Jennifer Gill - The Durham County Record Office

Today's speaker gave us a very interesting overview of the work of the Durham County Record Office.  Jennifer explained that the Record Office had been in existence for 44 years and moved to its present location in County Hall (the "Kremlin"!) when it was opened in 1963.  It is staffed by four qualified archivists and six auxiliary assistants and is open to the public for four days a week.  In an effort to dispel the myth that "archive" must equate with "old" Jennifer stressed that the most recent records relate to 2006 and that we all possess archives of some, sort many of which would be welcome additions to the archives.  In particular, personal diaries that describe life and times in the County can be very important.
After outlining the security precautions necessary for the protection of archives, including fire protection, and temperature and humidity control, Jennifer then went on to show us images of a few of the documents held in the Record Office.  She started with the oldest - the original City Charter of 1180.  Issued by the Pope in the name of the Bishop of Durham, this is principally concerned with giving rights to the citizens of Durham to hold a market.  Other historical items include records of the Quarter Sessions dating back to 1596.  Inevitably, perhaps, given its current popularity, family history research accounts for the majority of visitors to the Record Office, where parish registers and census records can be searched on microfilm and computer databases.
Responding to a number of questions, Jennifer rounded off her presentation by describing the challenge that electronic digital records now pose for the professional archivist and the problems of resolving the conflict between the requirements of the Freedom of Information and Data Protection legislation.

I can recommend a visit the Record Office's website (click here) to gain further insight to the breadth and depth of the records held there.