Clare College ArchivesThe purpose of the Archives is to preserve the documentary evidence for the history and life of the College. This includes records of its administration and finances, land and property ownership and individual members of College. Many of these records date from the sixteenth century although the earliest period of the College is not well documented since a large proportion of the original muniments were destroyed in a fire in Old Court in 1521. Nethertheless, the Archives provide a valuable resource up to the modern day. A detailed account of the history of the College from its foundation in 1326 may be found elsewhere on this site. The history page also include links to the list of the Masters of Clare College and the preamble to Lady Clare's Statutes.
Types of recordsThe records may be divided into the following areas and examples are given of what is available:
The Archive Collection Policy describes our terms for acquiring and collecting material for the Archives. CataloguesAbout two-thirds of the Archives have been catalogued and details are available on application to the Archivist. There is no on-line catalogue available at present but there are some collection level descriptions available on Janus, (a website which seeks to bring together catalogues of various Cambridge Archives), for the catalogues of notable Clare alumni including Sir Eric Ashby (1904-1992), Denis Browne (1888-1915), Professor Geoffrey Elton (1921-1994) and Sir Harry Godwin (1901-1985). The papers of Professor Kurt Lipstein (1909-2006) have been catalogued recently in liaison with staff at the Squire Law Library. Information about the collection and the catalogue is available here.
Index to obituaries of Clare alumniResearchers who are hoping to find some general biographical information about their ancestors or other Clare alumni may like to check this index of obituaries published by the College since 1920. If you find a relevant entry in the index, please contact the Archivist for further details and to request a copy of the obituary.
Exhibitions and other eventsDisplays of Archival material are regularly arranged for College and alumni events, including the Blythe and Macfarlane-Grieve feasts and also Reunion dinners and the annual Open Day. Selected images of recent displays and events are included here and those from previous years can be seen here.
Images of previous Archive exhibitions can be seen here
News of forthcoming events arranged by the Development Office is available on the Alumni pages. Appeal for archivesA proactive collecting policy is now in place to locate some records and other memorabilia to fill in gaps or to replace damaged and delicate archival items. In particular, photographs of matriculation groups, individuals and sporting events as well as any records of College clubs and societies from the 1960s onwards would be welcome additions to the Archives. Please contact the Archivist if you have any items you would like to donate or to have copied for the Archives. ConservationMany items in the Archives such as Accounts registers and photographs require conservation treatment as they are deteriorating rapidly. Sometimes this is caused by the very nature of their physical condition and often it has been exacerbated by excess handling over the years. Several important items have been conserved recently, including the oldest surviving Admissions book (1631), the Benefactors' book and several photographs. We hope to set up a conservation programme to ensure that the vital repair work is undertaken.If you would like to contribute to this work, please contact the Archivist.
Disaster PlanningWe are also designing a a Disaster plan for the College Libraries and Archives to provide guidelines in the event of a disaster occuring, such as a fire or flood. Everyone has heard of the Norwich Library fire in 1994 when the Public Library was destroyed and the Archives were soaked by the water from the Fire Brigade pouring into the basement storage areas underneath the Library. We recently held a training session for members from all departments of College when we learnt about how to deal with wet and damaged books.
Archive postThe College received a generous gift from the Bowring family to fund a three-year, parttime Archive post, from August 2002. This followed several years without a fully-qualified Archivist in post, when two Fellows acted in turn as Honorary Archivist. Elizabeth Stratton was appointed as the Edgar Bowring Archivist in 2002 and has been developing the Archives with the help of the Archive sub-committee. The Archivist is a member of the Library staff. Enquiries and ResearchEach week the Archive receives many enquiries on the history of the College, its properties and individuals. Please see above for details of Archive catalogues and the index to obituaries of Clare alumni which may be of use for initial research. Enquiries are preferred by post and e-mail but researchers are also welcome to visit the Archives to conduct their own research. It is essential to make an appointment for such visits as the Archivist is only in College for two days a week. Archive researchers can work in the Archive suite in Memorial Court but may sometimes be accommodated in the Forbes Mellon Library. Any enquiries about the Archives should be directed to:
Reproduction of Archive materialCopies of Archival material can be provided at the discretion of the Archivist and are subject to Copyright law. Volumes and other fragile items cannot be copied. A list of charges is available from the Archivist. Anyone wishing to take their own photographs of material or film companies who wish to visit the Archives must contact the Archivist for details. Other contacts and useful linksThe Fellows' LibraryIf you have any enquiries about the Rare Books and manuscripts which are part of the Fellows' Library at Clare College, please contact:
University RecordsEnquiries about official University Records rather than College records should be directed to:
Or contact Godfrey Waller about using the Manuscripts Reading Room or the availability of manuscripts on 01223 333143 or e-mail him on mss@lib.cam.ac.uk Other archive collectionsResearchers are also advised to consult the National Register of Archives (NRA) for information on the location of specific archive collections: http://www.nra.nationalarchives.gov.uk/nra/ |
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