Borthwick Newsletter - September 2026

Posted on 1 September 2026

Welcome to the Borthwick's September newsletter!

September in the Archives - delve into our catalogues with this month’s featured description.

Diary of a holiday to Edwinstowe by Jean Rowntree, with postcards and local pamphlets inserted, September 1917. [Lawrence Rowntree Archive, LROW/15/5]

What's New?

We are excited to announce that we have received an Archives Revealed Cataloguing Grant to catalogue and make accessible the archive of anti-apartheid activist, Patrick Duncan (1918-1967).

Archives Revealed is the only grant programme in the United Kingdom dedicated to cataloguing and unlocking archival collections. The programme is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Pilgrim Trust, the Wolfson Foundation and The National Archives. Its goal is to ensure that significant archive collections, representing the lives and perspectives of people across the UK, are made accessible for public research and enjoyment.

The ‘People, Power, Planet: The Patrick Duncan Archive’ project will start in the new year. The two-year project aims to unlock what is a significant collection of papers, letters, and photographs documenting the life of Patrick Duncan, a pivotal figure in the struggle against apartheid. Spanning 1926 to 1967, the archive tracks Duncan’s transformation from a colonial official to a dedicated activist, journalist, and author who championed racial, democratic, and environmental equity.

By January 2029, the project will make this rich collection fully accessible for the first time through a detailed catalogue, improved descriptions, digitised items and a supporting microsite. These resources will support new research and engagement for schools, universities, and community or diasporic groups interested in human rights, Southern African history, journalism, and political and environmental activism. Find out more on our dedicated project page.

New Accessions

Since the last newsletter, we have accepted 10 accessions including additions to the archives of Barley Studio, Heslington and Barmby Moor parish records, and the University of York Archive.

Amongst the new papers are the fascinating archives of the Townswomen’s Guild (TG), which was formed in 1929 following the 1928 Equal Franchise Act, with the aim of educating women on a broad spectrum of civic affairs and citizenship. The TG was designed to complement the existing and successful Women’s Institute, and to appeal to women living in more urban areas. This rich archive includes minutes and annual reports, magazines and photograph albums alongside a number of artefacts.

We were also pleased to be gifted the papers of the Rydale Christian Council, one of the earliest "Churches Together" organisations in the country. It was founded in 1963 and ran until 2023, celebrating its 60th anniversary. The Council had members from the Roman Catholic, Quaker, Methodist and Anglican traditions and ran ecumenical events across the Rydale area, promoting fellowship and unity.

Finally, we were thrilled to accept the gift of the letters of Jean Rowntree into the archive. The correspondence between Jean and Brenda ‘Ben’ Sanderson spans the 1920s-1970s and we can’t wait to delve into the boxes to find out more - watch this space for future updates!

New Catalogues

Number of archival descriptions on Borthcat on 1st September 2026: 170,242

During August, we’ve added the catalogue to the parish records of Drax to Borthcat. A church has existed in Drax since the 11th century when it was recorded in Domesday, and the present parish church isn’t that much younger - dating as it does from the early 12th century. The parish registers themselves are a really interesting series as they not only include Dade entries but also a variety of notes covering everything from 18th century weather observations, memoranda on the school, and a list of burials in woollen.

A handwritten page from 1700s, describing a drought in Drax

The archive also contains other snippets of parish life, including the minutes and accounts for the Drax brass band, cuttings and photographs on church and village events, and programmes for the Drax Show in the early 1950s.

Elsewhere in the archives we also have the papers of the Drax Charity Trust and School (our Archive of the Month in September 2022!) and the Drax Pensions Charity too. You can explore the complete catalogues to these archives through Borthcat.

Borthwick Out and About

We were pleased to host the annual conference of the Society of Bookbinders in mid-August, offering an opportunity for delegates to visit the Borthwick for a behind the scenes tour with our conservators, and a chance to see a display of rare bindings alongside our existing exhibitions: 'Radical Print in the Long 18th Century' and 'Dante at the Borthwick'.

Acting Keeper of Archives Laura Yeoman spent a successful evening talking to Ryedale Family History Society about our probate collection and the benefits of increased access to our probate registers through Ancestry.

We were also delighted to be part of all the hard work carried out by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust volunteers into the development and launch of the Driving Nature’s Recovery - Then, Now and Always exhibition. The exhibition, partly sourced from the Trust's archive here at the Borthwick, was designed to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, and celebrates many of the amazing milestones in their history. Until 31st August, the exhibition will be on at Cliffe Castle Museum and after that will be moving to other sites across Yorkshire. Research Services Archivist Lydia Dean and YWT’s Interim Head of Supporter Engagement, Marie Fooks, also discussed the project and some of its findings at the YWT Staff and Volunteer Conference earlier in the summer.

We welcomed a new sculpture to campus and to the University's Art Collection - Michael Kenny’s ‘Original Sin’ has now been installed in its permanent home between Heslington Hall and Derwent College. You can find out more about the piece through the Art Collection Instagram!

Looking ahead to September, we are looking forward to hosting a group from the York Civic Trust who will be visiting us for a talk from Acting Keeper of Archives and Research Collections, Laura, as well as exploring a document display.

We’re definitely counting down to the beginning of the new academic year and welcoming new and returning students to the archives! We’ll be curating a display of our treasures in the Yorkshire Room for the next Undergraduate Open Days on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th September and hope to get to chat all things archives with all the students and families visiting campus.

Archive of the Month: Copies of Manor Court Rolls, 1645-1942

What is it? A selection of copies of manor court rolls, enclosures, and probate from Stillington, Strensall, Easingwold and Slingsby.

Where can I find it? The collection is listed on our online catalogue, Borthcat.

Why is it Archive of the Month?

Manorial records can provide researchers with a rich level of detail about ordinary people and are a valuable source of information on the social and economic issues they faced, including local agriculture, land tenure, and the enforcement of law and order. They can be a good place to check for wider contextual information if you know your ancestor lived in a particular area and want to find out more.

We hold a number of manorial records here at the Borthwick, so these records are in good company! You can browse some of them on Borthcat but it’s also worth dropping us a line if you’re looking for a specific manor so we can check our paper catalogues too. You can also make use of the Manorial Documents Register through The National Archives’ (TNA) website, This searches both manorial records held there as well as manorial records at over 2,000 other archive repositories.

A handwritten document

As well as a number of court rolls, this particular collection includes a copy of a will and an 18th century copy of a writ of exemption form tolls for ‘the men of the Manor of Easingwold and villages of Huby, Marton Thorp, Sutton, "Chelesten", Kirby, Thormanby, Sheriff Hutton and Scoreby’, issued on 28th April 1662. It also contains a number of 20th century notes and also copies of tithe and enclosure awards.

We'll be back in October with more news and events from the archives!