Borthwick Institute for Archives

What do H.R. Giger, the Archbishop of York, John Lennon, Mark Hamill, and Doctor Who have in common? They all get a mention in this month's shiny new Borthwick Newsletter! Find out more at the link:

https://www.york.ac.uk/borthwick/news/2026/borthwicknewsletter-june2026/

It's a beautiful May Day in York, which means it's time for our latest Borthwick Newsletter. This month we have a whole host of podcasts and upcoming events, as well as new accessions, some wonderful 19th century artwork - and a return of the beloved Borthwick foxes!

https://www.york.ac.uk/borthwick/news/2026/borthwicknewsletter-may2026/

Although our archive reading room is closed over the Easter weekend, why not explore our newly launched collections - we’d love to hear what you find!

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/63000/

You might have spotted our monthly newsletter was slightly later than usual - we wanted to tie in all our exciting news with the launch of our probate registers and Bishops’ Transcripts onto Ancestry! The probate collection is our Archive of the Month - read on to find out more

https://www.york.ac.uk/borthwick/news/2026/borthwicknewsletter-april2026/

We're delighted to announce that today we've launched our digitised Probate Registers and Bishops' Transcripts collections onto Ancestry.co.uk. Together that's 16 million records covering 1389-1858 - these can be accessed via a subscription to Ancestry or for free here at the Borthwick!

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/63000/

A fantastic new exhibition drawing on our Southern African and University Archive collections to ground the artworks of anti-apartheid activist Norman Kaplan within a local context. The exhibition runs until 30th April and you can find it at our old home, St Anthony's Hall, in central York.

March is here at last so it's time for a brand new Borthwick Newsletter. This month we've got four new finding aids for your perusal, some Borthwick historical lore, and an insight into the 'rocky' beginnings of the Rowntree confectionery company...

https://www.york.ac.uk/borthwick/news/2026/borthwicknewsletter-march2026/

Chocolates AND a poem? This 1930s Terry's of York advert sets a high standard for Valentine's Day!

To you, my dear, this gift I send
Expressing love that knows no end.
Read in each one a Cupid's dart;
Remember that each treasured part
Yields up from this fond heart of mine
Sweet thoughts of you, my Valentine

Now we've shared the official highlights of our Collections Development Week, it's time for the unofficial ones, starting with the moment Keeper of Archives Gary Brannan found a (pristine) pair of paper underpants in one of our recent additions.

We also experienced the jump-scare of a faded Tellytubby preserved via haunted fax from 1999.

And last, but certainly not least, we were excited to discover a pair of vintage magazines from 1987 in a completely unrelated archive. Presumably the Muppet Babies were on their way to Jorvik, aka York, for some very mild (and possibly cute) pillaging.