Alan Akeroyd
@alanakeroyd.bsky.social
Archivist. Interests include archive theory, store location systems and the history of local government in Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire. Archives Manager for Cambridgeshire County Council, UK. Views expressed are my own.
Reposted by Alan Akeroyd
No getting away from archive displays even at the airport - flight logs and other items at Newcastle. Approve the book rest!
November 9, 2025 at 5:22 AM
No getting away from archive displays even at the airport - flight logs and other items at Newcastle. Approve the book rest!
Reposted by Alan Akeroyd
This Thursday sees the first of our autumn online lecture series; 4 top historians on aspects of the 1600s, the first being Dr David Smith on how Cromwell and the Civil Wars have been depicted in films and TV drama. Book now at: cromwellmuseum.org/events/cromw...
November 10, 2025 at 9:16 AM
This Thursday sees the first of our autumn online lecture series; 4 top historians on aspects of the 1600s, the first being Dr David Smith on how Cromwell and the Civil Wars have been depicted in films and TV drama. Book now at: cromwellmuseum.org/events/cromw...
Cambridgeshire Archive Assistants Yaye and Jayne at the IHR History Fair today #cambridgeshirearchives #huntingdonshirearchives #HistDay25
November 4, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Cambridgeshire Archive Assistants Yaye and Jayne at the IHR History Fair today #cambridgeshirearchives #huntingdonshirearchives #HistDay25
Cambridgeshire Archives is there today too! 😀 #cambridgeshirearchives #huntingdonshirearchives #HistDay25
We're here today from 11- 4 at the Institute of Historical Research's History Day!
Pop by for a chat about our collections, services and London's history.
@ihr.bsky.social
#HistDay25
Pop by for a chat about our collections, services and London's history.
@ihr.bsky.social
#HistDay25
November 4, 2025 at 11:40 AM
Cambridgeshire Archives is there today too! 😀 #cambridgeshirearchives #huntingdonshirearchives #HistDay25
Reposted by Alan Akeroyd
County boundaries weren't always as neat as we'd like them to be. The area around Meppershall in Bedfordshire was particularly complicated giving rise to this cartographical equivalent of a shrug of the shoulders:
HARTFORD SHIRE intermixed with BEDFORD SHIRE
The Limits uncertain
#MappyMonday
HARTFORD SHIRE intermixed with BEDFORD SHIRE
The Limits uncertain
#MappyMonday
November 3, 2025 at 9:48 AM
County boundaries weren't always as neat as we'd like them to be. The area around Meppershall in Bedfordshire was particularly complicated giving rise to this cartographical equivalent of a shrug of the shoulders:
HARTFORD SHIRE intermixed with BEDFORD SHIRE
The Limits uncertain
#MappyMonday
HARTFORD SHIRE intermixed with BEDFORD SHIRE
The Limits uncertain
#MappyMonday
Reposted by Alan Akeroyd
It has just been announced that there will be an increase in fees for Principal Probate wills from 17 November 2025.
The fee for a copy of the will rises from £1.50 to £16 per document. Over a 1000% rise.
Any wills you have been thinking of getting copies of now is the time!
The fee for a copy of the will rises from £1.50 to £16 per document. Over a 1000% rise.
Any wills you have been thinking of getting copies of now is the time!
November 4, 2025 at 8:33 AM
It has just been announced that there will be an increase in fees for Principal Probate wills from 17 November 2025.
The fee for a copy of the will rises from £1.50 to £16 per document. Over a 1000% rise.
Any wills you have been thinking of getting copies of now is the time!
The fee for a copy of the will rises from £1.50 to £16 per document. Over a 1000% rise.
Any wills you have been thinking of getting copies of now is the time!
Reposted by Alan Akeroyd
#ICYMI - we are celebrating the publication of our 250th #BigRedBook, and our first publication for the historic county of #Westmorland.
In September we had an event to mark this and to place the volume in the context of the series and to showcase the extraordinary work behind it. #Skystorians
In September we had an event to mark this and to place the volume in the context of the series and to showcase the extraordinary work behind it. #Skystorians
Celebrating Local and Place-Based History: Westmorland and the 250th VCH ‘Big Red Book’
People, Place and Community Seminar
www.history.ac.uk
October 30, 2025 at 10:54 AM
#ICYMI - we are celebrating the publication of our 250th #BigRedBook, and our first publication for the historic county of #Westmorland.
In September we had an event to mark this and to place the volume in the context of the series and to showcase the extraordinary work behind it. #Skystorians
In September we had an event to mark this and to place the volume in the context of the series and to showcase the extraordinary work behind it. #Skystorians
Reposted by Alan Akeroyd
We're off to Barrington today, to their cement works in the 1960s. It is famous for having the last standard gauge quarry railway, which ran until 2005. Barrington was the last cement working in Cambridgeshire before closing in 2008.
October 21, 2025 at 12:15 PM
We're off to Barrington today, to their cement works in the 1960s. It is famous for having the last standard gauge quarry railway, which ran until 2005. Barrington was the last cement working in Cambridgeshire before closing in 2008.
Reposted by Alan Akeroyd
On the way back from a very enjoyable trip to The National Archives with work. Great to see behind the scenes.
October 13, 2025 at 4:19 PM
On the way back from a very enjoyable trip to The National Archives with work. Great to see behind the scenes.
#cambridgeshirearchives is being spruced up! - Property colleagues will be doing various jobs around the building over the next few weeks. The scaffolding you can see here is so they can reach into the roof gutters and clean them all out.
October 10, 2025 at 10:41 AM
#cambridgeshirearchives is being spruced up! - Property colleagues will be doing various jobs around the building over the next few weeks. The scaffolding you can see here is so they can reach into the roof gutters and clean them all out.
Today was my turn in the bake off! - I made some lemon tarts, using a 1950s recipe from the Chivers collection. "Bake in a moderate oven" was all it said, so the baking time was complete guesswork. The team have all been very kind and said how much they liked them 😀 #bakeoff #cambridgeshirearchives
October 8, 2025 at 1:48 PM
Today was my turn in the bake off! - I made some lemon tarts, using a 1950s recipe from the Chivers collection. "Bake in a moderate oven" was all it said, so the baking time was complete guesswork. The team have all been very kind and said how much they liked them 😀 #bakeoff #cambridgeshirearchives
Good to see the importance of local authority archive services mentioned in a national newspaper, even if only briefly. "Both discoveries show the crucial role of county council archives and their staff in preserving this musical heritage"
GOOD NEWS !
"A team of musicologists has unearthed the printed score of a previously unknown Purcell song, as well as the original manuscript for various keyboard compositions."
#baroque #music
www.theguardian.com/music/2025/o...
"A team of musicologists has unearthed the printed score of a previously unknown Purcell song, as well as the original manuscript for various keyboard compositions."
#baroque #music
www.theguardian.com/music/2025/o...
‘Almost unheard of’: experts find more music by English composer Henry Purcell
Printed score and keyboard manuscript by Purcell, who died in 1695, unearthed in Worcestershire and Norfolk
www.theguardian.com
October 7, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Good to see the importance of local authority archive services mentioned in a national newspaper, even if only briefly. "Both discoveries show the crucial role of county council archives and their staff in preserving this musical heritage"
Reposted by Alan Akeroyd
With Betjeman here (though Fens headwinds can sap a cyclist's soul).
🚴John Betjeman said that it was worth cycling 40 miles in a headwind to see them.
🪽The early C16th Angel Roof at St Wendreda in Cambs is adorned with over 100 oaken angels.
🪽The early C16th Angel Roof at St Wendreda in Cambs is adorned with over 100 oaken angels.
October 7, 2025 at 9:06 AM
With Betjeman here (though Fens headwinds can sap a cyclist's soul).
Reposted by Alan Akeroyd
Richard Vinen, Professor of History at King’s College London, will be giving a free lecture at Churchill College on 21st October, titled ‘De Gaulle is France. Not a bastard.’ Churchill in the shadow of de Gaulle. No need to register, the event is free and open to all buff.ly/2gTriyk
October 6, 2025 at 11:27 AM
Richard Vinen, Professor of History at King’s College London, will be giving a free lecture at Churchill College on 21st October, titled ‘De Gaulle is France. Not a bastard.’ Churchill in the shadow of de Gaulle. No need to register, the event is free and open to all buff.ly/2gTriyk
Had a great time at Cambridge University Library on Wednesday afternoon - I was being an actual researcher (!) consulting the 1662 court records for the Isle of Ely. Huge thank you to the very kind and lovely staff of the @theul.bsky.social manuscripts reading room
October 3, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Had a great time at Cambridge University Library on Wednesday afternoon - I was being an actual researcher (!) consulting the 1662 court records for the Isle of Ely. Huge thank you to the very kind and lovely staff of the @theul.bsky.social manuscripts reading room
Reposted by Alan Akeroyd
We're having a drop in session sharing South Asian memories of the Second World War together with the Imperial War Museum on 14th October 1-5pm in our new Everyspace area on the third floor of Cambridge Central Library. See www.eventbrite.com/e/sharing-so... for more details and do spread the word!
Sharing South Asian Voices in the Second World War
Come and have a chat with the Imperial War Museums
www.eventbrite.com
October 3, 2025 at 1:59 PM
We're having a drop in session sharing South Asian memories of the Second World War together with the Imperial War Museum on 14th October 1-5pm in our new Everyspace area on the third floor of Cambridge Central Library. See www.eventbrite.com/e/sharing-so... for more details and do spread the word!
Reposted by Alan Akeroyd
I'm off to Soham tomorrow to talk about the history of transport in Cambridgeshire. It'll be 10-11am at Soham Library. Here's Soham Bapist Sunday School on an outing in 1923, with a steam traction engine pulling 5 waggons of children down the High Street.
October 1, 2025 at 8:31 AM
I'm off to Soham tomorrow to talk about the history of transport in Cambridgeshire. It'll be 10-11am at Soham Library. Here's Soham Bapist Sunday School on an outing in 1923, with a steam traction engine pulling 5 waggons of children down the High Street.
This is a slightly strange title to see on the cover of a document. Don't Look Within would be even more tempting
September 5, 2025 at 1:56 PM
This is a slightly strange title to see on the cover of a document. Don't Look Within would be even more tempting
Cambridgeshire Archives' bake off starts again this week, in which we bake using actual recipes from historical documents that we hold, keeping to the ingredients and method of cooking as much as possible. Which member of the team will win this year? #bakeoff
www.facebook.com/Cambridgeshi...
www.facebook.com/Cambridgeshi...
Cambridgeshire Archives Service
The Great Archive Bake-Off 2025 #GBAB
In celebration of the return of the Great British Bake Off tomorrow, we at the archives are also returning to our Great Archives Bake Off (you may remember our....
www.facebook.com
September 1, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Cambridgeshire Archives' bake off starts again this week, in which we bake using actual recipes from historical documents that we hold, keeping to the ingredients and method of cooking as much as possible. Which member of the team will win this year? #bakeoff
www.facebook.com/Cambridgeshi...
www.facebook.com/Cambridgeshi...
Nice wallpaper! One of our searchers has had a huge copy of our 1604 map of the Fens printed for the wall of their office #cambridgeshirearchives #oldmaps #fens #fenland
www.facebook.com/oxwillow/pos...
www.facebook.com/oxwillow/pos...
Oxwillow
A big thank you to Cambridgeshire Archives Service and The Cambridge Sign Company for helping us turn our vision for the office into reality.
We now have a stock of maps digitalised for use in our.....
www.facebook.com
September 1, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Nice wallpaper! One of our searchers has had a huge copy of our 1604 map of the Fens printed for the wall of their office #cambridgeshirearchives #oldmaps #fens #fenland
www.facebook.com/oxwillow/pos...
www.facebook.com/oxwillow/pos...
Reposted by Alan Akeroyd
🔍 Did you know that we have a searchable dataset that draws on records of Londoners of African, Caribbean, Asian and Indigenous heritage in our parish registers from 1561-1840?
The project started in 2000 and, thanks to our staff and volunteers, now has records of 2600 Londoners!
#SwitchingTheLens
The project started in 2000 and, thanks to our staff and volunteers, now has records of 2600 Londoners!
#SwitchingTheLens
August 21, 2025 at 8:30 AM
🔍 Did you know that we have a searchable dataset that draws on records of Londoners of African, Caribbean, Asian and Indigenous heritage in our parish registers from 1561-1840?
The project started in 2000 and, thanks to our staff and volunteers, now has records of 2600 Londoners!
#SwitchingTheLens
The project started in 2000 and, thanks to our staff and volunteers, now has records of 2600 Londoners!
#SwitchingTheLens
Reposted by Alan Akeroyd
#Medieval tile pavement
Burton Lazars, #Leicestershire
c. 1450-1525
From the master house of the Order of St Lazarus of Jerusalem - a leper hospital.
It includes heraldry & a merchant’s mark, suggesting one donated to the hospital.
Now #BritishMuseum #London
#TilesOnTuesday
Burton Lazars, #Leicestershire
c. 1450-1525
From the master house of the Order of St Lazarus of Jerusalem - a leper hospital.
It includes heraldry & a merchant’s mark, suggesting one donated to the hospital.
Now #BritishMuseum #London
#TilesOnTuesday
August 12, 2025 at 7:20 AM
#Medieval tile pavement
Burton Lazars, #Leicestershire
c. 1450-1525
From the master house of the Order of St Lazarus of Jerusalem - a leper hospital.
It includes heraldry & a merchant’s mark, suggesting one donated to the hospital.
Now #BritishMuseum #London
#TilesOnTuesday
Burton Lazars, #Leicestershire
c. 1450-1525
From the master house of the Order of St Lazarus of Jerusalem - a leper hospital.
It includes heraldry & a merchant’s mark, suggesting one donated to the hospital.
Now #BritishMuseum #London
#TilesOnTuesday
Huntingdon Town Hall is one of my favourite buildings in the whole county, a definite hidden treasure. The ballroom includes portraits by #JoshuaReynolds and #GainsboroughDupont
For Heritage Open Days, explore historic Huntingdon Town Hall on Saturday 13 September with a free curator-led tour of the 18th century assembly rooms and courts. Book now to avoid disappointment! More details at: www.cromwellmuseum.org/events/hunti...
August 12, 2025 at 9:57 AM
Huntingdon Town Hall is one of my favourite buildings in the whole county, a definite hidden treasure. The ballroom includes portraits by #JoshuaReynolds and #GainsboroughDupont
New Orleans court officials have been searching for records dumped in a landfill by City workers
www.nola.com/news/landfil...
www.nola.com/news/landfil...
New Orleans court officials search landfill for records tossed by City Hall, clerk says
The Orleans Parish Clerk of Criminal Court has called for an investigation into the "catastrophic failure" of removing records.
www.nola.com
August 11, 2025 at 10:53 AM
New Orleans court officials have been searching for records dumped in a landfill by City workers
www.nola.com/news/landfil...
www.nola.com/news/landfil...
Upcoming talk alert! Former Cambs Archives team member Laura Housden will be giving a talk at the Museum of Cambridge on 14 August about the files of the Cambridge Charity Organisation Society, formed in 1879 to relieve distress of the ‘deserving poor.’
www.museumofcambridge.org.uk/event/mappin...
www.museumofcambridge.org.uk/event/mappin...
Talk: Mapping Relief: The Files of the Cambridge Charity Organisation Society
Cambridge Charity Organisation Society (CCOS) formed in 1879 as a successor of the Cambridge Mendicity Society founded in 1818/1819. It aimed to relieve distress of the ‘really deserving poor…
www.museumofcambridge.org.uk
August 8, 2025 at 11:16 AM
Upcoming talk alert! Former Cambs Archives team member Laura Housden will be giving a talk at the Museum of Cambridge on 14 August about the files of the Cambridge Charity Organisation Society, formed in 1879 to relieve distress of the ‘deserving poor.’
www.museumofcambridge.org.uk/event/mappin...
www.museumofcambridge.org.uk/event/mappin...