Digitisation Report: 24 December 2022

The following work was completed since September 2022.

The Maskell Collection: BRS Occasional Series e-publication

Margaret M.Condon and Evan T. Jones (eds.), The Maskell Collection: introduction and descriptive list of Bristol Archives, 08153/1 (Bristol Record Society electronic publication, Dec. 2022)

A detailed catalogue of an album of medieval / early modern Bristol records, which was acquired by Bristol Archives in Dec 1929 but since largely overlooked. Purchased from the library of the late Francis Fox, the album was described at the time as an ‘historical treasure’. Unfortunately, poor and somewhat inaccurate cataloguing following its acquisition meant that few modern historians have been aware of the album, or its content. The catalogue to the album is preceded by a seven-page introduction, highlighting the significance of this important collection of early church records, as well as explaining the collection’s provenance and archival history.

Miscellaneous e-publications

Francis F. Fox, Some Account of the Ancient Fraternity of Merchant Taylors of Bristol: with transcripts of ordinances and other documents (Bristol, 1880)

Digitisation of a rare volume of Bristol records. This had a print run of just 50 copies, which were privately printed.
Francis F. Fox and John Taylor (eds.), Some Account of the Guild of Bristol Weavers in Bristol: chiefly from MSS. (Bristol, 1889)

Another digitisation of a rare volume of Bristol records by Francis Fox and the City Librarian, John Taylor. This also had a print run of just 50 copies,  privately printed.

E. G. Cuthbert F. Atchley, ‘On the medieval parish records of the church of St. Nicholas, Bristol’, Transactions of the St. Paul’s Ecclesiological Society, Vol. VI (1906), pp. 35-67

This article consists of manuscript transcriptions, accompanied by a discussion of their significance. The article was published in an obscure journal that is difficult to access. Atchley’s article is especially valuable because the original records on which it was based were destroyed in the Bristol Blitz.

E. G. Cuthbert F. Atchley, ‘Some inventories of the parish church of St. Stephen, Bristol’, Transactions of the St Paul’s Ecclesiological Society, Vol. VI, part III (1908), pp. 161-84

Digitisation of another article by Atchley, a Bristol surgeon and church historian.

E. G. Cuthbert F. Atchley, ‘Some more Bristol inventories’, Transactions of the St. Paul’s Ecclesiological Society, Vol. IX, Part II (1922), pp. 1-50

Digitisation of another article by Atchley, from the same journal.

E-publications now moved to The Internet Archive (archive.org)

The following items were originally posted on the BRS website. They have now been moved to archive.org, incline with our current policy, since it is a secure and user-friendly e-repository.

• [Andy King], The Centenary of The Cabot Memorial Tower, Brandon Hill, 1897-1997 (Bristol Museums Service, 1997)
• Patrick McGrath and Mary E Williams, Bristol Inns and Alehouses in the Mid-Eighteenth Century (City of Bristol, 1979), xii + 65 pp.
• William Tyson (ed.), ‘William Morgan’s Annals of Bristol, 1246-1687’ in The Bristol Memorialist (Bristol, 1823), pp. 38-44, 115-122, 189-201, 287-293

Plans for 2023

1. Create a new BRS website.
2. Digitise / epublish c.20 items already acquired.
3. Continue to respond to requests to digitise specific items that have particular use for teaching purposes, or where there is public demand.
4. Following a request from Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, our digitisation editor will be discussing how the BRS can help facilitate the e-publication of a large quantity of printed material produced by the Museum since its foundation in 1823.