One of the most important collections in the Norfolk Record Office is the huge archive of estate and household accounts left by Alice, wife of Sir Hamon Le Strange, which are exceptional, both in scale and quantity. Alice and Sir Hamon married in 1602 when both were still in their…
Janette Harley Prize is awarded annually by the British Records Association in memory of Janette Harley (1951-2015). It is intended to generate interest in archives and to raise awareness of research and achievements in the world of archives. The prize (£500) is awarded to individuals or organisations for the best/most…
Richard Wilson - Vice-President of the Norfolk Record Society. Professor Richard G. Wilson, BA, PhD, FRHistS 1938-2026 Obituary Richard was a proud Yorkshireman and never forgot his northern roots. In his youth he had shown people around Castle Howard as an official guide and in later life he expanded this…
Elizabeth Rutledge, Council Member and Medieval Editor of the Norfolk Record Society. Elizabeth Rutledge LLB Obituary It is with great sadness that we announce the death on 6 January 2025 of Elizabeth Rutledge, a prominent member of the Norfolk Record Society Council for over thirty years. Elizabeth read jurisprudence at…
Minutes of the King’s Lynn Socialist and Labour Societies, 1897-1916 Minutes of the Executive Committee of the Great Yarmouth Women’s Suffrage Society, 1909-1915 This year’s volume might well be titled ‘The Struggle for Democracy in Edwardian Norfolk’. It illustrates in fascinating detail the battle for social, political, and gender equality…
In the seventeenth century, Norwich was the second city in England, after London, with a thriving textile industry. Following an influx of Flemish and Dutch weavers, the weavers of Norwich turned to the manufacture of the ‘New Draperies ’ –light fabrics of mixed wool and silk in bright colours which…
The British Association for Local History recently published a review of THE PAPERS OF NATHANIEL BACON OF STIFFKEY Vol. 7 1614-1622 edited by Barry Taylor and G. Alan Metters in The Local Historian (Journal of the British Association For Local History), Volume 54, No. 1 (February 2024). Dr Heather Falvey…
The Great Hospital has provided care for the local community continuously for almost 800 years. Few other charitable organisations in Europe can match this remarkable record and even fewer can boast such a rare combination of architectural and documentary riches. Although at the time of its foundation in 1249 the…
On Saturday 22 October, around 20 members and guests of the society visited Ryston Hall, near Downham Market, Norfolk, by kind invitation of Mrs Sarah Pratt the current custodian of the hall and estate. The visit was organised by the society in connection to our 2022 publication The Literary Papers…
Like other charitable bodies, with or without royal patronage, the Norfolk Record Society has been saddened by the news of the passing of our queen. We honour her unstinting life of service to the nation and are thankful that we have been able to enjoy many of the fruits of…