Archives section preserving Drogheda’s ancient history
WITH the kind assistance of funding from the Heritage Council, Louth County Archives and Louth Heritage Office worked together to arrange for professional conservation treatment on a selection of important Drogheda Corporation archives.
A group of the Corporation’s archives in poor condition were surveyed and assessed by a professional conservator before conservation work took place. The archives that then received treatment dated from the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries. They include two very important maps: the map of the Town and County of Drogheda by Taylor & Skinner (1778) and the map of the Town and County of Drogheda by Robert Newcomen (1657).
Other items that received treatment include a group of certificates of entry of freemen admitted into the Corporation (1793, 1811-1842), a grant of relief of arrears to Drogheda Corporation (18th Century), dockets of the pontage and gate customs (1772-1802, 1812), maps of the Corporation estate holdings (1883 – 1923), a map showing the proposed extension of the Borough boundary (1896), a notice relating to the Borough Funds (Ireland) Act 1888 and an indenture between the Corporation and Francis Graves regarding parks and watercourse (1676).
The items were made from either parchment or paper and some of the maps had a linen backing that in many cases was detaching in places. Many of the items were in a very poor and weak condition and parts of some items, such as the certificates of entry of freemen, are unfortunately illegible due to the damage already imposed, so it was important that these received treatment. Damage on items varied and generally consisted of surface dirt, mould, tears, losses and creases.
The Newcomen map in particular presented its own challenges, namely an old backing layer and a layer of varnish on the surface of the map both of which were probably put on the map sometime in the mid-twentieth century and had to be removed as much as possible. The heavy backing layer turned out to be part of the problem of the map as it was attached with a heavy application of animal glue that added to the rigidity of the map. When it was eventually removed, repairs were made to give the map stability and then the varnish was removed – this amounted to a total of 1.4 litres. A brown discolouration from soot deposits on the map also had to be removed. It is probable that the map had been hanging in a room
with an open fire and this resulted in a gradual darkening of the map. The Newcomen map took a total of sixty-eight hours to complete while the Taylor and Skinner map took thirty-five hours.
Prior to treatment, the majority of the items could not be produced for consultation or handled in their existing state as this weakened the items further. Types of treatment provided included washing, dry-cleaning, removing old repair backings and varnish, repairing tears, humidification, reinforcing folds, and de-acidification. Treatment now gives stability to the items and helps secure their permanent preservation. It also opens up access for consultation, however, under controlled conditions. Anyone interested in the items can contact Louth County Archives by telephoning 042-9324358 or by emailing archive@louthcoco.ie.