TC Hine: Victorian Autograph Hunter
December 4, 2025
TC Hine is best remembered as the architect of many notable buildings in Nottingham and around the East Midlands, including the Shire Hall, which today houses the National Justice Museum. For all his achievements as an architect, this scrapbook shows that Hine was possibly even more prolific in another field: autograph hunting! This volume, which …
Luddites: Gangs of Loughborough?
November 3, 2025
Not a fan of AI? People might describe you as a ‘Luddite’, a term which is widely used today to describe people who are resistant to new technologies, but which actually has its roots in the early 19th century, as textile workers took action against mill owners who had acquired machines which threatened their status …
Results Day Special: Midwifery Exams in the 1940s
August 14, 2025
Dinah Holt trained and then worked as a nurse and midwife between 1944 and 1986, working at various hospitals in the East Midlands and as far afield as Switzerland. A lot has changed about nursing education since she undertook her training – the NHS would not come into existence until part way through her training, …
Life in 19th century Ethiopia
April 2, 2025
One of the most famous 19th-century travellers who makes an appearance in our collection is Mansfield Parkyns (1823-1894). Parkyns, a younger son of Sir Thomas Parkyns of Bunny Hall, Nottinghamshire, decided to leave England abruptly aged 19 in 1842 without making his family aware of his plans, or keeping them updated regarding his whereabouts… His …
Handling History – a recent archive placement
April 23, 2024
This is a guest post by Jessica Reynolds, who volunteered at Manuscripts and Special Collections between February and March 2024, as part of the Faculty of Arts placement scheme. Working as a volunteer at the University of Nottingham’s Manuscripts and Special Collections felt like working as a Detective! Whilst on the Arts Faculty Placement module, …
Victorian Valentines
February 14, 2024
The link between St. Valentine’s Day and romance has existed at least since the later medieval period – but it was not until the latter half of the nineteenth century that one of its most iconic features emerged in its modern form: the Valentine’s Day card. Traditionally, Valentine’s Day had been associated with poetry – …
Reading the correspondence of the Duchess of Portland
May 18, 2023
This is a guest blog by Arts Faculty Placement student Nabiha Iqbal, who in 2023, worked on cataloguing the papers of Dorothy Bentinck, Duchess of Portland (1750-1794). I was granted the unique opportunity to revisit the lives of the noble men and women of 18th century England through their primary means of communication: letters. Each …
Fungi and friendship: Margaret Cavendish-Bentinck, 2nd Duchess of Portland
June 21, 2022
This is a guest post written by UoN MA English Literature student Eve Campbell. Deciphering and researching the letters of Margaret Cavendish-Bentinck, 2nd Duchess of Portland (1715-1785), has been an insightful and rewarding experience and has allowed me to learn about different roles at Manuscripts and Special Collections. My placement required me to read through …
Colonialism in Correspondence: The Letters of Lord William Bentinck
January 26, 2022
This is a guest post by English student Ben, written as part of his placement with the Nottingham Advantage Award from the UoN Careers and Employability Service. The letters of Lord William Bentinck, from the Portland Collection at the University of Nottingham, contain many details of the governorship of India in the early 19th century. …
Cataloguing Connie part 3: the Finale
October 18, 2021
Connie Ford – veterinarian, poet, supporter of the arts, traveller, political activist, correspondent, sailor – left behind an enormous personal and literary archive. We are pleased to announce the completion of the Connie Ford catalogue which is now open to view on our website. Over the next few months our blogs will highlight specific aspects of …
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