Explore Your Archive

💫 Exciting announcement 🥳 EYA Focus Week is back, taking place 21st-29th November this year! Each day has a different theme, so it’s the perfect time to showcase your collections 🔍 Time to start preparing, we can’t wait to see your posts! #ExploreYourArchive

Before folklore was written down, it was shared through stories. For this month's #ExploreYourArchive theme, folklore, we're celebrating Ellen Sloggett (1850-1923), better known as Enys Tregarthen, whose writing helped preserve tales passed down in North Cornwall.

The ruins of Netley Abbey abound with supernatural tales, including those of Blind Peter, the ghostly monk protecting hidden treasure and Walter Taylor who ignored a dream warning against the demolition of the building and was killed by falling masonry. #EYAFolklore

Our #LocalStudies library is home to quite a collection of Derbyshire folklore: from ghostly legends to curious local tales, we’ve gathered some wonderful stories over the years. #EYAFolklore #LocalHistory

Goblins come in all shapes and sizes - including furry! This engraving of Laura being tempted to buy fruit from the Goblin Market is by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, who made the work for his sister Christina Rossetti's famous poem. #eyafolklore #goblins #poems #christinarossetti

Former SOAS academic and linguist Alice Werner wrote extensively on African mythology. Explore her work here: https://devblog.soas.ac.uk/archives/2014/03/20/alice-werner-linguist-writer-and-teacher/ #EYAFolklore

Marie Blanche Head’s documentation of Chin‑Kuki‑Mizo (Zomi) folk‑lore offers an important contribution to the study of Tibeto‑Burman cultural heritage in the Chin Hills of Burma (Myanmar). #EYAFolklore https://archives.soas.ac.uk/records/MS_381325

Hausa folk-lore, customs, proverbs, etc. collected and transliterated with English translation and note, 1913. #EYAFolklore https://ow.ly/qRsT50ZQxVa

#FamilyHistory can be difficult if your ancestors moved around for work, such as Thomas Fletcher, a Ballad Singer or Travelling Book something... We can't make out that final word - can anyone work out what comes after 'Book'? #EYAFolklore #palaeography

This month’s #ExploreYourArchive theme is folklore. This 1930s lantern slide depicts a medieval nun known as Saint Radegund, who opened a monastery and nursed the infirm. Discover more niche nursing history in our archive: https://bit.ly/3WB9svo

In the 1740s, a young elm tree at South Baddesley, was heard emitting agonised groans. Visitors, including the Prince and Princess of Wales, came to listen to the Hampshire Groaning Tree until the sounds ceased when a hole was drilled in the trunk to investigate the cause. #EYAFolklore

The nights are drawing in earlier and it is feeling rather autumnal... This rather spooky image is taken from our papers on demonology buff.ly/WEHbaNi (MS268) and depicts Dr Faustus meeting Lucifer... #EYAFolklore

वृन्दावन शोध संस्थान में सांस्कृतिक वस्तुएँ: सचित्र पांडुलिपियाँ; Illustration showing Arjuna, Bhīṣma and Kṛṣṇa from a manuscript of Viṣṇusahasranāmastotra #EYAFolklore https://ow.ly/YHto50ZQwvl

Eldon Hole is a vast 55m-deep pothole, named one of the Wonders of the Peak by Thomas Hobbes in 1636. This impressive natural feature has long inspired local folklore, with stories linking it to the Devil and other mysteries beneath the earth. Would you dare explore its depths? #EYAFolklore

Indo-Chinese gleaner; containing miscellaneous communications on the literature, history, philosophy, mythology, &c. of the Indo-Chinese nations, 1820. From the library of Robert Morrison #EYAFolklore https://ow.ly/S6GH50ZQxqT

Séamus Delargy's library includes a vast collection of folklore books from all over the world, including this Slovenian book of Irish Fairytales, and a children's book of Pomeranian legends photographed below! #EYAFolklore #ExploreYourArchive @exploreyourarchive.bsky.social @araireland.bsky.social

St. Etheldreda’s Church, Hyssington, is first recorded in the 13th century. Local legend has it that the church was terrorised by the Bull of Bagbury, which was eventually shrunk and imprisoned in a snuff box, now buried beneath the church’s entrance stone 📸RCAHMW, 2019 zurl.co/Dxi7V #EYAFolklore

Fancy some morris dancing? We're seizing our sticks, handkerchiefs and ribbons with bells on to bring you these wonderful images of the student Stag Hill Morris team, taken at Guildford Cathedral in 1976. Ref. Acc2023-39 (c) Martin Hewitt #EYAFolklore #morrisdancing #morrisdancers

L. du Garde Peach wrote a series of Children’s Hour radio plays in the 1930s exploring the stories behind Britain’s castles. Our latest find is his script for Hardwick Hall — a short drama blending real history with Derbyshire folklore. #EYAFolklore #1930s #drama #radio

Madupurekavi. A Sinhalese ballad on a legend of the healing of a Ṣēramān-rāja' s headache through worship of the goddess Pattini with dances and sacrifices. Written on palm-leaves. #EYAFolklore https://ow.ly/gSmL50ZQwa6

King Arthur, knights, quests and legends... For October's #ExploreYourArchive theme, folklore, we're sharing ‘King Arthur's Wood’ (1904), written and illustrated by Elizabeth Adela Forbes for her son Alec.

The Explore Your Archives theme for October is #EYAFolklore - the booklet 'Hants & Dorset's Folklore and Legends' was published in 1975 buff.ly/8SXXpFp - the cover shows the 'Miraculous beam' at Christchurch Priory, said to have been altered by a mysterious carpenter after it was cut too short

The new theme for October is #EYAFolklore ✨ Make sure to tag us and use the hashtag to get involved, we can’t wait to see your fantastic folklore posts! #ExploreYourArchive

Mohammed's winged mare (buraq) from Paintings illustrating Turkish costumes (MS 60368), late C18th. #EYAFolklore

The Explore Your Archive theme for Deireadh Fómhair | October is #EYABéaloideas | #EYAFolklore Get involved and remember to tag @araireland.bsky.social & @exploreyourarchive.bsky.social in your posts! #ExploreYourArchive #CuardaighDoChartlann

The county gaol in Carmarthen was designed by the architect John Nash, and built in about 1790 It's been demolished, but fortunately, photographers from the National Building Record captured this image of the front entrance in 1933 zurl.co/U2Aat #EYAErased #Coflein #WelshHistory #ExploreYourArchive

A 1930s photograph of Ashopton Village and the Ashopton Inn, taken just before they were erased by flooding for Ladybower Reservoir. Work on the dam began in 1935 and continued through WWII. The reservoir now supplies water to Sheffield, Derbyshire, Leicester, and Nottingham. #EYAErased #1930s

For #EYAErased we thought we'd share this will from 1568 recently produced from our strongrooms for an enquirer. The dirt is so ingrained into this piece of parchment that we have to be careful when cleaning it as ink sits on top of the parchment and could be easily erased! #ExploreYourArchive

Woodworm and wood weevils can turn any document into a fine mesh of losses, which is why archives have policies and procedures in place - such as quarantining new accessions - to stop pests getting into the stores. #EYAErased #ArchiveConservation

Residence of Aberystwyth from the 1930s to the 1980s will be very familiar with this iconic art deco building: the Kings Hall. It hosted many famous performers, including the Rolling Stones in September 1963 Demolished in 1989 📸RCAHMW, 1987 📸A. Chater, 1963 zurl.co/Q7at0 #EYAErased #welshhistory

👀 Look closely at this 1940 photograph of the St Dennis war memorial. Can you spot what's missing? Three names had been removed, leaving blank spaces among those commemorated. The image accompanied a newspaper article documenting a heated local debate in the village...

In 1904, a purpose-built Post Office was built on Thompson Street, Barry It was demolished in the 1970s and residential buildings were built on the site Luckily, a record of the post office remains in the form of these beautiful illustrations by the Property Services Agency zurl.co/gT47O #EYAErased

What happens when a design travels & its name changes? For this month’s #BookOfTheMonth, we’re exploring the history of boteh, aka paisley, through the #KarunThakar Collection & @exploreyourarchive.bsky.social #EYAErased theme. #NationalYearofReading textiles @dmu.ac.uk @librarydmu.bsky.social

'Eclipsed' - Patricia Burke Brogan Premiered in Galway in 1992, this play follows five women erased from society and confined to a 1960s Magdalen Laundry after becoming pregnant out of wedlock #ExploreYourArchive #EYAErased @araireland.bsky.social @exploreyourarchive.bsky.social

Roy Palmer’s ‘The Demolition of Derby’ provides an overview of a how the city evolved over the 20th century, highlighting lost buildings and streets, and their histories. Find a copy in our #LocalStudies library. #EYAErased #Derby #LocalHistory

Pontysgawrhyd was a H-shaped, timber framed farmhouse built in the late 16th century. Demolished in 1956, little trace of it remains on the landscape. Fortunately, G.B.Mason of the NMR conducted a 📸survey of it in 1955. That record is preserved in perpetuity here at NMRW zurl.co/AvJ1C #EYAErased

A curious register entry from 3 June 1923 shows an unrecorded amendment: originally written as Leslie Clare, later altered to Carl. A descendant confirmed in 2023 that “Clare” was correct. The change was likely made by Leslie himself, while he was a churchwarden at Twyford. #EYAErased

These stamps featuring King George V, overprinted in Irish with 'Rialtas Sealadach na h-Éireann 1922' (Provisional Government of Ireland 1922), are a powerful symbol of Ireland's transition from British rule to an independent free state doi.org/10.7486/DRI.... #EYAErased #ExploreYourArchive

This photograph shows why all archives are wary of silverfish, which thrive in damp conditions: most of the image has been devoured, leaving only the linked arms of this - presumably - bride and groom. #EYAErased

@exploreyourarchive.bsky.social Can anyone decipher which passage was erased from Sir Jasper Nicolls' notes prior to the publication of the Duke's dispatches? #WellingtonWednesday #EYAErased buff.ly/L2dBiFE

✨New month, new theme! ✨ For September, the theme is #EYAErased 👀 Make sure to tag us and use the hashtag to get involved, we can’t wait to see your posts! #ExploreYourArchive

Don't erase history! #EYAErased Montage of selected documents from the Modern Records Centre. Artistic display of erasers absolutely not created by a bored archivist. Explore your archive #ArchivesForAll www.exploreyourarchive.org

The Explore Your Archive theme for Meán Fómhair | September is #EYAScriosta | #EYAErased Get involved and remember to tag @araireland.bsky.social & @exploreyourarchive.bsky.social in your posts #ExploreYourArchive #CuardaighDoChartlann

Would it surprise you to find a lion in the Derbyshire village of Bonsall? Well if you were there in 1987 you could - at least as part of this colourful well dressing! #PhotoFriday #EYASurprise #WellDressing #1980s

Archives sometimes turn up in surprising places… These two documents, recording the construction of the new St Mary's Priory school wing in 1875-6, were found lodged inside one of its walls during renovation work in 1969. They are now safely housed in our strongroom! #EYASurprise #SchoolArchives

The @exploreyourarchive.bsky.social focus week will be between the 21st-29th November 2026! Start preparing by viewing the themes below:

ICYMI Do you recall this pop-up book & its #EYASurprises? 👀📚 Turn the wheels, peek beneath the flaps, open, fold & explore! Jan Pieńkowski’s Robot is our latest #BOTM blog post buff.ly/K8OBgCp 🤖✨ #NationalYearofReading @librarydmu.bsky.social #ExploreYourArchive @exploreyourarchive #childrensbooks

Look what we found, a #EYASurprise collection crossover! It appears that E.H. Shepard used a copy of Bentham and Hooker’s ‘Handbook of the British Flora’ to draw these beautiful flowers. Here they are alongside our copy of the book in the Thomas Farrer Collection (TF/1890). © The Shepard Trust

Anyone fancy an ice cream? Then why not try making a 1980s recipe from Hayfield Primary School for Lemon Ice Cream Surprise. An ice cream cake with lemon and chocolate? Yes please! 😋 #EYASurprise #HistFood #1980s #IceCream

We found lots of surprises when recently cataloguing the scrapbooks of the Maidenhead Motor Cycle and Light Car Club! Including a burnt candle and a bit of a plant!🕯️🪴 #EYASurprise

This rare early photo, taken sometime before 1883, shows the anatomy theatre at the RCPs Warwick Lane HQ built in the 1670s. 👉 history.rcp.ac.uk/about/archit... It was collected by Dr Farre, a 19th C RCP member who compiled a scrapbook of items illustrating key RCP events. #EYAsurprise