Lectures talks and group visits

General Information and Advice on the Service

Although the Archives Service offers talks, especially to local history societies and groups with a direct interest in archives, we do not accept all invitations. Service staff have to fit talks and lectures among their other duties and even "ready-made" talks can take up a lot of time in preparation and delivery. There are, therefore, limits on the total number of talks given by staff in any one year and on the frequency of those undertaken by individual members of staff.

Given these constraints, it is suggested that organisations wanting staff as speakers should identify at least two possible topics/speakers from the list and offer a choice of two or three dates. In this way, it should be possible for us to accommodate most requests. Notice of three months or more would be appreciated, but we may sometimes be able to help out at short notice in an emergency (e.g. a last minute cancellation). We can usually provide a speaker to talk about "the work and treasures of the Archives Service" on request. Below we give details of the Bedfordshire Local History Association which may also be able to help in recommending speakers on Local History (see final page of this leaflet).

The talks listed below have already been prepared and delivered by members of the Archives Service staff. Most are illustrated with slides or by overhead transparencies. Some can be given at short notice, others need a little time for fresh preparation or adaptation. All these talks can be given to groups and societies within the county at a standard fee (currently £60). Travel is charged extra on talks outside a 25 mile radius of Bedford. In certain circumstances we can also do special or tailored talks, but an extra charge is likely to be made to cover the cost of preparation and materials (e.g. new slides)

How To Book A Talk

All requests should be addressed initially to the Operations Manager responsible for outreach (Nigel Lutt) who will discuss the possibilities with the organiser and liaise with staff. Please do not contact members of staff individually until you have spoken to Nigel, although once someone has agreed to talk to your society or group then all further dealings can be direct. We suggest that you get in touch by telephone (01234-228832 or 228833) in the first instance, although you can write to us if you have any difficulty in making contact, write to:

Nigel Lutt

Operations Manager
Bedfordshire & Luton Archives & Records Service
County Hall
Bedford
MK42 9AP

 

Group services

The Archives Service also welcomes local groups and societies for evening visits. These can be arranged, usually on a Monday evening from 7.30 to 9.00 p.m. We normally show people "behind the scenes" explaining how the Service works and put on a display of documents specially selected for the group. Parties should have between ten and twenty people. There is a charge (currently £50). We can open on Tuesday-Friday evenings at an increased charge of £60 (as we are charged extra for late opening on these evenings and we have to pass the additional charge on). To arrange a group visit, contact Nigel Lutt as above

List of Speakers & Topics

Birch, Pamela (Conservator)

• Archive Conservation (a look "behind the scenes" at the work of the Archive Service's conservator - always popular when groups visit the office but also available as a lecture)

Collett-White, James (Archivist)

• James works part time for the Service as Searchroom Archivist. As a Senior Archivist with many years' experience as an Archivist and in Local History lecturing, James has a large range of talks and is happy to discuss variations and tailored options in his specialist subject areas. James can be contacted either at the Service on 01234-228833 or at home on 01234-226839
• Bedfordshire in the 1830s (based chiefly on material about the agricultural depression in the archives of a Biggleswade solicitor's firm)
• Brewing in Bedfordshire (a history of this important local industry, drawing on the Greene King and other brewery archives held in the Archives Service)
• Bedfordshire County Council - its history and personalities (a talk originally prepared for the County Council centenary in 1989)
• Bedfordshire Country House Inventories (a study of country houses and their contents, based on James' edition of inventories published by BHRS in 1995)
• Household Saint or Meddling Maternalist? (Bedfordshire upper class women and philanthropy in the nineteenth century)
• Background to the Diaries of J.T.Brooks, Squire of Flitwick (about early to mid nineteenth century social history in Mid Bedfordshire)
• The Orlebars of Hinwick (the history of the family from the archives held by the Archives Service)
• Village Studies: history and sources for Bromham (the school), Carlton, Riseley, Sharnbrook and Thurleigh
• Places in other counties with Bedfordshire connections - studies of Bozeat (Northamptonshire) and Weston Underwood (Buckinghamshire)

Deacon, Martin (Operations Manager)

• Fires and Fire Fighting in Bedfordshire (instances from the archives and from deposited records of the post-1948 Bedfordshire Fire & Rescue Service)
• Records Management (how the work of BLARS with contemporary and recent archives will help to save today's records for the future)
• Bedfordshire Schools (a talk on the history of education and schools in Bedfordshire which can be tailored to suit individual localities)
• Bedfordshire Home Front in World War Two (a talk based on the Bedfordshire County Council records on such subjects as ARP, bombing raids, women at war, agriculture, home guard etc.)
• House History (a talk on how to set about discovering the history of your house)
• Life on the Western Front (a talk based on Martin's work on 7th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, mainly from the Battalion War Diary

Lutt, Nigel (Operations Manager)

• Bedfordshire Railways (a study of the railway age in Bedfordshire, based on Nigel's knowledge of railway archives and history)
• Bedfordshire Scandals (based on material assembled for a travelling exhibition in 1992)
• Coins, Bank Notes and Archives (a history of money, using local examples)
• The Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire Regiment (based on an intimate knowledge of the regimental collections held locally - including the records of the Archives Service)
• Military Records for the Family Historian (an account of the muster lists and other military sources, mostly published by BHRS under Nigel's authorship in 1992). This talk can be adapted to the Services available for a particular place)
• Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor....(sources for the history of occupations based on local sources: new in Spring 1999)
• Watch the Birdie (photographs and the family historian)
• George Arnald, artist (1766-1841) (a study of this notable Bedfordshire born artist - using material from an album of watercolours and sketches acquired for the Archives Service in 1991)
• The Camera Versus the Easel (alternative views of Bedford in art and photographs)
• The Bedfordshire Illustrations Collection (an introduction to the extensive collection of local images in the Archives Service collection)

Bedfordshire Local History Association (BLHA)

The BLHA| exists as an umbrella organisation for the many local history societies and groups in Bedfordshire. It exists to raise the profile and promote local history in and around the historic county and also to support and enhance the work of its individual societies and groups.