The Scottish Records Association and the Scottish Association of Country House Archivists are holding a two-part conference on estate, household and family papers in private and public ownership and their use in historical and other types of research. The first of two events will take place at the Sir Duncan Rice Library at the University of Aberdeen, with associated palaeography workshops the day before and the day after. This event will look specifically at estate papers. The second event will take place at the Soutar Theatre, Perth, and will look at wider country house collections, including correspondence and household papers and libraries. For further details please see https://www.scottishrecordsassociation.org/conference

Wednesday 23 October 2024: Sir Duncan Rice Library, University of Aberdeen and online

Speakers:
Dr Alan MacDonald, Senior Lecturer, University of Dundee
Loss and Survival: what estate records tell us about estate records

Dr Alan Borthwick, Archive Depositor Liaison Branch, National Records of Scotland (NRS)
The NRS Experience of Collecting and Managing Estate Papers over the Past Century

Irene Hallyburton, doctoral researcher, University of Dundee
Secession and Improvement: the rental book of Culfargie

John Moore, retired academic librarian
A View of the Landscape: a research project to produce a coherent list and record of the pre-Ordnance Survey Scottish estate plans

Scott Macfie, doctoral researcher, University of Glasgow
Agricultural Improvement on the Isle of Bute (1755-1814)

Bob Reid, volunteer researcher at the Argyll Papers
The Marriage Customs of Seventeenth-century Scotland that Controlled the Property Rights of the Bride’s and Groom’s Families

Craig Thomas, Assistant Archivist, Buccleuch Living Heritage Trust
Buccleuch: Industrial opportunism or future-proofing?

Dr Fiona Salvesen Murrell, Curator, Paxton House
Paxton House and Caribbean Connections 1750-1850

The conference is expected to run (approximately) between 10:00 and 16:00 UK time beginning with an optional viewing of a selection of estate papers held by Special Collections and Archives of the University of Aberdeen (limited to on-site attendees only). Final programme and details of lunch arrangements will be sent later to those booking or registering an interest in attending the conference. The presentations will be delivered at the Sir Duncan Rice Library and simultaneously online via Zoom. Delegates can attend either at the Sir Duncan Rice Library or online. The conference fee is the same.