As members of the Parliamentary Archives Collection Care team, we are entrusted with the preservation of over three million records, a vast collection housed within the historic Palace of Westminster’s Victoria Tower. Our journey has taken a significant turn as the Parliamentary Archives collections and some services move from the Victoria Tower to modern and more sustainable storage facilities at the National Archives at Kew. You can find out more information about the move on the Archive Relocation Programme webpages (parliament.uk).
In 2023, the team embarked on planning the rehousing of 2,000 eighteenth and nineteenth-century Royal Commissions. These are parchment documents authorised with the Great Seal, the earliest and most important official seal in Britain. The wax impression was used by English and Scottish monarchs from as early as the eleventh century to show the monarch's approval of important State documents. Interestingly, while the Great Seal is still in use today, it is now impressed by a synthetic compound rather than wax.
Typically, the Great Seal depicts an image of the monarch on his or her throne on the obverse and on horseback on the reverse.
Sigillography, the study of seals, focuses on their religious and political symbolism but can also provide excellent evidence of changes in armour, weaponry, civilian dress, and royal regalia. From a material science standpoint, seals are repositories of historical wax (with various additions such as resin) and can potentially be a great source of information for material scientists and scientists from other disciplines.
Who We Are and What We Do
Our PA Collections Care team consists of six collection care specialists responsible for conservation treatments and setting guidelines for packing and transportation to ensure that our work follows best practices outlined in British Standards. The Royal Commissions' rehousing project not only presents logistical challenges, but also provides us with opportunities to revisit our priorities, including conservation and preservation methods. In the initial planning stage, significant research was done into repair and stabilisation methods of wax seals. While successful, these methods are labour-intensive and not always feasible for every seal in a collection.
The condition surveys of our collections have shed new light on the extent of the pendant wax seal issue and highlighted the need for a comprehensive approach to packing and transporting these precious yet fragile artefacts.
Understanding the Scope
The survey revealed many parchment documents validated with pendant wax seals closed for access due to condition issues. There are two collections that were subjects of our assessment: the Royal Commissions collection (244 Ryder boxes, 2,000 documents) and a smaller collection of Subsidies of the Clergy (6 boxes, 31 documents). During the condition assessment, it was noted that when a box is handled, there is significant movement of the documents, seals, and fragmented seals inside, posing a risk of damage. The boxes were not safe for transport, so a packing methodology had to be developed.
Establishing a Packing Methodology
Given the fragile nature of pendant wax seals, a packing methodology that can mitigate the mechanical damage that will occur during the move is essential. The materials must be conservation-grade, acceptable for long-term storage, and it must be possible to retrieve documents easily. We have been exploring and adapting solutions used by colleagues in other institutions and other countries. Following a trip to the States Archives in Torun, Poland, known for research on storing and mounting medieval parchment documents, particularly those with pendant seals, we have been experimenting with and adapting packing techniques involving fluted-board and unbleached cotton tape to keep objects stable and safe within boxes. We are consciously avoiding using adhesives in proximity to objects, or within boxes and other enclosures that contain objects, to ensure all materials are inert and suitable for long-term storage. We used a small collection (Subsidies of the Clergy) as a pilot project for designing a protocol for rehousing the larger Royal Commissions collection.
Proposed Approach
Below is an overview of the proposed steps taken to protect the wax seals in our collection:
- All boxes will be lined with two layers of Plastazote (top and bottom) and padded with acid-free tissue if required to provide cushioning and prevent movement during transportation.
- Each seal (intact or fragmented) will be housed in an individual seal bag, providing a protective barrier against dust, moisture, and physical damage. These seal bags will be carefully labelled to maintain organisation and ease of retrieval.
- Overflowing boxes will be split to reduce the risk of damage due to overcrowding, allowing for better organisation and weight distribution, and minimising pressure on individual seals. After that the cataloguing team must be notified.
- Each box and seal bag will be meticulously labelled and documented to ensure proper tracking and identification, facilitating easy retrieval and reintegration into the collection.
- Regular checks will be conducted throughout the packing process to ensure that seals are properly housed and packed according to established standards.
Once these steps are followed and after labelling and quality checks the boxes are then safe and ready to be handed over to the ARP/Moves team to be prepared for transportation.
Conclusion
Preserving fragile pendant wax seals is not just about protecting physical artefacts; it's about safeguarding pieces of history for future generations of researchers and scientists. By establishing a comprehensive packing methodology, we can ensure that these delicate treasures are transported safely. Through today's careful planning and attention to detail, we will preserve their integrity and information that to some extent is still locked in those beautiful colourful impressions.
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