The papers of the Baines family of Bell Hall, Naburn.

Sarah Pymer, Archivist, writes:  We are delighted that a grant from Friends of the National Libraries has allowed us to purchase the papers of the Baines family of Bell Hall, Naburn, which has been on long-term loan with Hull University Archives since 1974. The collection forms part of our extensive holdings of family and estate papers relating to the historic East Riding of Yorkshire, and provides an unusually complete picture of a family in the 19th century as well as property records dating from the 15th century onwards.

The deeds and property records in the collection relate to a number of towns and villages in all three historic ridings of Yorkshire, as well as further afield, with Naburn and the neighbouring village of Deighton the best represented. They complement our other holdings of estate papers, giving researchers the opportunity to investigate the history of land and property across Yorkshire.

The collection is unusual amongst our holdings in containing a series of correspondence from children at school to their parents dating from 1878-1889; there are also a smaller number of letters from earlier generations of children. Children’s voices and personal histories are under-represented in our collections, and this series provides an opportunity for research into the day-to-day lives of young people of a particular class and time in a way which is not matched by any of our other holdings. The full series of family correspondence spans 1760-1918 and provides a rich resource for researchers, including as it does comments on a range of subjects from cholera outbreaks to hair fashions.

The Baines papers also contain material relating to New Zealand in the mid-19th century, as William Mortimer Baines lived there for several years from around 1850. The items include his diary recording his journey to New Zealand and his first impressions of the country; recollections of life and conditions for early settlers in New Zealand; and letters received by Baines while he was in New Zealand. These items are unique within our collections in giving insight into life in New Zealand during its early years as a Crown colony.

There are more personal, not to say unusual, items within the archive too. There are instructions for knitting a cap and boots from around 1809, the cuff from a baby’s dress, and a book of Chinese puzzles. There are also a number of locks of hair taken from family members through much of the 19th century, carefully tucked into envelopes recording the owner’s name.

The Baines papers offer a rich opportunity to investigate the lives of a minor land-owning family in the 19th century, as well as the history of the villages represented in the property records. We are very grateful that we can continue to care for this collection and make it available.