Celebrating our collections dating from 780AD to the present day
Chosen by Richard Plowman and Barry Aldridge on behalf of The Murray Club Lord Nelson sent a letter to the then Captain George Murray on 13 April 1803 telling him he was ‘fixed as fate’ his first Captain, with the original intention that Murray should be Captain of the Victory. In the event Murray…
Continue reading ➞ Letter from Nelson to Murray, 1803 (AM 760/1/134/3)
Richard Howell of West Sussex Archives Society (WSAS) I love old maps. I love poring over them and imagining a landscape that has probably long since been changed beyond recognition, yet at the same time being able to pick out features which still exist. They provide a juxtaposition of past and present,…
Chosen by Gillian Edom, former member of staff When I was searching for material about the history of Tangmere parish for the Joining up our Heritage project I came across a brief entry in the WSRO catalogue. All it said was Memorandum Book of…
Continue reading ➞ Memorandum book of Thomas Osborn of Tangmere, 1797-1807 (Add Mss 48413)
Chosen by Richard Childs, former member of staff My favourite document is the map of the Manors of East Dean, Graffham and East Lavington, 1597 (Add Mss 48838). My reason for choosing it is not simply because it is the oldest manuscript estate map in the Record Office, nor that being drawn on paper, it…
Continue reading ➞ Map of the Manors of East Dean, Graffham and East Lavington, 1597 (Add Mss 48838)
Chosen by Janet Pennington, researcher Red herrings can be the bane of research and in the mid-1980s, searching for something else in the Wiston Archives Catalogue (1975), I glimpsed a reference to a late 17th century booklet of clinical prescriptions and receipts [recipes], author unknown. Many hundreds of Wiston documents have passed under my scrutiny…
Continue reading ➞ Booklet of clinical prescriptions, late 17th century (Wiston Ms 5423)
Chosen by Brian Short, President of the Sussex Record Society, text by Ruth Brown The Sussex Record Society decided that the school log book of Thomas Slatford was so good it should be published, and so proceeded to do so this year! All headteachers of Victorian elementary schools were required to keep…
Continue reading ➞ Littlehampton school logbook, 1889-1910 (E125/12/2)
Chosen by Alan Readman, former member of staff West Sussex Record Office has been the repository and conservation centre of Screen Archive South East since the inception of the regional film archive in 1992. Moving images offer a unique and evocative portrait of life in the 20th century and this documentary reflects many of the…
Continue reading ➞ An English Village. A view of South Harting in 1956 (Video 259; PH 22367)
Chosen by John Godfrey, researcher In light of Her Majesty The Queen’s 90th birthday this year, a Loyal Address was delivered by the Lord Lieutenant on behalf of the people of West Sussex. Celebrating the many occasions The Queen has visited the county, the book highlights her connection to West Sussex through the decades of…
Continue reading ➞ The Queen visits Chichester, West Sussex Gazette, 3/4/1986
Chosen by Emma O'Driscoll, House Steward, and Sarah Hughes, Research Assistant, West Dean College This vellum-bound manorial ledger is one of the earliest documents concerning West Dean House and Estate, and reflects the socio-political climate of 350 years ago. The left-hand page, written at the time of Oliver Cromwell’s death in 1658, is in English.…
Continue reading ➞ Manorial ledger, 1652-1726 and 1800-1820 (Acc 18218)
Chosen by David Barling, Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services, West Sussex County Council This fascinating minute book records the concerns and activities of local residents at a period that includes the First World War and its aftermath. It shows how the Parish Council dealt with a wide variety of issues and it is remarkable…
Continue reading ➞ Steyning Parish Council minute book, 1908-1927 (Par 183/49/1)
West Sussex Record Office 