Papers of the East Midlands Group of the Council for British Archaeology,1954-1997

Scope and Content

The collection comprises:

  • Minutes 1985-1993, correspondence 1980-1995, case-files c.1980-c.1990, notices 1962-1987, andchairman's files 1993-1997 of Group 14 and East Midlands Group (BCA 1);
  • Minutes 1954-1972, and other items relating to Group 6 Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland(BCA 2);
  • Annual reports 1986-1997, copies of executive and committee minutes 1986-1992, articles ofassociation 1983, 'Survey of Archaeological Science Training Needs 1994', and 'Report of theStructure and Policy Review Working Party 1991' from the Council for British Archaeology nationally(BCA 3).

Administrative / Biographical History

The Council for British Archaeology was founded in 1944 in response to the imminent redevelopmentof bomb damaged historic cities. One of its aims was the 'safeguarding of all kinds ofarchaeological material and the strengthening of existing measures for the care of ancient andhistoric buildings, monument, and antiquities.' It also endeavoured to raise public awareness of theneed for archaeology and for its inclusion into education. The Council's 'Survey and Policy forField Research' (1948) was as part of an integrated approach to the exploration of British heritage.Other pioneering actions and involvement included the setting up of the first Industrial ArchaeologyCommittee (1959), British Archaeological Abstracts (1968), Young Archaeologists Club, and 'InternetArchaeology' (1995).

The Council is arranged into specialist committees and groups. The committees originallyrepresented periods of history but since the 1970s, the committees became more thematic. In 1996,the nine committees were replaced by a single, strategic, UK-wide Research and ConservationCommittee.

The Council is also divided into regional groups. With relevance to this collection, Group 6represented Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland until the 1970s. The boundaries were then changedseveral times, most recently in the 1990s when Group 14 (representing Nottinghamshire,Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Derbyshire) was renamed CBA East Midlands and recognised as aseparate area.

Arrangement

The collection has been arranged into three parts representing papers of the Council nationallyand its two groups. Within these parts, papers have been divided by document type into series.Within these series, items have been arranged chronologically.

Access Information

ACCESS: Pending full cataloguing access is limited andis possible only for registered users by advance notice and agreement.

LANGUAGE: English

Other Finding Aids

This description is the only finding aid available for the collection. Copyright in thedescription belongs to The University of Nottingham.

Separated Material

Conditions Governing Use

REPROGRAPHIC: Reprographic copies can be supplied for educational use and private study purposesonly, depending on access status and the condition of the documents.

COPYRIGHT: Permission to make published use of any material from this collection must be soughtin advance in writing from the Keeper of the Department of Manuscripts and Special Collections(email mss-library@nottingham.ac.uk). The Department will try to assist in identifying copyright owners but the responsibility for copyright clearance before publication ultimately rests with the reader.

Custodial History

The collection was acquired by The University of Nottingham's Department of Manuscripts andSpecial Collections from members of the University's Department of Archaeology in 1999.