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...

Perceptions of mental health and its treatment have changed enormously over the past 250 years. This #WorldMentalHealthDay we're pleased to announce you can now view records from 3 of York's historic psychiatric hospitals online: Bootham Park, Clifton and The Retreat discover.york.ac.uk/collections/

Explore the strange, unsettling tale of Hannah Beswick, the 18th-century woman whose body was preserved and placed on display in Manchester. Long wrapped in folklore as the 'Manchester Mummy', author Hannah Priest reveals the truth: open.spotify.com/episode/4hsi... @uoyborthwick.bsky.social

New Podcast Alert!! Out of the Archive Box, our Borthwick podcast, is BACK! Join Access & Digital Engagement Archivist @Lauray-archives.bsky.social as she chats to Hannah Priest, author of 'Unburied: The True Story of Hannah Beswick, the Manchester Mummy' about her research! buff.ly/HHS9V4o.

It's 1st October and time for the latest edition of the Borthwick Newsletter! This month we feature 4 new catalogues, 3 new podcasts, some early comedy scripts, and a look behind the scenes of the famous Jorvik Viking Centre. www.york.ac.uk/borthwick/ne...

Our new Borthwick Paper podcast is now available for your listening pleasure - Ruby Hogan examines changing conceptions of childhood, 1870-1914, through the archives of the Mount School, York, here at the Borthwick. open.spotify.com/episode/0S8P...

This painting was created by George Isaac Sidebottom, a patient at The Retreat psychiatric hospital in York from 1894-1912. It shows the hospital grounds and some of the pastimes available to patients - with 4 dogs, a rat (?) and an elusive cat included for today's #OnlineArtExchange animal theme!

Love books? Us too! From now until 3rd October there’s a chance to get your hands on some of the Borthwick's back catalogue - with all available stock 50% off. Browse online or pop by our searchroom in person. On Friday 3rd we'll be open 10am-3pm, with bundle discounts on selected titles

As it's a Victorian theme for this week's #OnlineArtExchange for @artukdotorg.bsky.social we couldn't resist adding this entertaining mathematical sketch from one of the girls of the Mount School, York, in 1895.

Latest Ep out now. We chat about the road trip to the Galton & Simpson archive @uoyborthwick.bsky.social and review the Desperate Hours: linktr.ee/steppodandson

If you're in the Burton Library @uoylibrary.bsky.social, don't miss our new student-curated archives exhibition! The cases include copies of items from the Rowntree & Co archive curated by our Archives Insight Week students back in June. We had so much fun working with them on this project!

We're back at University of York Open Days with an archives display in our searchroom @uoylibrary.bsky.social! Pop in and see us on the first floor of the Burton Library to find out more about our amazing collections and how we support teaching and learning. We'll be here between 10am and 3pm!

Another fascinating item from the Alfred Peacock Archive (currently being catalogued). This small stiff piece of fabric is labelled as a relic of a German aeroplane, retrieved on 9th August 1918 at the Battle of Amiens. The design suggests the printed 'lozenge camouflage' in use from late 1916.

September is finally here and so is our latest newsletter! This month featuring The Goon Show Preservation Society, the first census, a surprise accession (often the best kind) and the charitable legacy of the remarkable Lady Elizabeth Hastings. www.york.ac.uk/borthwick/ne...

Among the records of the York Spiritualist Centre we have a fascinating album of 'spirit photographs' taken at York by William Hope in 1930 & 1932. These ghostly images purported to capture local people with their 'psychic extras', some of whom were known to the sitters #WorldPhotographyDay

Another fascinating find in the Peacock Archive - picture postcards sent home by Private Clarence Long which show life at Heuberg Prisoner of War camp. Clarence was from Bradford & joined up in 1915 but was captured at the Somme on 1st July 1916, spending the remainder of the war as a German POW.

A small surprise found tucked away in the pages of this First World War Field Service Pocket Book this morning! The book belonged to William Thomas Benfield of the South Wales Borderers and it's part of the archive of local military historian Alfred Peacock: borthcat.york.ac.uk/pea