If you are unsure about how you should be handling an item, or you feel it is delicate, please ask an archivist to assist you. Most archives have a store of foam wedges, supports and weights to help set the document out in a way that carries a minimum risk of harm. Try to limit your own contact with the item; for example, if reading a line of text, do not run your finger along the document, as grease from your skin can cause damage. Instead, place a piece of white paper under the line of text to help you keep your place. If you are having difficulty reading faded text, ultraviolet lamps can often help pick out lost words. Similarly, maps and plans are often covered under clear protective sheets, and you should always ask before you attempt to trace a document.
The amount of material you can bring into the reading rooms will also be limited. Apart from banning pens, erasers and pencil sharpeners, it is likely that you will be asked to leave the majority of your research notes in a locker outside the reading room area, and bring in only spiral-bound note pads or sheets of paper stapled together; and what you can bring in will be probably searched on the way in and the way out. This is to prevent document theft; sadly, many items ‘go missing’ each year.
Finally, you should, wherever possible, respect your fellow researchers and work in silence. If you do need to confer with a friend or colleague, try to talk quietly and leave the reading room to do so. Mobile phones should be turned off or left in silent mode – there’s nothing more annoying than having your concentration disturbed by someone’s phone ringing! Most archives allow you to bring your laptop into the reading room, but you should also set them up so that they are silent when turned on. Digital cameras are also largely welcomed these days, though you need to obtain clearance first from the archivist if you want to take photos, as there could be copyright implications and not all cameras are ‘document friendly’.
Step Four: Avoiding Potential Pitfalls
Here are a few tips to help you avoid common mistakes, and make the most of the material at your disposal.
Physical Labour
Visiting archives can sometimes be more physically demanding than you might think. The increase in the amount of material that has been digitalized and made available online is gradually changing the process of archival research, but you may still need to spend a proportion of your time on your feet or lifting heavy books and large documents. If you are not very robust you might want to consider taking a friend or relative along to help you out. Many documents are also stored as duplicate copies on microfilm or microfiche, which some people find difficult to read for long periods of time if they have poor eyesight. Many archives are aware of the difficulties faced by elderly visitors or those with special needs to cater for, and have invested in specially designed computers for people with poor eyesight.
It might also be worth considering coming to an archive in old clothes. Many old documents are quite dirty, particularly ancient leather-bound tomes whose spines have decayed to an old, red powder that can make quite a mess on clean, white clothes! You should always wash your hands before and after visiting an archive, as you never know what old microbes you might have picked up from the documents during your visit.
‘It’s not unusual to find variant spellings of the same word, particularly personal and place names, in a single piece of text.’
Latin
If you are fortunate enough to be able to trace the history of your family back before 1733, you may well encounter difficulties interpreting relevant material, as the language of official documents was Latin. So material such as manorial court rolls – a highly important source for a family historian – will need translating, as will any official record of deeds or land transfers that were enrolled in the central courts. The exception to this is the Interregnum period (1649–60), when the Parliamentary regime decreed that all official documents should be written in English, and you will also find that some official documents were written in the English language before 1733.
Reading Old Handwriting
Another potential problem will be that scribes tended to employ abbreviations when recording entries, so you will not necessarily be working from easily identifiable Latin words. Handwriting changed over the ages, and even if a document has been written in English it may be difficult to decipher. Official sources can be easier, as scribal technique – the way someone wrote a document – tended to change more slowly as writers adopted the handwriting of their predecessors. However, private hands varied widely, even within a relatively short period, often employing idiosyncratic shorthand techniques. Spellings also differed widely between authors, and it is not unusual to find variant spellings of the same word, particularly personal and place names, in a single piece of text. All of these problems can make interpreting documents difficult. However, there are ways to make documents seem less intimidating.
Most archives stock Latin dictionaries to help you translate key phrases, whilst there are similar publications to help you understand palaeography, which is the technical term used to describe the handwriting and abbreviations employed in the documents. Furthermore, there are specialist volumes written for family and local historians that provide translations and explanations of the formulae for the most commonly used documents that you will encounter. If you are still unsure, try selecting a similar document from the Interregnum period, which will be in English. Most documents follow standard patterns, with only the details of individuals and places altering. This will enable you to decide where you should be looking in the document for key phrases, and assist with translation. In addition, some local history societies provide transcriptions and translations of important document series, with the added advantage that they are usually indexed. These too can be used to aid interpretation of difficult original material.
Many archives and institutions have created resources online to help you to teach yourself Latin and palaeography. One of the best, since it’s linked to their own documents, is provided for free by The National Archives on their website at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ palaeography, and there is a site where ancient Scottish handwriting can be demystified at www.scottishhandwriting.com.
Dates
Not everyone is familiar with the way documents are dated. Many dates are given in the form of a Regnal year – the year is described in relation to the date the monarch ascended the throne and the number of years for which they had reigned, rather than the familiar reference to the number of years since the birth of Christ. For example, 20 Henry VIII covers the period 22 April 1528 to 21 April 1529 – the twentieth year of his reign, which began on 22 April 1509. Similarly, a large proportion of legal documentation also incorporates a legal term date – Michaelmas, Hilary, Easter or Trinity – which signifies a particular part of the year in which business was conducted.
HOW TO …
… be prepared for pitfalls
1. Be aware that searching archives can be physically demanding and dirty work
2. Older official records will be in Latin, and often abbreviated Latin at that
3. Handwritten records can be hard to read and spellings can be erratic, especially of names
4. Documents may be dated using Regnal years, legal terms and saints’ days
5. Before 1752, years started in March, not January
6. Always bear in mind a document’s original purpose and context
Furthermore, you may come across dates such as 28 February 1700/01, which refer to the old-style dating technique employed by the Church following the Julian calendar, which started the New Year on 25 March, rather than on 1 January as we do today. The practice was dropped in 1752, the same year that the Gregorian calendar was adopted. The best guide to the many and varied ways of writing dates