Civil Society- East Riding Archives

30 May 2025 30 May 2025

Bridlington and District Civic Society

May was busy for civil outings as we visited the East Riding Archives and Local Studies service not only once, but twice, at the newly-revamped Champney Treasure House in Beverley. The East Riding Archives are the county record office and care for nearly 1000 years of our recorded East Riding history, from medieval manuscripts to digital records of the 21st century. It is a treasure trove of information for those interested in local, property and family history.

Our civil outing was led by Hannah Stamp, Archivist (also a Bridlington & District Civic Society member) and Kat Saunt, Conservator, who shared stories from the collections and how the Archives work to preserve our history for the benefit of future generations.

Group 1 with Kat Saunt, Conservator at the East Riding Archives

The tour involved a look around the new research room where you can book an appointment to see original archives, use microfiche and microfilm readers, and the public access computers. Hannah advised us that there is a knowledgable team on hand to help with our research enquiries. The Archives service is fortunate to be open six days a week Monday-Saturday, with late openings until 7:45pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It is a free service, open to everyone!

A visit to the strongrooms emphasised the extent of the records preserved by the Archives service- half a million catalogued records and accumulating all the time as County Archives have legal obligations to collect "public records". The environment-controlled strongrooms hold a wealth of original records- from medieval court rolls, to maps, photographs, correspondence, parish registers and digital records. Hannah showed us treasures from the collections such as the Burton Fleming parish register that mentions Queen Henrietta Maria's stay during the English Civil War, and some Quarter Sessions records that led to the downfall of highwayman Dick Turpin. We even saw the shelf where our historic society bulletins are housed!

Hannah Stamp, Archivist, showing the Society the strongrooms

Kat's work in Conservation is highly scientific and involves stabalising historical records to prevent further deterioration (conservation is completely different to restoration!). She explained all the various techniques, tools and materials she uses, such as the origins of iron gall ink, bookbinding and how she utilises wax and japanese tissue. This was a fascinating visit with lots of opportunities to see where historic records relating to Bridlington and district are preserved for the benefit of future generations.