Dr Kate Thompson writes: The Panshanger archive is the most important family archive in the Hertfordshire Record Office and ranks in the premier league of such collections in the country as a whole. It was deposited on loan in 1953, with additions thereafter, and has been heavily used by academics and other researchers.
In November 1992 the owner, Lady Ravensdale, died, and the new owners offered the archive to the Hertfordshire Record Office in a private treaty sale. An independent valuation confirmed that the asking price was a fair one and, when tax concessions were taken into account, the Record Office had to raise half a million pounds, the largest amount ever raised by a local authority record office.
The importance of the archive lies in its wealth of material of national, and even international importance. Beginning with the first Earl Cowper, who became Lord Chancellor at the beginning of the eighteenth century, members of the family were heavily involved in politics, science and the arts, and the Panshanger manuscripts contain material of great national interest. Their marriages and other alliances brought additional material to the archive, such as the papers of the Dutch Nassau d'Auverquerque family and the Lambs of Brocket Hall, including papers of the 2nd Viscount Melbourne (the Prime Minister) and his wife Lady Caroline Lamb.
In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Lady Desborough was one of the best-known figures of the age and her correspondence encompasses the leading politicians, members of the royal family and many important writers and artists. A small, but important, part of the archive concerns the Grenfell family, in particular the First World War poet, Julian Grenfell. Individual treasures include the Repton 'Red Book' for Panshanger, two holograph copies of Grenfell's most famous poem, 'Into Battle' and the complete authoritative text for the definitive modern edition of the poem 'The Civil War' by Abraham Cowley.
The estate material for Hertfordshire is important in itself. The earliest document dates from about 1280 and there are manorial records, deeds and estate records covering a large swathe of property in mid-Hertfordshire and other parts of the country. Maps and plans include an early estate map of Digswell (1599), plans of Shire Hall in Hertford and of Gole Green House, which was the family home before Panshanger was built.
It was quite clear that if the Hertfordshire Record Office had not been able to find the purchase price that there would have been considerable interest from overseas institutions. The role played by the Friends of the National Libraries was therefore crucial. The grant of £50,000, increased from the original generous offer of £10,000, was unprecedented in the history of FNL and its impact was far-reaching. Apart from the value of the grant per se, it sent messages to others of the importance placed on this archive; furthermore the FNL expressed the view that Hertfordshire was the natural home of the archive. The appeal drew enormous support locally as well as nationally and generated a lot of positive publicity for the Record Office. Many institutions and individuals gave generously and supported the special fund-raising events; a walk round the Panshanger estate, largely unaltered despite the demolition of the house, was especially popular. In order to be able to approach charitable trusts the appeal was sponsored by the Hertfordshire Heritage Fund, a local charity primarily concerned with helping museums in the county to acquire objects of local importance. The trustees of the Fund took a personal interest in the appeal and were invited to hold their AGM in the Record Office, to mark the successful conclusion of the appeal.
