By Ellie Jones, Cathedral Archivist
This week we have been celebrating Heritage Open Days, England’s “largest community led festival of history and culture”, with a global journey through the Cathedral Library & Archives to mark the national theme of ‘Routes-Networks-Connections’. Starting at the Cathedral itself, moving outwards across the country, and then eventually stopping off at all seven continents, it’s amazing how far the books, documents and artefacts can take you!
The journey begins with a medieval account roll for building the Cathedral – and the blocking up of parts of the Cathedral to stop pigeons getting in, in 1350. Next stop, the St Sidwell area of Exeter, and some pristine 15th century documents about properties just outside the city’s east gate, and an exceedingly full illustrated report of a railway line extension which cut off water to the Close in 1857. Moving onwards across the Diocese of Exeter there’s a look at the tin mining industry in Cornwall and the sourcing of materials for the Cathedral’s 17th century organ pipes, and in Devon a soap-boiler called Bernard lists and values the possessions of an 18th century Woodbury neighbour (mostly his bedding, horses and gorse).
Moving out into Britain and Ireland, there is an 1844 Enclosure map for an area on the Isis (Thames) at Bampton in Oxfordshire, a 13th century manuscript copy of Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Cronica de Wallia (chronicle of Wales), a document recording Edward I’s judgement in favour of John Balliol in the Scottish succession debate of 1291-92, conveyances for properties in villages in County Donegal belonging to Derry-born Dean of Exeter, Archibald Boyd, and a grant of land in Guernsey in 1179 to the Abbot of Mont Saint Michel.
Crossing over to mainland Europe, the connections between England and Scandinavia are marked by a Saxon charter issued by the Danish king, Cnut, in 1018. Pressing on around the world, there are stories and proverbs in Swahili from Mozambique, a description of a 25 foot long fish that looked like an otter in 17th century South America, a visit to the empire of Kangxi Emperor in China in the 1670s, the baptism of Missouri-born music hall performer Norris Smith’s son, and tales from the buccaneering naturalist William Dampier’s 1699 journey to Australia. Finally, completing the round trip, there is even a flag that went to the Antarctic with Captain Scott’s expedition in 1902. And all of these items are just the tip of the iceberg in Exeter Cathedral Library & Archives.
The Heritage Open Days festival may be coming to an end for another year, but the Cathedral Library & Archives operates year-round. If you are interested in anything mentioned above or would like to find out what else there is, get in touch – and keep an eye out for other activities and events throughout the year.