New campaign aims to unlock Dorset’s Thomas Hardy Archive
Dorset Archive Trust are raising money to catalogue their collection of Hardy manuscripts
Dorset Archives Trust is working with the Dorset History Centre to open up their UNESCO-listed Thomas Hardy archive.
The collection includes over 150 boxes of material from Dorset’s literary icon, including original letters, diaries, photographs and manuscripts.
Dorset History Centre are hoping to open up the collection to the public by creating a free online catalogue of all these materials - allowing anyone to search through them.
Sam Johnston, Service Manager for Archives and Records at Dorset History Centre, said the archives hold a range of fascinating materials related to Thomas Hardy.
“There are several parts to this collection,” he explained.
“So you’ve got this great mass of Hardy related material like poetry, his correspondence, diaries, some of the manuscript novels, architectural plans, photographs, all manner of things.”
At present, Johnston explained, it is difficult to find specific materials in the archives when requests come in.
“So we have this wonderful collection sitting in the History Centre,” he said.
“It’s perfectly preserved and well looked after in its environmental conditions, but what we don’t have is the means to tell the public what’s in it.
“So for example if you looked at our online catalogue you wouldn’t see much relating to Thomas Hardy, you’d see that there is an archive here but that’s about it.”
The money raise will go towards employing a professional archivist to catalogue the materials for 18 months alongside a group of volunteers.
“At the moment we’ve got what I call a hidden gem,” Johnston said.
“People know it’s there and we know it’s there but we can’t tell them more than that. And that’s really what this campaign is all about.”
More information about the project can be found here.