Genealogy Chat

good hunting - It is always more satisfying to see for yourself if possible. I may even see you there!

I asked the RO for a more detailed explanation and they said much the same as Ann re the rolled will. The others are also large, but consist of two pages attached together at the bottom with sealing wax - and it is the sealing wax they wish to preserve, so it means you can't read the bottom of the second page without damaging it. Fair enough.

In view of the importance of Robert Weaver to my family, my hubby wants to make the effort to visit the RO and do what we can, so thanks Ann for your kind offer but I think he'd like to do it himself - having spent 5 years ignoring my efforts to find his family history!!!!

Margaret

I know they have spent some years with volunteers 'flattening' wills so that they can be read. The one will that is too fragile to be opened is available to look at in the RO (or is this the 5th one that is available?) - I saw it and noted down main details but it was v fragile and 'unflattened'. This meant the parchment was in a (slightly flattened) roll and could only be read by rolling the opened paper from side to side. In all fairness it would have damaged the paper to open it out enough to photocopy or photo it. I can look for specific points in them if you like next time.

I know there are quite a few where in the catalogue a specific year or years is not available due to the condition of the document - one of mine is in that category too. Sometimes it is only a month or so within a year which is unavailable, so luck of the draw I guess. As Janet says maybe one day the technology will be there to deal with them.

It could be that they are keeping the book in a controlled environment until such time as the technology exists to preserve it properly.

Frustrating, I know but better than opening and destroying the contents. It's a bit like old archaelogical digs. Where the archaelogists didn't know the relevance of preservation of the site and so archaeloogists today who have the ability to analyse the site find that the materials for dating and/or of relevance have been removed.

I hadn't thought of that Libby. Maybe I'll just have to wait.

One point to consider - could they be short of funding? If so, they are most likely waiting until able to afford preservation and conservation of the documents. I think this the most probable explanation, however if it is the case they should have told you.

Try re-contacting them to ask if this is the reason, at least then you'll know that may be, eventually, you can obtain a copy.

Seems mad to me!! If the spine is so fragile that whatever is inside can never be read then why not open the book, let the binding fall to pieces but then scan everything inside so that it can be read and printed out whenever it is needed.

I see no point in having relics from the past if no one can see them.

Kath. x

Seems a bit ridiculus, why keep them? as you say good to know these records are preserved but if no one can see them what is the point, I dare say some one will come up with the answer

Hi all,

I have been searchng for info on my Robert Weaver for some time. Wonderful Lancashireann found a couple of wills in the Lancashire records office, so I tried to order copies. I found some other stuff too. I am told that that of the 5 documents I wanted, one is greater than A1 so I have to go and photograph it myself, okay, and 3 are "incapable of being opened due to fragility of the paper". Now, I'm all in favour of keeping original documents in an undamaged state, but what is the point of one (or 3 in this case) that cannot be opened? One is described as "the spine is so fragile that we will not allow it to be opened". So there could be hundreds of wills in there that nobody can ever look at. All we can know is "my relly's will is in that book, but it can't be opened so as to look at it.

Have I missed a point?