Oxford University Museum of Natural History

The conservation of the Buckland Archive 1784-1856    
Project cost:   £28,140
Grant award:   £10,000

Jenny Haimes, Development Officer, and Danielle Czerkaszyn, Librarian and Archivist, write:   Oxford University Museum of Natural History (OUMNH) recently acquired an important archival collection relating to pioneering 19th-century geologist and theologian William Buckland.  Buckland (1784 – 1856) was one of the greatest geologists of his time. His 1824 paper on giant bones from Oxfordshire formed the first proper account of what would later be called a dinosaur.

This archive consists of just over 1000 manuscripts dated between 1784 and 1856 consisting of
correspondence, geological notes, works of art and family papers relating to Buckland and other
family members, including his wife Mary, a respected naturalist and illustrator.   

The treatment plan for the Buckland archive was developed from a previous condition assessment
which was done  prior to its acquisition by the Oxford Conservation Consortium. Paper Conservator Anna Espanol Costa was hired for eight months to conserve, stabilise and ensure the long-term preservation of the Buckland archive. She worked in accordance with best practice conservation guidelines and codes of ethics considering the care and conservation requirements of the material concerned

Anna used a range of interventive conservation treatments, all of which were reversible, to halt degradation and stop the ageing process as much as possible. Her first step was basic mechanical surface cleaning using smoke sponges, makeup sponges and soft brushes. Anna then used torches, UV lights and a Dino Light, a handheld digital microscope, as primary investigative tools to spot damage such as tears or stains, recognise iron-gall ink, and look over previous repair work. Anna washed manuscripts with iron-gall ink in a solution of calcium phytate and then stabilised and consolidated with gelatin to prevent further corrosion. Wax seals, found on much of the correspondence, were surface cleaned and treated with an acrylic adhesive Lascaux to consolidate them. Tears were mended using different grades of Japanese papers and tissues. In consultation with the Archivist, original fold lines were left, however a bundle of letters once held by the family were so badly folded that they would have been impossible to store safely, so Anna used a variety of weights to flatten the letters so they could eventually be rehoused in acid-free fascicules and digitisation would be possible. Anna also tackled the previous ‘repairs’ by carefully removing unsuitable paper, eliminating old animal glue which had left the manuscripts shiny in places, and leaving no traces of the blue backing paper.

Rehousing by an archivist is ongoing as a part of the cataloguing process, but Anna did pick out vulnerable items and place them in temporary acid-free sleeves, fascicules, folders and boxes to ensure her work was not undone. Overall, Anna used a combination of practical skills, scientific knowledge and historical research to ensure the repair and treatment of the Buckland archive was performed safely and sensitively.

Access to the Buckland archive was limited when it first arrived at the museum in early 2023. At least half of the manuscripts were not in a condition to be safely handled. However, with Anna’s conservation work completed and the cataloguing ongoing, the collection is now fully accessible and the museum has plans to provide access to the collection in a variety of ways. Access to staff, researchers and members of the public will be paramount and now that the collection can safely be handled, everyone will be able to consult the archive in the museum’s Library and Archive by appointment Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm. Conservation has also meant the archive is in a better condition for digitisation. The resulting scans will be uploaded to our Collections Management System so they can be made available through the museum’s public facing website Collections Online.

Finally, conservation has stabilised the archive enough to allow us to include archive items, alongside specimens, in our upcoming exhibition celebrating the bicentenary of the naming of the first dinosaur by Buckland, entitled ‘Breaking Ground’ which is opening in October 2024.

See image gallery below; images © Oxford University Museum of Natural History.