Guest Blog Post - Adam

"In much of society, research means to investigate something you do not know or understand." Neil Armstrong

In this blog I will be talking about research and its possible links to the Archive.

Research is very useful for an Archive as it helps to expand the material you already have, can help to open new lines of enquiry and often provides answers for questions that come up whilst looking at the material in the Archive. It is also useful for the Archive as it can allow you to locate material that can be found in other archives in the area. As a student studying History, it is a very important and necessary skill that can help in Third Year when undertaking a dissertation, which heavily depends on research to be successful.

Map of the Atlantic Slave Trade

I am undertaking a dissertation based upon the Atlantic Slave Trade or simply ‘The Trade’ and Saltford Brass Mill which will focus on how Bristol, Saltford in particular, benefited from the brass trade and the Slave Trade. It will also look at the connection between brass and slavery to shed light on the little known story of the first part of the Triangular Trade. The Coster family owned the Saltford Brass Mill and also co-owned 6 slave ships and form the basis for the dissertation. As a result of owning the brass mill and co-owning slave ships, the Coster family were making money from the trading of goods to the African tribes, transporting of slaves from Africa to America and the shipping of raw materials from America back to Bristol.

    

The Coster family was not the only family involved in the Slave Trade. Another family involved was the Champion family, owners of the Warmley Brass Works, and were known to be involved in the Slave Trade. It was William Champion (1709-1789) who led the Warmley Brass Works into bankruptcy in 1769.    

Thomas Coster (1684-1739), owner of Saltford Brass Mill

The Merchant Venturers evolved from a Guild of Merchants which existed in the 1200s. They managed Bristol’s harbour from the 16^th Century until the early 19^th Century. During the 18^th Century, the Merchant Venturers became involved with shipping of manufactured goods to Africa and sugar, molasses and rum from America to Bristol.

Merchant Venturers Coat of Arms

The Merchant Venturers owned many of the docks in Bristol and so must have made money from the ships that took the goods to Africa. 

We have read that the Langton family of Newton Park had connections to a shipping business on the ‘Welsh Back’ in Bristol and that it created the wealth the family had. The 'Welsh Back' was where trade with Wales took place, as goods from, and for, South Wales were loaded and unloaded onto sailing barges. As the map below shows, the 'Welsh Back' is near Queen Square (built between 1700 and 1718) where some of the house were built by people linked to the Slave Trade. Could the 'Welsh Back' have been used for the shipping of slaves to Wales or the shipping of brassware to Bristol for the buying of slaves in Africa?

Map of Welsh Back, Bristol Docks

With the house at Newton Park being built in 1761 by Joseph Langton, whose brother Thomas was a Mayor of Bristol and a Merchant Venturer, could it be argued that the Langtons were involved in the Trade? Where did their wealth come from? Did the Langtons still possess a shipping business on the 'Welsh Back' during the height of the Slave Trade? Did the Langtons have any contact or dealings with the Coster or Champion families? What were the Langtons shipping to and from South Wales? Were the Gore-Langtons supporters of the abolition of the Slave Trade in 1807? Were the Gore-Langtons supporters of the abolition of slavery in 1833?

By continuing with this dissertation I hope to be able to have light shed on these questions and hope to be able to provide help to the Archives. Answering these questions can lead to more material being added to the Archives and can lead to other paths of research as a result. Without research an archive will not develop and will not gain any new information besides what may be donated or left to them.   

Last week at the archive...

One thing we could say about the archive work, it's varied. Last Monday saw us putting the finishing touches to our exhibition. On Tuesday we discovered some wonderful old papers. On Wednesday, we finally began Phase 2 cataloguing. Thursday, the 1st day of August, was a catch-up day, and next week we'll be back to the cataloguing.

Working on the exhibition images

On a normal catch up day I'll be picking up a few of the 'dropped plates' from the archive - those tasks which need to be done to keep things ticking over but which sometimes get sidelined. Last week it was oral history interview proof reading, chasing up some almost overdue transcriptions, replying to blog comments and emails, and some supplementary research.

Wonderful old documents to discover!

Phase 2 cataloguing

The research is for a conference in September, hosted by the Centre for History and Culture at the university, and taking place in the centre of Bath. Some of the PhD students will be giving a 'Poster Presentation' of their work, and my offering is about the 18th century development of Newton Park. During my research stint last week, I found a few snippets from newspapers of the time, describing the building work of 1761 and 1762.

November 1762

January 1762

Last week's blogpost was about Graduations, and yet again, a couple of comments from alumni have set us off on a new trail of information. We now have added details about other graduation ceremonies, to add to the archive. Thanks for the comments!

During the past year or so, I've also been involved, along with Dr Roberta Anderson, in the writing of a book about our institutional history, and this is now going through the editing and proof reading stage. It was fascinating to write, and even more fun to source all the images. This task was a reminder of just how rich and varied our story is, and what a lot of great images we have here in the archive. Much of this material is what we've collected or been given in the last year, since the archive started to take off, and its tempting to wonder how much more we''ll have by this time next year, or in a few year's time.

Keep it coming, everyone. We'd love to hear your stories too!

TTFN

Kate

Buildings Old and New

Recently, we took advantage of an opportunity to view the newest building on the Newton Park campus, and took the 'Work So Far' tour offered to students and staff. This new academic building has been under construction since 2011, and will be opened in 2014.

From an archivist's point of view, it was fascinating to see the latest expression of academic life which has taken shape on this spot. Richard and I have worked on the archive together since the building work began, and have researched and learned the history of this site as the university landscape alters in front of our eyes. There have been many things on this spot over the years, and many people have come and gone...

The Newton Park site is an ancient one, and remains from over 2000 years ago have been found here. Fragments of Roman floor tiles, discovered during post-war renovation of the Castle building, now reside in the vaults beneath the Roman Baths, where the county archive stores are located. Down there in the tunnels, they lie amidst the stones, carvings and ephemera of centuries-worth of Bath history. (By the way, you can go on tours down there - and they're free to local residents with a free Discovery Card - well worth going! For more details, see the website http://www.romanbaths.co.uk/whats_on/events/events_calendar/tunnel_tours_and_store_tours.aspx

The Newton Park estate was granted to the Bishop of St Lo (hence 'Newton St Loe') one of William of Normandy's men, after 1066. The Manor is mentioned in the Domesday Book. This family, and then the Nevills, developed the fortified manor house, part of which still stands and are still in daily use. In 1666 the estate was then sold to the Langton family, who, by the 1760s had built the grand house which sits at the heart of the Newton Park campus today.

Joseph Langton completed the development of his new home, with newly landscaped grounds. The work of Lancelot 'Capability' Brown, these grounds perfectly complimented the house, and boasted lakes, a garden temple and all the trappings of a country gentleman's lifestyle.

A new view of Capability Brown's landscape

This landscape is, somehow, rediscovered through the medium of a brand-new, state-of-the-art academic building, as from within, some beautiful new vistas are opened up. From each floor, the wide windows present different angles; from the top floor it is possible to see 360 degree views, over the main house, the landscape and the surrounding woods. It is spectacular.

The view across the valley towards Kelston Round Hill

In the 1940s, Newton Park passed out of the ownership of the Gore Langton family, and was purchased by the Duchy of Cornwall. It was leased to Bath City Council, who opened it as a women's teacher training college. Gradually over the years, it developed, became independent, and grew into Bath Spa University. It continues to develop - hence the new building, to be followed soon by the new student accommodation. In fact work on these halls of residence began this month...watch this space.

Richard captures new memories

The new academic building is positioned on a spot which has witnessed a great deal. In the 1940s there was a small orchard here, and beside it,  a tennis court was constructed. Both of these still existed until the 1980s. Adjacent to these, the first men's hall of residence - Hungerford Court - took shape; it opened in 1962.

Among the trees - the view from the first floor

These have all formed the foundations of our shiny new building. This seems very fitting. Former students and staff have returned to Newton Park and told us their stories of life in and around the rooms, the corridors and the grounds. Some were sad that the old things had to go to make way for the new, others were accepting of change and the need to move ever-forward. And of course, there are some people who would never want to return to their old haunts, preferring to hold their memories intact. At the archive, we have sympathy with all these views, and only hope that we will always do justice to memories, in all their forms.

Towards Newton St Loe and Bath

On the day Richard and I saw inside the new building, most of the people looking around were taking photographs, using cameras, phones or tablets. We were all capturing fresh memories, ready to pass on to the people who follow us...

Sweeping down the stairs

Several recent oral history interviewees and former students at Newton Park have mentioned the Main House staircase.

Main House staircase (photograph K. James, 2013)

It appears today much as it did when the house was built in the mid 18th century. Architect Stiff Leadbetter included this grand sweep of pretty wrought iron, set beneath a central dome. The dome gives the first floor landing a bright and airy feel, showing off the cantilevered staircase as it descends to the ground floor below.

First floor landing and Principal's room, c 1950 (from Miss Dawson's collection)

In the 1760s, when the house was new, guests of Joseph Langton will have paraded up these stairs, and in a circuit around the principal rooms through the connecting doors. As they did so, Mr Langton's fine collection of furniture, paintings, silver and porcelain, the best which the nation's manufactories could produce, were on display for all to see and envy. In pride of place, either side of the drawing room doors, hung a pair of full length portraits, of Joseph and his wife, painted by the famous Mr Gainsborough, Bath society's favourite artist, then resident in the fashionably bustling city.

We have to imagine all of this however, since none of these things remain. During the Second World War, the valuable objects in the house were transferred to a storage warehouse in Milsom Street, Bath, for safety. Ironically, it was completely destroyed in the Bath Blitz of April 1942. The remaining contents were sold around the time of the Estate sale shortly afterwards.

When students moved into Newton Park, they were not permitted to use the stairs, despite several being in residence in a room just beside it. They had to use the back stairs, except on one day a year. (from the memoir by Joyce Day, student 1948-1950)

Students on the stairs, c 1950. As the college was then women only, the men had to be 'imported ' for the evening

On the day of the annual ball, dressed in their finery, they were permitted to sweep down the stairs. Sheila (1949-1951) recalls being in awe of the grandeur of it all, and particularly enjoyed parading down the stairs in a 'turquoise satin gown, off the shoulder, quite daring for those days.'

Wrought iron and cantilevering (photograph K James 2012)

Today, staff pass up and down the Main House staircase throughout the day. Is it just a route to an office, or do they too imagine a glamourous and glittering past?