Free Online at www.coastalviewandmoornews.co.uk The Community Newspaper for the Towns and Villages of East Cleveland, Redcar & North York Moors, telling the real news and views of the people of our region Coastal View & Moor News Issue 122 August 2021
● Picture By Marc Hodgson
Discovering the past of Guisborough Town Hall A
By Shannon Taylor
s the work on Guisborough To w n H a l l c o n t i n u e s , information about its past is being discovered; to explore this further an Archives Workshop was organised by G.T.H.G. Dan Sudron, an archivist at North Yorkshire County Records Office, talked about the documents found in the Town Hall and the location of documents. This was interesting as it gave me, as someone who has only recently moved to the area, a background to the history of Guisborough. The division of documents between North Yorkshire County Records Office and Teesside University was particularly interesting. The boundary change in 1974 which changed Guisborough from North Yorkshire to Redcar and Cleveland meant some sharing of responsibility for documents. Dan completed research on the documents found in the Town Hall which had led him to locating some unexpected treasures!! Dan had said that it was quite rare to find one royal seal, and yet, we had three! These were relating to the boundary lines of surrounding farms. James I and Charles I had been concerned about the estates which made it feel that this area was really valued by both monarchs. Later, we got up close and personal to the array of documents found in the Town Hall as we were given the chance to clean them. Rachel Greenwood, the Conservation Manager at North Yorkshire County
Records, told us how conservation techniques have changed. This is important because documents are often used in court cases. For example, the legal boundaries of properties of the original document need to be clear as conservationists cannot put in extra lines. As conservation techniques develop, the changes need to be reversible too so they can continue to keep the documents in the best conditions. We were then allowed to clean the documents using specialist brushes
and sponges; it was amazing to see what happens to documents after placement in a box for two hundred years! Some of the artefacts found in the town hall were mortgage and account papers for some of the properties in Guisborough in the 1770’s through to the 1830’s. Being so close to the aged documents was special. As someone who is going to study a Master’s qualification in Curating Collections and Heritage,
I particularly enjoyed, being able to handle the items and clean them using specialist techniques to allow them to be preserved. There will be fantastic opportunities to use these resources in the future, in many ways, and really bring the exciting history of Guisborough alive for years to come. Shelagh Holyoake, Redcar & Cleveland Borough Councillor, who also attended the workshop, said: “As a lifelong History enthusiast, I spent a number of months spending exciting time in various local Archives, while
researching information for my B.A. dissertation on Guisborough during WW1. “I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop and learnt a great deal about our local history and the vast records which inform us all about events in the past. “The more formal talk by Dan Sudron and the practical demonstration on how to carefully clean the antique documents by Rachel Greenwood were both highly illuminating. “It was great that Guisborough Town Hall C.I.C. we’re able to bring this experience to the Community and I am now looking forward to further Heritage Festival workshops in the future.” Mike Heagney said: “This workshop was fantastic and was enjoyed by everyone in attendance. We all learnt a great deal. I am now looking forward to future workshops from Guisborough Town Hall Gateway.” I feel very lucky to have attended this workshop regarding the Town Hall and privileged to be able to work with them towards the Heritage Festival in September and October. Workshops such as these show the rich history of the area and connect us to previous generations. The C.I.C. are going to extend this experience of looking at these documents at the Heritage Festival. This is an excellent way to learn about your local area alongside many other interesting activities for all ages. I’d like to thank the Chairman Andy Murray, and the whole C.I.C. for the tremendous work they have done over the last seven years.
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