Read the story of artist John Jackson R.A., told through a series of surviving letters written to his family, and see some of his early sketches. Born in the North Yorkshire village of Lastingham in 1778, originally intended to become a tailor, his talent was noticed by the Earl of Mulgrave. He went on to become a a successful portrait painter and skilful copyist.… Read More Letters of John Jackson R.A.
An interesting collection of records is held by the Record Office, which gives some idea of what life was like in Harrogate during the Second World War for an ordinary family… Read More Wartime Harrogate
North Riding Quarter Sessions and other records help to shed light on the interesting tale of George Sanger, vicar of Carlton in Cleveland, accused of burning down the church in 1881.… Read More The case of the fire at St Botolph’s church, Carlton-in-Cleveland in 1881
Sion Hill was one of the latest country houses to be built in England at the beginning of the 20th century, designed by renowned York architect Walter H. Brierley and completed just before the outbreak of the First World War. Told through correspondence and plans within the Stancliffe family archive held at the County Record Office, read the fascinating story of the purchase of the Sion Hill Estate and the building of the new house for Percy and Ethel Stancliffe between 1911 and 1914.… Read More The building of Sion Hill, North Yorkshire: a late-Edwardian country house
Following our two previous posts about Arctic explorer Thomas Blanky, read more about his life that has come to light through further research.… Read More More on Arctic voyager Thomas Blanky…
Read all about a 1794 plan of the defences of Whitby, made by Francis Gibson, who commanded the first Whitby company of volunteers formed at a time when Britain was under threat of invasion by France, which had declared war in 1793. … Read More Francis Gibson’s plan of the defences of Whitby, 1794
On 1st April 2023 the Record Office will become part of the new North Yorkshire Council and North Yorkshire County Council will cease to exist. To mark this occasion, this post looks back at the early days of the County Council and the County Record Office.… Read More North Yorkshire County Council 1974-2023: a view from the archives
Have you ever held an historic document up to the light, noticed an image or pattern within the paper and wondered how it got there and why? These images can tell us a great deal about the manufacture and date of the paper and much more. In this blog, using examples from documents within our collections, you can see a fascinating range of the designs that were used and some of the stories they can tell. … Read More Patterns in paper: an introduction to watermarks found within Record Office collections
Did you know that we regularly receive material to add to our archive collections? Our latest blog coincides with our new temporary exhibition, in which you can see a wide range of items that have recently been added to our collections – from 600 year old deeds to items from the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest when it was held in Harrogate in 1982. … Read More New collections: From 600 year old deeds to the Eurovision Song Contest!
Find out more about talented amateur photographer Louisa Kruckenberg and her images of Lower Dunsforth and area in this blog by Danielle Spargo… Read More The rediscovered photographs of Louisa Kruckenberg
North Yorkshire County Record Office 