http://www.sutherlandcollection.org.uk/ ... efault.aspThe Sutherland Papers are the massive archive created by the Leveson-Gower family, Marquesses of Stafford and Dukes of Sutherland. It is the single most important archive collection relating to past life in Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent. However, because of the wealth and activities of the family, the collection is not just important locally and regionally but also nationally and internationally.
The collection contains hundreds of thousands of documents, volumes and maps created and preserved over 10 centuries. It was purchased by the Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Archive Service in 2006 with the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund, a wide range of organisations, grant-awarding bodies, businesses, local societies, and very many private donors.
This is a relatively new online index.
I went to Stafford archives yesterday to view this and had an absolutely thrilling afternoon. I viewed the actual savings books of some of my ancestors!! I also viewed what were described as 'Cottage Reports'. These were lists of tenants giving useful info about them including how many in the family and the ages of the children, also if there were lodgers and what their occupation was. It also gave details of 'Habits'. This was a description of the kind of person the tenant was in the opinion of the writer. Some of the comments were quite brutal. One of my lot was 'wretched' whereas another was 'middling'. There was also a description of the state of the property and if any repairs were required and who would do them (tenant or otherwise). Really fascinating stuff.
I also viewed wages books from a couple of local collieries though these did not give much other than a name and the days/weeks employed at that particularly colliery. It did not actually state the amount of the wages.
If any of our
regular forum members should find something of interest in this index, I am prepared to go and look and obtain images of the item of interest. Bear in mind though that this will probably be after Christmas as they are shut for electrical works for a week in December and I have Christmas shopping to do.