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Posts under the 'Records and research' category

17
Mon Jun
2013
1

The Theatre Royal and The Case of Two Mad King Georges

Posted by Rebecca Simpson in Records and research
Plan of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, 1794 - File ref: MPN 1/25

Plan of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, 1794 - File ref: MPN 1/25

This coming weekend sees the celebration of London’s West End theatre ‘West End Live‘ which coincides with the 350th anniversary of the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. In 1663, the Theatre Royal opened in London, under the reign of Charles II. The Theatre Royal has had an incredible history of on stage performances which have starred and been attended by many famous people. But did you know about the equally dramatic off stage performance involving the assassination attempt on Mad King George III from a man in the audience in 1800 who also thought that he was King George III?

The records relating to the man in question, James Hadfield, are held here at The National Archives. The papers are from his trial for the assassination attempt on the king, over 200 years ago. They reveal the fascinating story of how James Hadfield went from being a respected officer in the Army to making an assassination attempt on King George III’s life at the Theatre Royal.

James Hadfield Case KB 33/8/3

Excerpt from File: Treason- attempted murder of king in Drury Lane Theatre; James Hadfield - File Ref: KB 33/8/3

As well as a map of the Theatre Royal from 1794, the records contain the fascinating testaments of James Hadfield himself, his wife, army colleagues and the many witnesses who were at The Theatre Royal on the night of the attempted shooting.

The Road to Ruin

Excerpt from File: Treason- attempted murder of king in Drury Lane Theatre; James Hadfield - File Ref: KB 33/8/3

Excerpt from File: Treason- attempted murder of king in Drury Lane Theatre; James Hadfield - File Ref: KB 33/8/3

James Hadfield was a former Army Captain who was fighting in Flanders in the 15th Light Dragoons Regiment. He was an Army Captain of exemplary conduct, according to the records, who was injured through various wounds to the head while in battle in 1794.

James Hadfield received a blow to the leftside of his head by a sword, followed by a second blow to the left cheek which left his cheek hanging off. After receiving a couple more blows to the head and arm, forcing him off his horse, he was thrown into a ditch in the battlefield where he was then left for dead. Two French officers found him alive and they took him to a house full of dead bodies. The next day he was given milk and water before having to walk to the wagon, holding the cheek that was hanging off his face, which would transfer him to a hospital where he received treatment for his wounds.

Excerpt from File: Treason- attempted murder of king in Drury Lane Theatre; James Hadfield - File Ref: KB 33/8/3

Excerpt from File: Treason- attempted murder of king in Drury Lane Theatre; James Hadfield - File Ref: KB 33/8/3

A witness, John Lane, who was in the bed next to him in the hospital, gave a character reference in which he tells of James’ belief that he was ‘King George’ and other details of his ‘damaged state of mind’ which resulted in John Lane requesting that James Hadfield to be moved to another part of the hospital.

Excerpt from File: Treason- attempted murder of king in Drury Lane Theatre; James Hadfield - File Ref: KB 33/8/3

Excerpt from File: Treason- attempted murder of king in Drury Lane Theatre; James Hadfield - File Ref: KB 33/8/3

In other witness accounts, after James Hatfield received more wounds from prisons and escaped, he found a lake where he could bathe his wounds, he claimed he was in heaven and that he was Adam [the biblical character] and made himself a ‘covering of boughs of trees’ to put round his waist.

He was taken to prison again after that where he smashed a water jug and proceeded to cut his feet with it to ‘purge away his sins’ whilst claiming he was the ‘Supreme Being’. After some time, he got well again and escaped to Calais, where he then took a boat to Dover, arriving in London in September 1795.

He rejoined the regiment, arriving in Croydon Barracks on 5 April 1796 and was discharged soon after due to insanity and was collected by his brother. He eventually found work as a silversmith and four years later, after several ‘fits of insanity’ including one where he threatened to dash his child’s brains out (just days before), he made the assassination attempt on Mad King George.

Excerpt from File: Treason- attempted murder of king in Drury Lane Theatre; James Hadfield - File Ref: KB 33/8/3

Excerpt from File: Treason- attempted murder of king in Drury Lane Theatre; James Hadfield - File Ref: KB 33/8/3

On 15 May 1800, James Hadfield made his way to the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, knowing King George III was attending. He entered into the pit by the orchestra, drew out his pistol and aimed it at the King who was seated in the King’s Box, narrowly missing him.

Excerpt from File: Treason- attempted murder of king in Drury Lane Theatre; James Hadfield - File Ref: KB 33/8/3

Excerpt from File: Treason- attempted murder of king in Drury Lane Theatre; James Hadfield - File Ref: KB 33/8/3

James Hadfield was put on trial for high treason but was acquitted on the grounds of insanity.

Madness in the Spotlight

The case of James Hadfield put legislation on high treason and the custody of insane people into the spotlight. As a result, James Hadfield was a major catalyst in establishing the Criminal Lunatics Act 1800 and Treason Act 1800 which were reportedly proposed by the prosecution no more than four days after the trial. He also indirectly influenced the opening of Bedlam (later known as Bethlem) Hospital to detain lunatics.

If you would like to find out more about James Hadfield and his custody following his acquittal, you can find his records in the recently digitised historical criminal records which date from 1817-1931.

14
Fri Jun
2013

Archives and Higher Education: beyond research resources

Posted by Melinda Haunton in Behind the scenes, Records and research
Image of students studying at desks in the Old Library at LSE

Students studying quietly in the Old Library at LSE: this isn't the only way of working with Higher Education! (Via flickrcommons: LSE IMAGELIBRARY/706)

We talk a lot about partnership these days, in the archives sector. It’s more than a buzzword: partnership building is seen as absolutely critical to how archive services (which are usually quite small) are able to develop audiences, broaden funding, achieve visibility, sustainability… a lot, in fact. But it’s not always easy to find good examples of partnership, or examples that apply widely. We also know that partnership takes work and resource if it is going to be effective, be something more than a brief one-off collaboration.

So it was a huge pleasure that when we issued a call for papers on collaboration between universities and archives, we received almost 40 proposals. Evidently, there’s a lot of work going on, across a whole range of types of work. The resulting conference – ‘Enhancing Impact, Inspiring Excellence’ – is a collaboration between the University of Birmingham and The National Archives, in association with Research Libraries UK. It is now open for booking.

Continue reading »

12
Wed Jun
2013

Bevin Boys II: Searching living memories

Posted by Linda Stewart in Records and research, Technology and innovation

The recent post on the Bevin Boys by Simon Demissie set off a couple of trains of thought. The first was one of those vague recollections  of something half remembered in the news a few years back, that the Government had commemorated the work of the hitherto forgotten army of the Bevin Boys. A thought easily expanded upon by putting ‘Bevin Boys’ into the UK Government Web Archive search engine:

Searching for Bevin Boys in the UK Government Web Archive

and there it all was… Continue reading »

10
Mon Jun
2013
1

Armed forces birth, marriage and death records

Posted by Audrey Collins in Records and research
Sample RAF baptism certificate from AIR 82/1

Sample baptism certificate used by RAF chaplains from AIR 82/1

If you need a copy of a birth, marriage or death certificate issued in the United Kingdom, you need to apply to the General Register Office for England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, as appropriate. Before civil registration began the main sources of information on these vital events are parish registers, usually held in local archives.

Many family historians will find all the entries that they ever need in one or other of these sets of records. So you might not think that The National Archives will have much to offer in this area. In fact, we have a surprisingly large number of records relating to births, marriages and deaths, in a variety of record series. They include many registers of baptisms, banns and burials, as well as births, marriages and deaths. There are thousands of files, and most of them fall into four main categories:

  • Nonconformist and non-parochial registers, mainly from the 18thand early 19thcenturies, handed in to the Registrar General of England and Wales.
  • Registers from British consulates, legations and embassies, found among the records of the Foreign Office.
  • Records of births and deaths on merchant vessels at sea, reported to the Board of Trade.
  • Records created or collected by the various armed services.

This last category is in many ways the most interesting, for a number of reasons. For sheer variety it is hard to beat with a date range of more than 300 years and entries from all over the world and, unlike most of the others, new items are still being added to the collection. The earliest record in the collection is a baptism register from Sheerness Dockyard, starting in 1688.

Continue reading »

6
Thu Jun
2013

Arts and Crafts at the Archives

Posted by Julie Halls in Records and research
Morris & Co 'Anemone' design

'Anemone' furniture fabric design registered by Morris & Co, February 1876 (BT 43/372/298226)

The Arts and Crafts design style remains popular over 150 years after its beginnings in the work of William Morris and his circle. The William Morris Gallery in Walthamstow reopened in 2012 to enthusiastic reviews 1, arts and crafts designs fetch high prices at auctions, and events like the current Arts and Crafts exhibition at the department store Liberty remain popular.

The development of the movement can be traced through records held at The National Archives. We hold records of designs registered for copyright with the Board of Trade and successor departments between 1839 and 1991, including samples and original designs by Morris & Co, as well as many registrations of designs by Liberty. Records from 1842 to 1883 are in BT 43 (representations – drawings, paintings, photographs or samples of the design) and BT 44 (registers). These series have been catalogued by item, and are searchable online by registered design number, proprietor, date, address and (sometimes) description of object. See our online guide for more information about registered designs.

Although nowadays we associate William Morris with the Arts and Crafts movement, this term was not actually coined until the 1880s, when the Guild of Handicrafts was formed. However, Morris and his followers had a huge influence on the development of the movement, helping to promote the idea that the design of furniture and other items for the home had as much right to be considered ‘artistic’ as the ‘fine arts’, such as sculpture and painting. Morris associated good design with moral values, and believed in the intrinsic value of hand craftsmanship, the value of art for everyone, and the democratisation of work. The National Archives holds many Morris & Co samples and some original designs, including ‘Anemone’, shown here.

Wallpaper design by Walter Crane

'Almond Blossom and Swallow' wallpaper sample designed by Walter Crane, registered by Jeffrey & Co, July 1878 (BT 43/102/323809)

Continue reading »

Notes:

  1. 1. Winner of Museum of the Year 2013 ^
5
Wed Jun
2013

New light on old seals

Posted by Adrian Ailes in Records and research, Technology and innovation

In her first blog post on the wonders of Polynomial Textual Mapping (PTM) Dinah Eastop used a modern embossed paper seal as an example of the way in which this new technology can literally highlight and capture virtually invisible details on the surface of three-dimensional objects. So what about earlier wax impressions of seals – would PTM help here?

The National Archives holds probably the largest collection of seals in the country. Seals were used in the medieval and early modern period to authenticate documents as well as literally to seal them. They can include portraits of the owner, coats of arms, depictions of animals or buildings and much more, and most also include writing around the circumference (called the legend) identifying the owner. Many of the seals in The National Archives’ collection are fragile, many are small, and some are damaged, and it can sometimes be very hard to see what the seal depicts.

Traditional photography has often struggled to represent seals adequately, because of the need for light and shade to capture the detail on such small and intricate objects. This is especially true for seals depicting heraldry where even a very small difference on one coat of arms might distinguish it (and the seal owner) from another.

Continue reading »

4
Tue Jun
2013

Emily Davison and the 1913 Epsom Derby

Posted by Briony Paxman and Clare Horrie in Records and research
Spectators at the 1913 Epsom Derby (catalogue ref: ZPER 34/142)

Spectators at the 1913 Epsom Derby (catalogue ref: ZPER 34/142)

Today marks 100 years since one of the most famous events in the campaign for women’s suffrage in Britain. 4 June 1913 was the day of the Epsom Derby and at 15.10, just after the leading horses had rounded Tattenham Corner, Emily Wilding Davison, a militant suffragette, ran out from under the railings and into path of two trailing horses. Anmer, the King’s horse, struck Emily with his chest and pitched onto its head while the jockey, Herbert Jones, was thrown and rendered unconscious. The injuries Davison suffered would lead to her death four days later from a fractured skull.

As we have seen in recent television and newspaper coverage, debate has surrounded Davison’s actions since Derby Day 1913 1. Was Emily Davison making a suffrage protest, disrupting the race by attaching a flag in the suffragette colours to the King’s horse? Were her actions part of a wider suffragette demonstration at the Derby or did she act alone? Was she trying to commit suicide? Or, was she simply trying to cross the course in the mistaken belief that all the horses had passed? Intrigued by all these questions, I decided to take a look at a Metropolitan Police file at The National Archives (MEPO 2/1551) which contains police reports, witness statements and notes made in the hours and days following Davison’s actions.

An extract from Dr Vale-Jones' account, 4 June 1913 (catalogue ref: MEPO 2/1551)

An extract from Dr Vale-Jones' account, 4 June 1913 (catalogue ref: MEPO 2/1551)

Continue reading »

Notes:

  1. 1. Channel 4 documentary Clare Balding’s Secrets of a Suffragette shown on Sunday 26 May 2013. ^
31
Fri May
2013

Knowledge Transfer Partnership

Posted by Victoria Lain in Records and research

The Technology Strategy Board has just awarded The National Archives our first Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP). The programme provides funding for a partnership between a company and an academic institution or research organisation, serving as a ‘knowledge base’. The KTP programme is designed to inject new thinking and expertise into business, and help develop more robust and informed responses to business priorities. It is currently funded by 15 government organisations and led by the Technology Strategy Board. Each partnership is part-funded by Government with the balance of the costs coming from the company partner.

This is the first time The National Archives will be entering into a KTP since being granted the status of a Knowledge Base in 2012. We will be working with The IMC Group, which incorporates the Hanwell range of intelligent environmental monitoring and control products that accurately measure and monitor areas with potential risk of damage within museums, galleries, historic buildings, libraries and archives. The National Archives has been awarded 67% of the cost of the project by the scheme and the IMC Group will contribute the remaining 33% to the project as company partner. The project will see the transfer of our knowledge and expertise in collection care to develop specialised software for risk-based assessment of environmental conditions in storage of cultural heritage collections, aiming to incorporate energy considerations, emerging standards and scientific knowledge. Continue reading »

30
Thu May
2013
4

My Tommy’s War: Youth Mourning

Posted by Caroline James in Records and research

This month’s ‘My Tommy’s War’ blog post features the fascinating story of the grief of a young woman on hearing of the death of her fiancé in the First World War. This grief was captured in a stunning oil painting by her father, Sir George Clausen RA.

Sir George Clausen was the great-grandfather of Bruno Derrick, who worked in the Advice and Records Knowledge (ARK) department at The National Archives. Sadly, Bruno passed away last year before he could see his blog posted. As a tribute to Bruno and with the agreement of his family, we have decided to post the story he was keen to share.

As with all of our ‘My Tommy’s War’ posts, it is full of details of research, which we hope will help you in researching your own First World War ancestor.

The blog is all in Bruno’s words. 

Youth Mourning by Sir George Clausen RA © IWM (Art.IWM ART 4655)

Youth Mourning by Sir George Clausen RA © IWM (Art.IWM ART 4655)

Continue reading »