverley. Thomas, Margaret’s brother, was born there and educated at the school attached to Beverley Minster. Once they were adults, the siblings’ paths diverged: Thomas became an abbot in Froidmont, France, whereas Margaret went on crusade once more. She was in Jerusalem in 1187 when it was besieged by Saladin. She fought, was wounded, captured and enslaved, but eventually made her way back to western Europe. There, she managed to trace her brother, who preserved her story for posterity.
These engravings (see the images below) are from the early nineteenth century and depict the Old Grammar School in Beverley which had stood there for some 200 years. It was located on or near the site of a previous school where Margaret’s brother was educated.
 Image: Engraving showing a view of the old grammar school, Beverley, by Robert Branston and John Wright, undated (Archives reference: DDX2468/1)
 Image: Engraving showing a view of the old grammar school, Beverley, 1829 (Archives reference: PH/4/6 No.33)
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'The One that Went Astray' - Broadgates Asylum
The Archives Service can often take in an organisation’s records in their entirety, but occasionally papers or volumes can become separated, and things can go astray. This happened in the case of Broadgates Asylum’s first register when it became separated from the rest of the series of registers before it was deposited with the Archives Service. However, we are very pleased to announce that this previously missing volume has materialised and has now been gifted to East Riding Archives.
 Image: Extract from the register of patients at Broadgates, Walkington (Archives reference: DDX2527/1)
Historically the East Riding had an agreement with the North Riding to house its inmates at Clifton, but it eventually became necessary for the East Riding to have its own asylum, which led to the building of Broadgates at Walkington.
These asylums attempted to provide a different type of environment to that offered by workhouses or private homes, which were often the only place where mentally afflicted people would be housed. When it opened in 1871 patients were transferred from Clifton to Broadgates and the register reflects this in its earlier entries.
 Image: Extract from the register of patients at Broadgates, Walkington (Archives reference: DDX2527/1)
On its own the volume is historically important, but when viewed with the other registers at collection reference NH6, it stands as a testament to the gradual advances of mental health treatment in the East Riding. The descriptions of illnesses are rudimentary and generalised but nevertheless they attempt to provide a framework for a patient’s care and rehabilitation. For the first few pages the cause of the mental disorder was not initially entered, but within two months suggested reasons for the mental disturbance were given and its duration. These varied from physical reasons like childbirth, sunstroke and injury, to psychological stress such as drink, melancholy, grief, ‘religious matters’ or just ‘trouble’. In many cases it was entered as ‘unknown’. See also the column for ‘Date of Discharge, Removal or Death’ which notes the varied length of the patient’s stay.
This register is a valuable addition to the archives and we are extremely grateful to the individual concerned for their gift.
This register, 'East Riding Asylum register of admissions vol 1' 1871-1878, has been catalogued under the reference DDX2527/1 and is now available to researchers.
From Conservation
by Kat Saunt, Conservator
Disappearing Ink!
The document DDCC/134/70 came into the conservation workshop to be photographed. Upon unfolding and opening out, the 1820-21 indenture relating to the death of Francis Constable of Burton Constable revealed a very typical example of one of the problems we often see affecting parchment documents.
 Photo: The ink pops off the surface and collects as dust in the folds of the parchment.
Parchment (a term used interchangeably with vellum) is the limed, scraped and dried skin of a sheep or cow. It is a very durable material and if kept dry and safe in an environment free from fluctuating humidity it can survive well for centuries. However, in this case the ink has flaked off from the surface of the document.
 Photo: Using a soft brush to remove the ink dust.
The iron gall ink causes problems when used on paper but it’s ideal for parchment as it oxidises and chemically burns into the surface of the parchment over time, leaving an indelible mark. But this ink either wasn’t a particularly reactive blend or hadn’t had long enough on the parchment before it was caused to flake off so it hasn’t managed to leave behind the brown permanent tattoo beneath the ink itself. The parchment being more flexible than the dried ink has flexed when folded and unfolded and the ink has literally popped off.
 Photo: Under magnification.
Under magnification you can really see the fibres of the parchment surface and how the ink had burned into it, but not enough to leave a legible permanent mark. Some areas of ink are still clinging on but most of this letter is gone.
Unfortunately, once the ink falls off like this there’s no way to bring back the legibility of the text but careful handling and a stable environment will help prevent further losses. The ink dust itself is acidic and likely to catalyse reactions on any other documents they come into contact with (especially paper) so they were carefully swept away and the work surfaces were wiped to avoid cross contamination.
New Additions to the Catalogue
 Across the past six months our Archives Assistants have been busy cataloguing new acquisitions. Over 70 boxes of records have now been added to the Online Catalogue, including:
- DDWI Williamsons, solicitors, Driffield, records 1737-1974
- DDEY East Yorkshire Local History Society records additional 2007-2012
- DDX1782 East Yorkshire Federation of Women's Institutes records additional 1929-2020
- DDX2305 Spurn Point Bird Observatory records additional [1838]-2000s
- DDX2539 Market Place, Market Weighton, deeds 1788-1951
- DDX2540 Beverley and East Riding printed records, photographs and slides 1942-1985
- DDX2541 Mountain Grey Apiaries, Yorkshire, beekeeping records [1938]-1975
- DDX2542 Geoffrey Cracknell of Market Weighton, Anglican churches interiors photographs including Beverley Minster 1989-1993
- DDX2543 Beverley Friary Preservation Trust records [1908]-2023
- DDX2544 Antony Shingles, Nafferton, records relating to Free French RANA Regiment veterans visits with associated documents 1972-2020
- DDX2545 Bridlington local history records file 1871-[1965]
- DDX2546 Jean Mellonie (nee Farrow) and Victoria Revell (nee Mellonie), family and horse racing records nd. [early 1920s]-2004
- DDX2547 Richard Hodgson and Sons Board group photograph nd. [c.1940s]
- DDX2548 Hessle parish magazine 1910
- DDX2549 Edmond family photographs file nd. [20th century]
- DDX2550 Snelson family school books and folders 1976-1988
- DDX2551 Wray Educational Trust, Leven, records 1977-2024
- DDX2552 Beverley Minster choir stalls photographs file nd. [early 1900s]
- DDX2553 Pocklington School magazines and 'Cricket in Hornsea 1859-2006' book 1963-2021
- DDX2554 Shepherdson family scrapbook 1896-1929
- DDX2555 J W Jackson and Son of Thorpe Bassett, joiners, undertakers, wheelwrights and decorators business records 1881-1969
- DDX2556 Weather diary, South Cave 1994-2005
- DDX2557 Yorkshire River Authority map (River Derwent, Bubwith to Cottingwith) nd. [c.1960s]
- DDX2558 East Riding maps file (photocopies) nd. [c.1940s]
- DDX2559 Terence Cavender, Beverley, army and local community certificates 1981-2007
- DDX2560 45 Exeter Street, Cottingham, deeds 1924-2002
- DDX2561 David Southwell, Mayor of East Yorkshire Borough Council, official scrapbook and photograph albums 1987-1988
- DDX2562 Bridlington Borough Town's Gardeners wages account book 1908-1910
- DDX2563 Proposed Burtons supermarket, Goole, plans 1961
- PD5 Hull Deanery records 1998-2022
- PE47 Hull Wilmington cum Stoneferry St Saviour parish records additional 1963-1969
- PE107 Hull Church of the Ascension parish records additional 1973-2021
- PE120 Sutton on Hull St James parish records additional [1558]-2006
- PE187 Sutton on Hull Bransholme St John parish records additional 1972-1980
- PE202 Sutton on Hull St Mark Bellfield District parish records additional 1972-2002
- QSM East Riding Quarter Sessions Assize case files 1926-1965
Search our online catalogue to discover more about these records:
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