Inventories

For record keepers making lists of documents may be useful for organizing and finding documents, and also serving as a record of custody.

A Minor Inventory

March 15, 2025

“We have here greit nede of clerkes…” William Brabazon in Ireland to Thomas Cromwell, via William Body, October 1536 (SP 60/3 203v) This communication, from one servant of the king to another, carried by one in private service, reflects a larger mid-sixteenth century need for secretarial labour. Projecting sovereign power by the written word was…
Lists and Inventories

May 22, 2022

My introduction to document listing practices in Thomas Cromwell’s office can be found at Postcards from the Past – The National Archives published as part of the International Conference on the History of Records and Archives (ICHORA) 2022.