40-808: The Public Record Office (abbreviated as PRO , pronounced as three letters and referred to as the PRO), Chancery Lane in the City of London , was the guardian of the national archives of the United Kingdom from 1838 until 2003, when it was merged with the Historical Manuscripts Commission to form The National Archives , based in Kew . It was under the control of the Master of the Rolls ,
80-469: A limited number of documents. These charges were abolished for serious historical and literary researchers after a petition was signed in 1851 by 83 people including Charles Dickens and the historians Lord Macaulay and Thomas Carlyle . Between 1851 and 1858 a purpose-built archive repository was built next to the Rolls Chapel, to the design of the architect Sir James Pennethorne , and following
120-487: A senior judge whose job originally had included responsibility for keeping the records of the Court of Chancery . Its original premises were the mediaeval Rolls Chapel (the former Domus Conversorum , a chapel for Jews who had converted to Christianity), on Chancery Lane at the western extremity of the City of London , near the border with the City of Westminster . The first Master of the Rolls to take on this responsibility
160-499: A senior judge. The Public Record Office still exists as a legal entity, as the enabling legislation has not been modified. The Public Record Office was established in 1838, to reform the keeping of government and court records which were being held, sometimes in poor conditions, in a variety of places. Some of these were court or departmental archives (established for several centuries) which were well-run and had good or adequate catalogues; others were little more than store-rooms. Many of
200-515: A short distance from Chancery Lane's northern end. Historically, the street was associated with the legal profession , an association which continues to the present day; however, consulting firms, ancillary businesses and the Maughan Library also occupy the street. Lincoln's Inn occupies most of the western side north of Carey Street. The side of the street that falls in the City of London
240-526: Is a one-way street that forms part of the western boundary of the City of London . The east side of the street is entirely within the City, whilst the west side is in the City of Westminster south of Carey Street and the London Borough of Camden north of that street. The route originated as a 'new lane' created by the Knights Templar from their original 'old Temple' on the site of
280-399: Is now located at The National Archives ; while the indexes, originally compiled in manual form, but which began to be entered onto a database from about 1980, are now incorporated into The National Archives' "Discovery" catalogue. The Manorial Documents Register (MDR) is a central register recording the nature and location of English and Welsh manorial archives. It was originally set up by
320-531: Is now the Maughan Library , the university's largest library. In April 2003 the PRO merged with the Historical Manuscripts Commission (HMC) to form The National Archives . The HMC moved from its previous office, also located off Chancery Lane, to Kew in 2004. The National Archives of Scotland and the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland were and remain separate institutions. The archive held
360-475: Is now the sole Historical Manuscripts Commissioner, while the role of Secretary of the Commission is combined with that of Head of Archives Sector Development. Since the creation of The National Archives the role of Secretary of the Commission has been filled by Nicholas Kingsley , 2005–15 and Isobel Hunter , 2015–date. Until 1945, the principal medium through which the Commission disseminated its findings
400-481: Is situated in the ward of Farringdon Without . Local government boundaries were changed considerably in this area in 1994 – previously only a small part of the street, on its southern end, was within the City. Chancery Lane takes its name from the historic High Court of Chancery , which started its association with the area when Robert de Chesney , the Bishop of Lincoln acquired the 'old Temple' in 1161. The road
440-708: The Historical Manuscripts Commission , and abbreviated as the HMC to distinguish it from the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England ), was a United Kingdom Royal Commission established in 1869 to survey and report on privately owned and privately held archival records of general historical interest. Its brief was "to make inquiry as to the places in which such Manuscripts and Papers were deposited", and to report on their contents. It remained in existence until 2003, when it merged with
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#1732765412297480-558: The Public Record Office (which has since become the National Archives ), the present Grade II* listed , Gothic Revival building designed by Sir James Pennethorne was built in 1851. In 1907 it became the museum of the Public Record Office and throughout the latter half of the 20th century records gradually moved to a new site located in Kew . In 2001 it underwent renovation and became the Maughan Library ,
520-483: The Public Record Office to form The National Archives . Although it technically survives as a legal entity, its work is now entirely subsumed into that of The National Archives. Following the passing of the Public Record Office Act 1838 , which made statutory provision for the care of government archives, pressure began to grow for the state to pay attention to privately owned records. Largely on
560-490: The 15th report (1899). In the same period, however, it began to publish its more detailed reports on collections as separate octavo volumes (or, in many cases, multi-volume series), with the material predominantly presented in calendar form. Over the next century it published some 200 such volumes before the series was discontinued: the final volume (the fifth in a series on the papers of the Finch family) appeared in 2004. In 1968
600-719: The Commission itself may be regarded as a branch of the Record Office". However, in the wake of the Public Records Act 1958 (which transferred responsibility for public records to the Lord Chancellor , while the Commission remained under the authority of the Master of the Rolls) the two bodies diverged to achieve a greater degree of independence from one another. A new Royal Warrant, dated 5 December 1959, gave
640-406: The Commission published a general survey of the papers of 19th-century United Kingdom Prime Ministers ; and this was followed (between 1971 and 1985) by six volumes of editions of selected papers of Gladstone , Wellington and Palmerston . Between 1982 and 2003, the Commission published twelve thematic volumes in its series Guides to Sources for British History , based in part on the contents of
680-567: The Commission revised and greatly extended terms of reference. Over the next few decades the Secretaries to the Commission included Roger Ellis, 1957–72, Godfrey Davis , 1972–82, Brian Smith , 1982–92 and Christopher Kitching , 1992–2004. This period of independence ended in April 2003, when another Royal Warrant effectively merged the Commission with the PRO to form the new National Archives . The Chief Executive and Keeper of Public Records
720-486: The Commissioners' direction. Later inspectors included Henry Maxwell Lyte , John Knox Laughton , Joseph Stevenson , Reginald Lane Poole , W. D. Macray , J. K. Laughton , Horatio Brown , W. J. Hardy and John Gwenogvryn Evans . Throughout the 19th and early 20th century the Commission remained closely associated with the Public Record Office : indeed, in 1912 it was stated that "for all practical purposes
760-576: The Master of the Rolls in 1926 (in the aftermath of the Law of Property Act 1922 and Law of Property Amendment Act 1924 ), and was initially maintained by the Public Record Office. Under the terms of the 1959 Royal Warrant responsibility for it was transferred to the HMC; and since 2003 it has been maintained by The National Archives. The hard-copy Register is in the process of being computerised: those parts which have been completed are available online. Until 1959
800-559: The National Register of Archives (see below). Topics covered included the papers of British cabinet ministers; of British colonial governors ; of the British textile, leather and metal-processing industries; and of British antiquaries and historians. Between 1962 and 1980, the Commission entered into partnerships with local record societies to publish 27 volumes of editions and calendars of significant manuscripts, in what
840-609: The PRO. Even so, growing interest in the records produced a need for the Office to expand, and in 1977 a second building was opened at Kew in south-west London. The Kew building was expanded in the 1990s and by 1997 all records had been transferred from Chancery Lane either to Kew or to the Family Records Centre in Islington , North London. The Chancery Lane building was acquired by King's College London in 2001, and
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#1732765412297880-475: The Records. They were shortly afterwards joined by George Butler, Bishop of Limerick ; and Lord Talbot de Malahide . A new Royal Warrant of 1876 confirmed the appointment of what had effectively become a standing commission; and the Commission's work was extended by further warrants dated 18 December 1897 and 27 March 1919. Four inspectors (including H. T. Riley ) were appointed in 1869 to survey records under
920-524: The UK's Freedom of Information Act 2000 came into full effect in 2005: the 30 year rule was abolished and closed records in The National Archives became subject to the same access controls as other records of public authorities. Some records do remain closed for longer periods, however: individual census returns, for example, are kept closed for 100 years. From 1838 to 1958 the nominal head of
960-549: The archival collections that had been inspected, in a combination of lists, calendars and transcripts of selected documents. The first such report was published, as a folio volume, in 1870: the appendix included reports on the manuscript collections of 44 corporate bodies and 36 private owners in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, and one located overseas (English manuscripts at Heidelberg University ). Eight further reports, with increasingly detailed appendixes, were issued over
1000-451: The chapel's demolition due to structural unsoundness, was extended onto that original site between 1895 and 1900. The growing size of the archives held by the PRO and by government departments led to the Public Records Act 1958 , which sought to avoid the indiscriminate retention of huge numbers of documents by establishing standard selection procedures for the identification of those documents of sufficient historical importance to be kept by
1040-464: The following years, the ninth and last in folio format appearing in 1883–4. Although the contents of many of the appendixes have been superseded by more comprehensive publications and finding aids , this is not invariably the case, and a number of the early reports continue to be used by researchers. From its 10th report (1885) onwards the Commission switched to an octavo format, although it continued to include significant material in appendixes down to
1080-630: The important Six Clerks office. On the eastern side of the street, below Bream's Buildings and opposite the Law Society , was the original site of the Domus Conversorum founded by King Henry III in the 13th century. In the 14th century it became the estate of the Master of the Rolls , which included an official residence (Rolls House, based on the Domus Conversorum and storage for court records). The site later became
1120-575: The initiative of Lord Romilly , the Master of the Rolls , the first Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts was appointed by Royal Warrant dated 2 April 1869. The first Commissioners were Romilly himself (as chairman); the Marquess of Salisbury ; the Earl of Airlie ; Earl Stanhope ; Lord Edmοnd Petty-Fitzmaurice ; Sir William Stirling-Maxwell ; Charles Russell , President of Maynooth College ; George Webbe Dasent ; and T. D. Hardy , Deputy Keeper of
1160-479: The largest academic library of King's College London . The Patent Office was originally situated off Southampton Buildings and some of the minor side streets also are named after their associations with now defunct legal practices, such as Rolls Buildings and Cursitor Alley. Just to the south of the Maughan Library is the site of the former Serjeant's Inn . The principal building of The Law Society ,
1200-630: The office, known as the Keeper of the Records, was the Master of the Rolls of the day. The chief executive officer who oversaw the office's day-to-day operations was known as the Deputy Keeper of the Records. Deputy Keepers from 1838 to 1958 were: The 1958 act transferred responsibility for the PRO from the Master of the Rolls to the Lord Chancellor ; and the title of the chief executive was changed to Keeper of Public Records. The Keepers from 1958 to 2003 were: Chancery Lane Chancery Lane
1240-542: The official collection of records of public business for England, Wales and the central UK government , including the records of court proceedings going back to the Middle Ages , and the original manuscript of Domesday Book . Under the 1958 act, most documents held by the PRO were kept "closed" (or secret ) for 50 years: under an amending act of 1967 this period was reduced to 30 years (the so-called " thirty year rule "). These provisions changed significantly when
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1280-611: The online ARCHON directory maintained by The National Archives. The National Register of Archives (NRA) was established by the Commission in 1945, following the recommendations of the report on British Records after the War published by the British Records Association in 1943. It was designed as a central register, accessible to researchers, of the nature and location of local and private archives and manuscripts relating to British history; and it rapidly grew in
1320-557: The post-War years to become the principal medium through which the Commission accumulated and disseminated information about archives. The NRA consists of a collection of published and unpublished lists and catalogues of archival collections. Some have been compiled by the Commission's own staff, but the majority are copies of lists compiled by the local and other repositories in which the records are held. The Register also includes placename and personal name indexes to these lists, as well as some basic subject indexes. The hard-copy Register
1360-543: The present Southampton Buildings on Holborn , in order to access to their newly acquired property to the south of Fleet Street (the present Temple ) sometime before 1161. Chancery Lane, numbered the B400 in the British road numbering scheme , connects Fleet Street at its southern origin with High Holborn . It gives its name to Chancery Lane Underground station which lies at the junction of Holborn and Gray's Inn Road ,
1400-477: The professional body for solicitors in England and Wales, is at No. 113. Ede and Ravenscroft , the oldest tailors in London, have their main (and historic) outlet and offices at No. 93, which is also their outlet for legal dress . The London Silver Vaults are located at the northern end of Chancery Lane. Historical Manuscripts Commission The Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts (widely known as
1440-512: The professional staff of these individual archives simply continued their existing work in the new institution. Many documents were transferred from the Tower of London and the Chapter House of Westminster Abbey , though Domesday Book was not moved from Westminster Abbey until 1859, when proper storage had been prepared. The PRO was placed under the control of the Master of the Rolls ,
1480-551: Was Lord Langdale (d.1851) although his Deputy Keeper, the historian Sir Francis Palgrave (who wrote a voluminous work on ancient writs , many of which were housed in the PRO), had full-time responsibility for running the Office. Until 1852 no right existed for the general public to consult the records freely, even for scholarly purposes, despite the intention of the Public Record Office Act 1838 to enable public access. Fees were payable by lawyers who in return were permitted to consult
1520-483: Was called its Joint Publications series. In 1964, the Commission first published its Record Repositories in Great Britain , a geographical directory to publicly accessible national, local and specialist archive repositories . This was regularly updated and reissued in revised editions, and became a standard resource for researchers. The last edition was the 11th, published in 1999: it has now been superseded by
1560-640: Was originally known as New Street. It was renamed in 1377 to Chancellors Lane when King Edward II took over running of the Domus Conversorum (House of the Converts), a residence and chapel for Jews converted to Christianity , to use as the Keeper of the Rolls of Chancery. In later centuries the Court convened in Lincoln's Inn Old Hall and other buildings there for the Court's purposes, such as
1600-509: Was publication: thereafter, it developed other channels of communication (notably the National Register of Archives: see below), but publication always remained important. Throughout its existence, the Commission published periodical reports to the Crown in the form of command papers . The reports themselves were relatively brief and conventional, but in the early years they were accompanied by lengthy appendixes comprising detailed descriptions of
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