Heritage & Culture

Inside Peterborough Archives

What goes on inside Peterborough Archives Service – and why do we even have one? Vivacity’s Archives Manager Stacey Kennedy tells us why archives are so important and her invaluable role in documenting Peterborough’s history

A lot of readers may not have even realised there is a Peterborough Archives Service. What’s it all about?
Peterborough only became a local authority in 1998, which makes us the youngest local authority archive in the country. Essentially, Vivacity is the custodian for the archives of Peterborough. Some of what we do may sound fairly dry, for example, the City Council is obliged to keep records such as council minutes. But we’re so much more than that. It’s my job to select, preserve and make available archives related to Peterborough’s history. The way I often describe it is that an archivist is to documents as a museum curator is to objects. I collect unique source material; our oldest document goes back to 1245. Peterborough Archives Service stores the documentary heritage of the city.

1245? That’s very old! Do you have any other prized pieces that are really special?
Some of our oldest items are charters from the 1200s and 1300s. These are on parchment– preparedanimal skin – and are legal documents in Latin that have been translated and transcribed. They usually deal with simple matters such as passing land from one person to another, rental agreements, that kind of thing. So in terms of old and rare, that’s very special. The Archives Service also holds part of the John Clare Archive. We have a very good selection of his unpublished manuscripts, and then we have the more modern records. One archive people may not think is historically significant due to its recent age – but to me it is – includes the documents from the Peterborough Development Corporation Archive. The Development Corporation was only began operating 50 years ago, but it’s such an important period of Peterborough’s history that has helped to shape the way the city is today. We’re so lucky to have such a vast archive detailing that time.

Is a lot of your job identifying the things that may be of interest in the future?
That’s right. It’s my job to look at the shape of Peterborough today, because I need to be sure that what I’m collecting is going to reflect Peterborough’s history in, say, 100 years’ time. One of my biggest challenges at the moment is to ensure our archive reflects the diversity of Peterborough. Due to the nature of past societies (and therefore their records), archives don’t always reflect minority groups- which is something we need to change. Women have typically been underrepresented in archives because until fairly recently they had fewer rights.

I guess archives mostly reflect the rich until recently?
Or you’re very poor or badly behaved! Police and Poor Law records give a good account for different sections of society.We hold police records which include photographs of offenders over a hundred years ago! It can be a challenge for people doing family history, because most people will have ancestors from average working class stock.

Delving into the past everyday must be fascinating. How did you become an archivist?
It was while studying for my degree in history that I realised I wanted to work in the heritage sector. So then I qualified to be an archivist. I was very lucky to find this role. My husband works in the area for the RAF and the ideal position came up with Vivacity at the ideal time.

You mentioned that a big part of your role is making the archives available to the public. How do you do that?
Our archives serviice is also a public serviice.We sit wi ithin the library but are quite different to how a library works. Because we’re handling unique source material we have to be quite careful. People can come in and speak to someone on the desk to request the material they are after.We will then bring it out to you.We’re also there to answer any questions you might have, or to help wi ith research enquiries – and it’s a free serviice. People from around the country also use our Peterborough Archives Serviice remotely, usually for family history research, though this is a chargeable serviice.

Family history is a big area of interest isn’t it?
Yes. And archives are pretty entwined with family history. We run a couple of family history courses to help with this demand. At the moment it’s a basic course but we’re looking to run more advanced courses later on this year. I can also teach palaeography, which is the study of old handwriting – you’d need to have that skill to read the old charters I was talking about. I also organise a talks programme and this year we’ve got five talks coming up.

Do you enjoy your job?
Yes, absolutely! It’s a very satisfying job because it’s essential to preserve these records and make them available for as many people as possible. This is Peterborough’s history after all. There’s also an element of accountability because archives are evidence. We have court and coroners records, and from a legal perspective it’s paramount these are available when needed. We can sometimes be niched into family history, but as you can hopefully appreciate our archives service is so much more than that. We’re preserving Peterborough’s history and helping to build the evidence for tomorrow’s historians.

LIVING MEMORIES
Archives often sound like old dusty places but in Peterborough they are housed within the modern library, in a fascinating room you can visit to consult local information. When I first came to Peterborough I walked in and asked where the local stories were. Someone took me in and pointed to 400 cardboard boxes: ‘They’re in there, but we’ve no idea what’s in what box.’ The archivist at the time then explained they had a project in mind to catalogue them – if they could engage the public. We suggested a play! The great thing about the project was that it wasn’t about dead people. It was about your mum and dad, and their mum and dad, and why they all ended up on this corner of The Fens. That’s the great thing about archives – they are so full of potential. But we have to keep feeding them and making sure the interesting stuff goes in, otherwise future generations won’t realise we’ve been here and may think everything was only ever about politicians and celebrities!
Ivan Cutting, Founder, Eastern Angles theatre company

Image: www.freepik.com/free-photo/stack-of-old-books-in-library_1465207

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