Sponsorship
Adopt a Glass Plate Negative!
Our most recent sponsorship campaign focuses on our amazing collection of glass plate negatives, which date from the 1860s to the early 1900s. A total of 97 plates require expert care from skilled conservators, including individual cleaning, repackaging and stabilisation of broken plates. Once conserved, digital images of the negatives will be uploaded to our online catalogue.
78 plates by Scipio Mactaggart depicting Inveraray and its inhabitants in the 1860s are up for adoption at £50 each, and a further 19 from the Campbell of South Hall collection are being offered together for £950. Sponsors will receive high-resolution images of their adopted plate(s) and their names will be recorded in the archive catalogue.
Would YOU like to help us fund this exciting project? Read our adoption catalogue to learn more and pick a plate.
Many of our records bear witness to their age and the varied conditions in which they have been kept over the years. His Grace the Duke of Argyll
provides storage, research facilities and a professional archive team to manage the collection, but additional financial investment is needed to conserve the
most vulnerable items. Our latest sponsorship campaign prioritises our fascinating collection of glass plate negatives, used historically to make photographic prints. By working with the Scottish Conservation Studio at Hopetoun House, Argyll Estates Archives will ensure that these plates and the unique images captured on them are preserved for future generations. Once conserved, digital images of the plates will be uploaded to our online catalogue.
By ‘adopting’ a glass plate negative, you will be lending your support to this important work. In return, sponsors will receive high-quality digital images of their adopted plate(s) in both negative and positive formats, produced using our specialist scanner. Sponsors’ names will also be recorded for posterity in
our online catalogue.
Follow the link to find out more about the negatives, the conservation process, and how you can contribute.
‘Conserving Tiree Rentals’
We have Tiree Rental volumes, which list the names of tenants on Tiree and recorded what they paid in rent, for 1828, 1829 and 1846. These volumes are in such a bad state that we cannot produce them or even image them. The conservation of the three volumes will cost about £14,000. I am applying for additional funds for this work from a Trust Fund, but really need your help. Whatever we can contribute towards the costs will demonstrate the value of the volumes to researchers, friends and to the history of Tiree. If you have connections to Tiree – through family or holidays – please consider helping us. Email: friendsoftheargyllpapers@gmail.com to pledge your support. Please get in touch if you would like to adopt either of these additional volumes.
The condition of many of these records has deteriorated due to use, fire, flood and old age.
Adopt a Red Tape Volume
In the Argyll Papers at Inveraray Castle we care for a series of volumes dating from the 17th century, mostly compiled as part of the management of the Argyll estates, providing invaluable evidence of the lands and how they were used as well as about the people who lived on them.
Many of these volumes are suffering through use, age and damage sustained in the Inveraray Castle fires of 1877 and 1975. Many of these volumes have
been temporarily repaired using a red gaffa tape which is now failing. The tape and its sticky residue needs to be removed, the pages cleaned and restitched, and bindings repaired to preserve these volumes for the future,
Our ten selected volumes, which had suffered through use and age and had been temporarily repaired with red gaffa tape, have all been adopted and are with Richard, the conservator at High Life Highland Archives, where they will be repaired. We are grateful to James and Sheree Quick, Dena Palamedes, Ellen M Taylor, Jon P and Tammy Taylor, Shawn M and Pam Taylor, Gordon Richardson, Katie Harrison, Martha McKinnon, Tina MacPhail, Stuart McColl, Chris St Victoire de Pinho, Ed Sweeney, The Cadbury Trust and Kilchoan Estates for their generosity.
Sincere thanks to our sponsors as this work is now complete. For more information on the repaired volumes, please follow the link below.
Tìr Ìseal nan Òran (Tiree: low land of song)
This island-wide creative project brought together Tiree-based artists with the local community and with an international audience connected to Tiree. The project will explore seven stories, which provided the inspiration for the creation of new music, song, film, writing and textile pieces. The project culminated in a multi-media performance featuring a dramatic retelling of the stories. The new work created during this project, along with talks and film of the production can be accessed at www.tir-iseal.co.uk.
Adopt a Charter
We are delighted to announce that all the charters in our adoption scheme have been conserved and have now been returned to the archives in their wonderful new bespoke boxes. We are incredibly grateful to all our adopters: Kristen Marie Carlstrom; Keilani Nicole Carlstrom; Jennifer Katherine Taylor; Steven Michael Taylor; Chris de St Victor de Pinho, Baron of Lochawe; Judy Nimer Muhn; Pamela Campbell Bickford; Professor Emeritus Donald E Meek; Lindsays; Nancy Campbell; Pennyghael in the Past Historical Archive; Judge Levin Campbell; Dunans Castle Ltd; Dr Betsee Parker, Baron of Locheil; and the Friends of Argyll Papers Palaeography Reading Group in the name of Alison Diamond, archivist. Adoption certificates will be coming!
Completed projects
Written in the Landscape
The Heritage Lottery, NMCT, Tiree Windfall Trust, An Iodhlann, Clan Campbell Education Foundation funded Written in the Landscape project to catalogue, conserve and promote all of the publicly available family and estate archives in Argyll has recently been completed. Working with Argyll and Bute Council, now liveArgyll, Archives Service, the project delivered professional support and networking opportunities for local heritage centres in Argyll. The evaluation of this project can be accessed here.
