A chance to encounter vice and virtue across North Yorkshire is on offer to visitors to the County Record Office next month.
The annual Archives at Dusk event on 23 May is a fascinating free invitation to delve into the past and discover some little-known facts from the county’s past.
The event will be staged at the County Record Office on Malpas Road in Northallerton.
Conservation and digitisation manager, Rachel Greenwood, said: “Our Record Office is a treasure trove of information about our ancestors and how they used to live and Archives at Dusk is a highlight of our year.
“For this year’s theme, ‘Vice and Virtue’, our expert staff will explore expressions of faith through a variety of Anglican, Methodist and Quaker records. We will also look at acts of murder and wrongdoing from long ago through the North Riding Quarter Sessions, coroners, police and workhouse archives.”
The evening will also feature special guests, including Sophie Cawthorne, who worked with the Record Office on the current exhibition, ‘Treasures from the Parish Chest’.
The University of York’s archaeology professor, Dr Kate Giles, will talk about how parish records for Pickering can be used along with other historic sources and give an insight into the late medieval wall paintings at St Peter and St Paul’s Church in the town.
The curator for the Abbey Collection at Whitby Museum, Cristiane Kroebel, will talk about Saint Hilda and a case of medieval adultery in Egton from 1357.
West Yorkshire Archive Service’s archivist, Vicky Grindrod, will showcase documents about Fountains Abbey and explain their relevance to the National Trust’s Skell Valley project in Ripon and the surrounding area. The project involves 16 organisations and aims to create a sustainable future for the valley.
There will also be the opportunity to look at arts and crafts in churches, and take part in glass engraving with Sandra Snaddon, whose work can be found in St Mary’s Church, Masham.
Archives at Dusk takes place between 6.30pm and 8pm on Thursday, 23 May, at the North Yorkshire County Record Office, Malpas Road, Northallerton DL7 8TB. Entry is free and there is no need to book. Free parking is available on site and nearby.
Find out more about the County Record Office.
Find out more about the collections and events on the County Record’s Office’s blog site.