2013/04/01 by James Collett-White · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · #Digital and Traditional Archives Management
paper · doi:10.1080/00379816.2013.791616
openalex publication_date 2013/04/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
Bedfordshire appointed a Records Committee in 1898 to control the Muniment Room in Shire Hall Bedford, which contained the archives of County Quarter Sessions and Council. In 1913, Dr G. H. Fowler became Chairman of the Committee and set up in 1914 a small Muniment Room, a tiny first Record Office. First published in 1923, his The Care of County Muniments was highly influential on similar initiatives within other local authorities. Increasingly varied deposits at Bedfordshire led to an extension of the role of the Record Office. In 1923, F. G. Emmison was appointed assistant. Fowler and Emmison's work in publicizing the office, training future archivists and exploring the scholarly use of local maps led to the Office being seen as the leader nationally. This pre-eminent role ceased after 1938 when larger and better record offices were established. The role of later county archivists Joyce Godber and Patricia Bell in expanding staff number, cataloguing and indexing as part of a well-run traditional record office and the successes and failures of their successors in an often difficult financial climate is examined.