Keele Library Latest

Tom’s Archive Work Placement Blog No2

2018-04-06T10:00:00.000+01:00

2018 marks the 100^th anniversary of British women (over the age of 30) first gaining the right to vote in parliamentary elections, so to honour this I’ve delved into the Archives and uncovered the 1906 diary of Ethel Wedgwood, wife of Josiah Clement Wedgwood M.P. This diary provides invaluable insight into Ethel’s social and political activities and, crucially, her first hand encounters with the Suffragist movement.

Ethel Wedgwood’s diary 1906 (UGSD188) Special Collections and Archives, Keele University Library

Josiah Clement Wedgwood was particularly active in politics, representing Newcastle-under-Lyme in parliamentary debate for over 35 years. Politics was naturally high on the agenda for discussion within the family, and Ethel was very much involved in her husband’s political career, recording her daily observations in the House of Commons within her diaries.

At the time of Ethel’s writings, the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) had only just begun to adopt more militant tactics. These new tactics are observed in many of Ethel’s diary entries, in which she details the controversial nature of “Pankhurst & Co.” (most likely referring to Christabel Pankhurst, Emmeline’s daughter), who would frequently interrupt political meetings and generally, in Ethel’s opinion, act like “insufferable nuisances”.

We can quite clearly deduce from her writings that Ethel was not too fond of the Suffragists and their aggression, most evident through her concern that the controversial tactics of the group would “set half the country against” the women’s plight, and instead preferring to defend the rights of her “Staffordshire Women” through respectable debate.

Ethel’s qualms with Pankhurst and her Suffragettes illustrate the extent of opposition that these women faced, not just from men, but from people of any gender and class. Even so, while their controversial tactics may not have made them many friends among politicians, it is impossible to deny the effect that the Suffragettes had on the public consciousness, using their commitment and determination to force women’s suffrage to the forefront of political and social discussion. Without them, we would not be where we are today!

An extract from Ethel Wedgwood’s 1906 diary (UGSD188) Special Collections and Archives, Keele University Library

Tom's Archive Work Placement Blog

2018-03-14T10:03:00.000+00:00

My name is Tom Williams, I’m a second year History student here at Keele, and currently undertaking a work placement in the University’s Special Collections and Archives. Just recently, a Second World War-era NAAFI cup was received by the Archives, having been discovered beneath Keele campus in the midst of works to install district heating pipework along Central Drive. I’ve been researching this remnant of Keele’s history and learning more about Keele’s wartime past.

Keele Hall and the surrounding estate were requisitioned by the military during World War II, with a temporary camp being built for British (and sometimes American) troops, notably those recently evacuated from Dunkirk. According to one Philip Higson, a man who spent much of his childhood in Keele, war had never seemed such a genuine reality until the arrival of a host of ‘gum-chewing’ and ‘cigar-smoking’ American soldiers into the Keele area in 1944.

During the war, the Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes (NAAFI) provided canteens, shops and other facilities for the British Armed Forces on military bases across the country, including the camp at Keele. NAAFI crockery was mass produced during wartime and this cup was possibly manufactured by local company ‘Wood & Sons’ of Burslem.

When the Stoke-on-Trent Corporation purchased Keele Hall and its surrounding estate in 1948, it was faced with the task of finding uses for the multitude of buildings and huts left by its wartime occupants. With the establishment of the University College, many of the huts were converted into student accommodation, whilst other buildings were repurposed as the Students’ Union, Refectory and Chapel. The superior American barracks huts remained in active use on campus for four decades.

It is amazing to see reminders of our unique history still being discovered around campus to this day, who knows what else could be hidden!

Temporary closure of Special Collections and Archives 2017

2017-01-26T14:54:00.000+00:00

The Special Collections and Archives are currently closed following a major flooding incident on Saturday 7th January. A relatively small number of items suffered water damage, thanks to our immediate response and successful salvage operation. Even so, the incident has caused major and long term disruption to the service.

All collections have moved to alternative storage and we are unable to offer an enquiry or searchroom service whilst we dedicate the coming months to the care of our collections and reinstatement of the archive stores.

There may be some delay in responding to emails and phone calls.

Updates on progress will be posted in due course.

New Charlotte Sneyd Display in the Library

2016-05-06T09:24:00.000+01:00

Keele History student Billy Warmington has researched and digitised original materials from the Sneyd Archive to produce this display illustrating the life and times of Charlotte Augusta Sneyd.

The Library holds Sneyds of Keele Hall papers dating from the fourteenth century to the twentieth century, comprising deeds, manorial, estate, legal and business records, as well as personal correspondence, music, watercolours and sketches.

Take a look at the display on the top floor of the Library, or view at

Charlotte Augusta Sneyd of Keele Hall To consult material from the Archives, or to make an enquiry, contact h.burton@keele.ac.uk

North Staffordshire dialect display in the Library

2015-12-16T11:28:00.000+00:00

The latest Archives display commemorates the 100^th anniversary of the birth of Wilfred Alan Bloor, creator of the Jabez character. Under the pseudonym A. Scott, Bloor wrote over 400 Jabez tales in North Staffordshire dialect for the Sentinel newspaper, from 1968 until his death in 1993.

Many of the stories are based on reminiscences of Bloor’s early years in Scot Hay, providing a unique insight into life in a North Staffordshire mining village during the interwar period.

The Library’s Wilfred Bloor Collection comprises manuscript and typescript stories and articles, cuttings, correspondence and audio recordings. Bloor publicly performed many of his stories, some of which are available to purchase on CD from the Archives.

To find out more, contact the Special Collections and Archives h.burton@keele.ac.uk

https://www.keele.ac.uk/library/specarc/collections/wilfredbloor

The newly published Centenary Compendium of the Jabez Stories can be purchased online at http://jabezbook.co.uk/

In memory of Ronnie Frankenberg

2015-12-04T15:17:00.000+00:00

In memory of Keele's first Professor of Sociology, Ronnie Frankenberg (1929-2015), this cartoon by Max Atkinson is from papers relating to Frankenberg’s introduction of the workshop-seminar curriculum in Sociology. The papers (1973-1980s) comprise a case study, reports, workshop proposals and correspondence. To find out more, contact the Archives h.burton@keele.ac.uk

#explorearchives Researcher Jon Heal blogs about using our Archives

2015-11-19T14:41:00.000+00:00

Amongst the Warrillow Collection are glass plate negatives, many over one hundred years old, from William Blake's stationer's shop in Longton. Inspecting the detail in the original negatives created and used by Blake to print picture postcards, I feel I’m looking over the shoulder of the man at work. Photography at the turn of the twentieth century involved the use of glass plates in a bulky camera, the setting up of a tripod, and the use of a ground glass screen to obtain a sharp focus. The quality of these early images is quite amazing when the difficulties of photography are appreciated!

Warr.174. An early Blake view showing Longton from the tower of St James' Church (1905). Inspecting the original negative, it’s remarkable how much detail is visible through the smoke!

Looking at the glass plates also helps me to date when pictures were taken. Earlier negatives tend to degrade, edges yellow and the surface acquires a metallic appearance, yet remarkably most images can still be seen clearly. It is a great privilege to be able to view this marvellous collection at Keele.

#explorearchives For your dissertation

2015-11-18T12:05:00.000+00:00

History finalist Rob Allan is using original diaries held in the Archives as source material for his dissertation. Written during the First World War by Septimus Bennett (brother of the author Arnold Bennett) the diaries describe life and work in and around a Sheffield munitions factory. Rob says “Archives are allowing me to explore individual experiences. Using the diaries alongside secondary sources is giving me a better idea of what this period was really like.”

Find out about our Special Collections and Archives http://www.keele.ac.uk/library/specarc/

#explorearchives Original designs for bookbindings

2015-11-17T13:57:00.000+00:00

Three unique volumes of George T. Bagguley’s finishing designs are held in the Library’s Archives. Bagguley was an internationally renowned bookbinder of Newcastle-under-Lyme. His shop was situated on the High Street and sold books and stationery, as well as offering a printing and binding service. Established in 1890 and operating until 1952, the firm employed a number of designers (Leon V. Solon, Dorothy Talbot and Charles Connor), as well as eminent binders such as Louis Genth and Thomas E. Caley.

This elaborate design for vellum doublures (the ornamental inside lining of a book cover) was designed by Thomas E Caley in 1905. To find out more, contact the Archives h.burton@keele.ac.uk

Charlotte Sneyd returns to Keele!

2015-09-30T14:52:00.000+01:00

A previously unknown comic manuscript by Charlotte Augusta Sneyd (1800-1882) recently came to light in New York. The volume of fourteen original pen-and-ink drawings has now been acquired by the Library and safely returned to Keele for the University’s Sneyd Archive.

Charlotte lived at Keele Hall for much of the nineteenth century and was an accomplished amateur artist, producing paintings and drawings for the amusement of family and friends. This charming manuscript offers a satiric view of gender roles in Victorian England in the form of a prospectus of English grammar, with tenses of verbs illustrated by scenes of social aspiration and disaster. Many of the drawings feature an unmarried middle-aged woman contemplating who she was, is, and will be - no doubt based on Charlotte herself, who never married and had children.

To find out more, or to view the manuscript, please contact the Special Collections and Archives at h.burton@keele.ac.uk

National Sporting Heritage Day 30th Sept 2015

2015-09-29T12:35:00.000+01:00

Part of Keele’s sporting heritage are the Keele Boxers, pictured here in 1956, with their inspirational coach Sam Pearson (himself a professional boxer in the 1930s). Among the students are Fred Edmunds, Mike Steele and Terry Prince. Recognise any others? If so, contact the Archives at h.burton@keele.ac.uk

100 years of the Women’s Institute

2015-09-08T16:34:00.000+01:00

To mark the centenary of the W I this month, here’s the first class certificate for crochet, awarded to the Keele Women’s Institute in 1937.

The first committee meeting of the Keele W I took place in the village schoolroom on 20^th April 1932. Keele W I records held in the Archives comprise minute books, correspondence, programmes and scrapbooks dating from 1932 to the 1970s.

Battle of Waterloo 200 years ago today

2015-06-18T09:20:00.001+01:00

“I saw the regiment of Black Brunswickers pass my window on their way to the field. That was the first intimation of what followed. In a few hours, the dull heavy sound of distant artillery was heard, and in a few more the wounded were brought into Brussels in increasing numbers.”

Extract from ‘Some Notices of My Life’ by John Davy (M 118/4 Raymond Richards Collection, Keele University Library)

This personal account from John Davy’s manuscript memoirs is held in our Archives. John Davy was a doctor and brother of the noted chemist Sir Humphry Davy. He joined the British Army Medical Department and, at the time of the Battle of Waterloo, was attached to the principal military hospital at Brussels as hospital assistant.

Magna Carta 800th Anniversary Today

2015-06-15T09:12:00.000+01:00

One amongst several thousand charters issued by King John, the most famous being the Magna Carta. This 'newly discovered' charter from our Archives is included in The Magna Carta Project a landmark investigation of the Magna Carta and King John.

Notification that the king has granted his protection to the nuns of Steinfield Priory and their people, lands and possessions, 14 April 1209 (Keele University Library, Hatton-Wood M72/46/10)

New exhibition in the Library

2015-05-05T10:01:00.000+01:00

Keele History student Rob Allan has produced a display on Arnold Bennett's activities during the First World War, contributing to the University's commemoration of the centenary of the war. The Campus Library holds material relating to Bennett’s professional and personal life, including original literary manuscripts and a large amount of family correspondence. During his work placement in the Archives, Rob researched and digitised original records to illustrate Bennett's war-time experiences.

Take a look at the display on the top floor of the Library,

or view at Arnold Bennett: A Writer at War

Community Day - Archives Open

2014-05-30T11:44:00.000+01:00

As part of the University's Community Day, a selection of material from the Library's Special Collections and Archives will be on view between 1pm and 5pm on Sunday 1st June. Find us on the top floor of the Library.

Keele Hall, c. 1810, watercolour by the Reverend Lewis Sneyd of All Souls.

First World War centenary

2014-04-14T11:51:00.000+01:00

To commemorate the centenary of the First World War, Keele student Max Bailey has produced a Library display from the Josiah Clement Wedgwood Papers held in our Special Collections and Archives.

Max is a second year undergraduate in History and Maths. During a work placement in the Archives, he has researched and digitised original records to illustrate J C Wedgwood’s war-time experiences.

Take a look at the display in the Library foyer, or view at J C Wedgwood at War

National Libraries Day Saturday 8th February

2014-02-06T11:41:00.001+00:00

Did you know the Campus Library houses 1400 linear metres of Special Collections and Archives? Along with manuscripts spanning ten centuries, we hold almost 25,000 rare books and journals, of which almost 600 are pre-1700 imprints. Publications are on the Library catalogue and you can explore the Archives here http://www.keele.ac.uk/library/specarc/

Movember in the Archives

2013-11-19T11:35:00.000+00:00

Marvellous moustaches from the Archives, in support of Movember. These hirsute gents, photographed c1890, were members of a velocipede club in the Potteries. Taken from our Warrillow photographic collection
http://www.keele.ac.uk/library/specarc/collections/warrillowcollection/

National Poetry Day 3rd October

2013-10-03T15:29:00.001+01:00

‘Water’ is the subject of this year’s National Poetry Day, so here's a manuscript poem from our Archives - it refers to the sea and is by North Staffordshire born poet and philosopher T E Hulme

T E Hulme 130th Anniversary

2013-09-16T09:05:00.000+01:00

The poet and philosopher, T E Hulme, was born in North Staffordshire 130 years ago today. Reproductions of material from the Library's T E Hulme archive are currently displayed in the Library foyer as well as online T E Hulme 130th Anniversary display

The Special Collections and Archives to appear on BBC television

2013-02-01T15:58:00.000+00:00

The Special Collections and Archives to appear on BBC television

Filming took place in the Archives this week, for a forthcoming BBC 2 documentary Henry VII: Winter King, presented by Thomas Penn, author of the critically-acclaimed book Winter King. The sixteenth century copy petition of Edmund Dudley and the Lambeth Palace accounts are part of the Paget Papers deposited at Keele. These unique manuscripts provide a fascinating insight into the reign of the first Tudor monarch and are set to be screened in the spring as part of a BBC Tudor season.

Library 50th Anniversary exhibition online

2012-10-05T15:54:00.000+01:00

The campus Library building was officially opened on the 8th October 1962. To mark our 50th anniversary, we have mounted an online exhibition charting the birth and development of the University Library. Go to http://www.keele.ac.uk/library/50thanniversaryexhibition/

The Campus Library is 50!

2012-09-20T11:44:00.000+01:00

The official opening of the campus Library building took place on 8^th October 1962. Come and view our anniversary exhibition now on display in the Library foyer.

Unique camera donated to the Archives

2012-08-15T11:47:00.000+01:00

Ernest Warrillow (1909-2000), press photographer for The Sentinel newspaper for over 50 years, gifted his private photographic collection of over 1800 negatives to the University in 1981. The Warrillow Collection depicts the changing landscape of North Staffordshire from the 1860s to the 1970s and we are thrilled that the camera used to take many of these photographs has now been donated to the Special Collections and Archives by Mr Alan Vickerman, Warrillow’s close friend and former colleague.
Warrillow made his unique camera from brass plate, just large enough to hold 9x12cm glass slides, and fitted it with a rare 100mm front cell focussing GB-Kershaw 630 lens. The camera comes complete with its original custom-made carrying case, with space to house a small tripod, flash gun and a dozen glass slides.