The Towneley Manuscripts, 17th century
Project cost: £5,877
Grant award: £5,182
The volumes that have now been conserved are transcriptions made by Christopher Towneley (1603/4 – 1674), an Antiquarian known as ‘The Transcriber’, and the son of Richard Towneley of Towneley Hall, Lancashire. He spent many years transcribing public records, deeds, cartularies, genealogies and other documents relating to the history of Lancashire, Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and the ancient and noble Towneley family of Towneley Hall, Lancashire, of which he was a part.
Although the manuscripts were compiled in the 17th century, some of the transcribed documents date from the Tudor period and earlier making it a source of interest to a variety of scholars studying these large, pivotal counties. These have been drawn upon heavily by many later historians, including the authors of the Victoria County History of Lancashire.
There are several volumes of his work held by a number of institutions with Archives: Wigan & Leigh holding seven. Four have received conservation treatment, but the remaining three are in poor condition, with lost bindings, mould and water damage, and corrosion from iron gall ink.
This generous grant funded the conservation of these three volumes, making the volumes available for safe consultation in the public searchroom. The documents have been digitised to allow wider access. Our social media posts about the conservation work were seen by the volunteers at Towneley Hall in Lancashire, and they arranged a visit, along with Cllr Cosima Towneley, to see the conservation work being undertaken, talk to the conservator, and learn more about this collection.
At our last Archive Accreditation review, submitted in 2024, we were urged to continue to make progress against our Conservation Action Plan before our next submission in 2027. This work has enabled us to provide tangible evidence of progress.
A volume before conservation.
