We were pleased to be invited to the unveiling of a @yorkcivictrust.bsky.social blue plaque at the former Rowntree's Cocoa Works on Haxby Road today. The event had a distinct Kit Kat theme so we made sure to take along some examples of historic packaging from the archive. Which ones do you remember?

In case you missed it, we had an eventful Easter! 16 million of our records, including our massive collection of wills, are now available to search and view on Ancestry.com (and can be accessed for free onsite at the Borthwick). www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Heading back into the office after the Easter weekend...

Although our archive reading room is closed over the Easter weekend, why not explore our newly launched collections - we’d love to hear what you find! www.ancestry.co.uk/search/colle...

Our monthly newsletter is slightly later than usual - we wanted to tie in all our exciting news with the launch of our probate registers and Bishops’ Transcripts onto Ancestry! The probate collection is our Archive of the Month - read on to find out more www.york.ac.uk/borthwick/ne...

Today we've launched our digitised Probate Registers and Bishops' Transcripts collections onto Ancestry. Together that's 16 million records covering 1389-1858 - these can be accessed via a subscription to Ancestry or for free here at the Borthwick! www.ancestry.co.uk/search/colle...

Signal boosting this one - the deadline is 10th April so you still have time to get an application in if you're interested!

A fab little discovery today as we continue to list the archive of printing firm, Sessions of York. These drum kit cards and guitar stickers were made by Sessions for a toy firm in the early 1960s - intended for fans of some little known band called 'The Beatles'😉

Today is March 25th, also known as Lady Day (or the 'Feast of the Annunciation of Our Lady' as written in this 16th century lease from the archive of @merchantshallyork.org). Until 1752 this day marked the start of the new year in England and Wales and it pops up frequently in archival records.

A fantastic new exhibition, drawing on materials from our Southern African and University Archive collections to showcase the art of anti-apartheid activist Norman Kaplan. Open until 30th April at our old home of St Anthony's Hall in central York.

🚨FIXED TERM ARCHIVE JOB KLAXON🚨 We are looking for an experienced archivist to develop and implement a scoping project to re-catalogue and make available the York Archdiocesan Archive (6 months full time, or 12 months part time). Full details at the link: jobs.york.ac.uk/vacancy/proj...

Welcome back 👀(if you know, you know). Photographed in our Terrance Dicks Archive #DoctorWho

The Borthwick holds the records of a wide variety of schools, from Quaker schools, to Grammars, to the York Blue and Grey Coat charitable schools, but did you know you can also find school records in our parish archives? One of the earliest survivals is Aberford School. #SchoolArchivesDay

It's #WorldBookDay and while archives don't tend to be somewhere you find a lot of published books, our new Terrance Dicks Archive came with a full library of his works - and who were we to say no? Let us know if you spot an old favourite among this (very select) selection 📖

March is here at last so it's time for a brand new Borthwick Newsletter. This month we've got four new finding aids for your perusal, some Borthwick historical lore, and an insight into the 'rocky' beginnings of the Rowntree confectionery company... www.york.ac.uk/borthwick/ne...

With the Brontës back in the news, it seems an excellent time to share this 1849 letter by the diarist Charlotte Williams Wynn to her friend Annabel Crewe, speculating on the identity of the 'mysterious Bells', or is that the 'Brodie' sisters of Scotland?? Taken from our Milnes Coates Archive.

This is an amazing resource for anyone working on their York family history, and we're pleased to say the Society is running a second weekly drop in session here at the Borthwick on the main university campus, every Friday from 10am-4pm for all your local history needs 😊 @balhnews.bsky.social

Chocolates AND a poem? This 1930s Terry's advert sets a high standard for #ValentinesDay To you, my dear, this gift I send Expressing love that knows no end. Read in each one a Cupid's dart; Remember that each treasured part Yields up from this fond heart of mine Sweet thoughts of you, my Valentine

Another day, another slightly baffling vintage advert from the archives ('a showerfully good idea' was right there!)

Now we've shared the official highlights of our Collections Development Week, it's time for the unofficial ones, starting with the moment Keeper of Archives Gary Brannan found a (pristine) pair of paper underpants in one of our recent additions.

It's the end of our Collections Development Week and we've got through more than expected! We've reboxed and listed 2 archives & made progress on 2 more, all of our book pillows and weights are sparkling clean, & we've reshelved the vinyl collection of audio engineer and musician John R.T. Davies

Collections Development Week, Day 4: As the searchroom team finish off our Robin Murray Archive, Keeper of Archives Gary Brannan has found time and space in his calendar to continue reboxing the Terrance Dicks Archive. Sadly jelly babies are prohibited in the strongroom.

Collections Development Week, Day 3: we've been looking at the papers of economist Robin Murray, who was known for his pioneering work in cooperative economics and social innovation. The papers cover his work with Twin Trading, and involvement with the ethical brands Divine Chocolate and CafeDirect

Day 2 of our Collections Development Week and we've been re-boxing letters from the archive of journalist, musician and broadcaster Miles Kington. He began his career at Punch magazine and later became famous for his 'Franglais' columns and books.

It's day 1 of our Collections Development Week and we've begun by re-boxing of the archive of playwright and screenwriter John Antrobus. The archive came to us in 47 cardboard and plastic crates and is now in 87 acid-free archive boxes.

The 57 days of January are finally behind us, which means it's time for the first Borthwick Newsletter of 2026! This month we're bringing you not one, but TWO new entertainment archives, along with new podcasts and an exciting Steptoe & Son discovery... www.york.ac.uk/borthwick/ne...

From Monday 2nd - Friday 6th February, we will be closed for our annual Collections Development Week so we can catch up on some important behind-the-scenes tasks. Watch this space to find out what we get up to :) This beautiful capital 'I' is taken from one of our 16th century probate registers.

When you find an incredible advertisement while cataloguing a mid-20th century archive but have no-one to show it to - and then #NationalCheeseLoversDay comes along...

If you're tuned in to BBC Radio York you might catch some discussion of the Yorkshire Historical Dictionary project by former Project Archivist Alexandra Medcalf. Alex will be discussing Yorkshire place names at 12.15pm today! You can find the dictionary here: yorkshiredictionary.york.ac.uk

A hearty Yorkshire welcome to all of our new followers! If you've never had the joy of shivering in our searchroom before, we're a public archive based at the University of York and we look after records dating from the 12th century to the present day. www.york.ac.uk/borthwick/vi...

None of us had to skate to work this morning, but otherwise this is an accurate description of York today! The picture is taken from the scrapbook of young Laura Hannam, begun in 1819 and now part of the university's Rare Books collection.

A very Happy Christmas to those who celebrate from all of us at the Borthwick! This festive card was sent by First World War soldier Herbert Williams to his sweetheart Eva Hill back home in Manchester and is taken from the recently catalogued Alfred Peacock Archive: borthcat.york.ac.uk/pea-1-23-23

And that's us done for the year! Thank you for all your enquiries and your visits over the past 12 months, we'll be back on the 5th January for all your archive needs 😊 In the meantime you can always drop us an email at the usual address: [email protected]

Calling any Skipton based followers here! As we work through the archive of architect George Pace, we've come across a whole stack of rather lovely ink sketches of all the buildings on Skipton High Street made as part of a 'street improvement plan' in the early 1960s.

This year we have been running the Mentally Fit York funded project 'Stories of Mental Health from York: Past, Present and Future.' Working with two brilliant local artists, we have engaged target groups across York with archives from The Retreat. #EYAInclusion @exploreyourarchive.bsky.social

#DidYouKnow over the course of 2025 we have been building Discover, our new Digital Library platform? We'll be adding to the site over the coming months, making more of our collections available wherever you are in the world! discover.york.ac.uk #EYADigital @exploreyourarchive.bsky.social

‪If you want to see our Keeper of Archives @gbrannanarchive.bsky.social talking about our Galton and Simpson archive, look no further!

This deed of King Richard III from January 1485 came to us on deposit earlier this year. It's granting Sir James Tyrell (yes, that one!) the Lieutenancy of Guines Castle in the Marches of Calais. This meant he didn't take part in the Battle of Bosworth. #EYAMedieval @exploreyourarchive.bsky.social

It's time for the last Borthwick newsletter of the year - this month featuring Quality Street, the art of gurning, breeches in the Garden of Eden, and (of course) another sneak peek into our brand new Terrance Dicks Archive... www.york.ac.uk/borthwick/ne...

In March we completed the conservation of an 18th-century parish register from Nevis. The register has been cleaned, repaired and digitised, and returned to Nevis in a special ceremony with dignitaries, parish representatives and the local community. youtu.be/yex_Br6t0ak?... #EYAConservation

Another sneaky look inside our new Terrance Dicks Archive!

It’s a very happy #DoctorWhoDay from us - we’re delighted to announce we’ve successfully acquired the archive of Whoniverse legend Terrance Dicks 😲 Read more at the link: www.york.ac.uk/borthwick/ne...

Not to get ahead of ourselves but we are just putting the finishing touches to a VERY exciting announcement for Doctor Who Day on Sunday. Watch this space... (pun absolutely intended).

Did you know gurning, or 'pulling a face', has a long and fascinating history? You can find out more in our guest blog from @uoylibrary.bsky.social colleague Simon Batchelor who takes a closer look at one of the rare books in our Cooper Abbs Collection. blogs.york.ac.uk/borthwick-in...

If you missed out on the UK snow this morning feel free to make your own, courtesy of this 18th century recipe from the archive of the Earls of Halifax. All you'll need is a quart of cream, 6 egg whites, rose water & sugar, and the crucial 'Cloven stick' or 'bunch of twiggs' for the beating.

And here's the baptism record of 'Guye Fawxe', son to Edward Fawxe. Taken from the parish register of St Michael le Belfrey which is held here at the Borthwick. He was baptised on the 16th April 1570. Fun fact: the entry below Guy's is a little faded from all the fingers run across it!

November has arrived and so has our latest newsletter! This month including thousands of historic hospital records digitised for free online, a glimpse inside the Galton and Simpson archive, and a fascinating First World War collection (featuring this beautiful card). www.york.ac.uk/borthwick/ne...

You might think a Rowntree's Easter catalogue could have nothing to do with #Halloween, but that's because you haven't seen the two-sided chocolate twin face egg of 1932. A bargain at 1 shilling.

Whilst it might not count as one of your 5 a day, we think the Terry's Dessert Apple is worth a mention on #AppleDay! Launched in 1926, this Terry's of York product looked like an apple, but didn't taste like one. It was made of dark chocolate and intended as an after-dinner novelty.

On 3rd November The Rowntree Society will be shining a light on a little known aspect of Rowntree history - their newspaper ownership in the early 20th century. You can find out more (& get your free tickets) at the link below, or scan the QR code on the poster! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/rowntree-n...