If we look closely, archival documents can tell us so much more than that which is written in their pages. Even the most unassuming volume, such as these accounts of the church wardens and constables of Beeby, can tell us a great deal about how the volume was used, some of the personality of its users, and how materials were sourced.
The volume was started in 1646 and was in use for nearly one hundred years. The accounts reveal many aspects of everyday life. In January 1737 the churchwardens paid 2s. to the mole catcher and in April the constable paid 1s 6d for the stocks to be mended. Although a working document, the volume also contains some rather fabulous (and slightly alarming) drawings!
The text can tell us about the activities of the churchwardens and constables, and that they were occasionally either bored or had some very naughty/creative children, but the binding can also speak to us. The hand-made paper has been sewn onto leather thong supports, which have been laced into the vellum binding. As the pages were used up, rather than start a new volume, additional sheets of paper were sewn onto the back of the book, directly onto the vellum cover. Was this to save money? Or because they found it easier to have access to all their accounts in one volume?
Unfortunately the volume was also stored at some point in unfavourable conditions. The top edge had extensive mould damage, fusing the paper and making it impossible to access without causing further damage and loss. To repair the paper it was necessary to disbind the volume. When conservators do this it is important to record the sewing pattern so that we can re-sew the book in an identical fashion. From the pattern it is possible to see that the original pages of the volume lasted until 1693 – this section is in blue. After this date the additional sheets were sewn directly onto the vellum cover, but you can see how the addition was sporadic rather than in standardised sections, and that multiple pages have been cut out. Much of the new paper was larger than the cover and extends out of the bottom of the volume, and as the back cover got gradually smaller, there was little protecting these pages from wear and tear. During this period in history paper was predominantly imported from mills on the continent, so does this mean they could not be choosy about the size of the sheets they added to the volume, and weren’t concerned about trimming them?
Once the volume was disbound, it required careful cleaning within the fume cupboard to remove the mould hyphae that was present throughout the pages. Whilst some discolouration remains, cleaning did reveal previously hidden text. The paper was repaired using a non-aqueous treatment, applying Japanese tissue with the use of a suction table, which holds the fragile paper in place whilst the repair is underway. Due to the damage that occurred to the original cover, and that it could not provide the repaired text-block with enough protection, the decision was taken to create a new limp vellum binding of a similar construction to the original.
The original cover was given minimal repairs to support areas of damage. You can see more clearly here the original laced-in sewing supports and how the back was also used to scribble calculations.
An archival document is a fascinating thing, not just because of the information written within but because the materials and method of its construction can suggest much about the people who made and used it and the period of history in which they lived.
I would love to see this work of art!
Will it be on display?
Mrs Sue Sanderson
Hi Sue, thank-you for your interest. The document mentioned in this blog was actually one which was conserved for an external client unfortunately, so is not likely to be on display. Do stay tuned for other blogs from our Conservator though as we will be looking at material we do hold in our collections in the future!
Great story – did you photograph the pages? Will they be available on Ancestry?
I would love to compare the entries with our parish of Milton Abbas Churchwarden’s Accounts which run from 1638 to 1963. There are some questions to research, such as were the amounts paid for vermin the same?
And where is “Beeby”? Or is this a code to keep the owner’s anonymity?
Many thanks.
Hi Bryan, unfortunately we did not photograph the pages. As the work was done for an external client we cannot add them to Ancestry. The book is owned by the Earl of Shaftesbury, and therefore we cannot provide any access to it unfortunately, however, we can say that Beeby isn’t a codename, but is a place in Leicestershire.
Finally found that Beeby was a place in Leicestershire. It would have been helpful if this had been mentioned at the start
Hi Selwyn – sorry about this oversight on our part.