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2022-12-31-accounts

National Manuscripts Conservation Trust CT Annual Report and Accounts 2022

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contents

contents
Reference and Administrative Information 2
Chairman’s Introduction and Review of the Year 3
Awards bythe National Manuscripts Conservation Trust 2022 6
The LastingBeneft of NMCT Grants 30
Trustees’ Report 36
Independent Examiner’s Report 41
Statement of Financial Activities 42
Balance Sheet 43
Notes to the Accounts 44

Registered Charity: 802796

Annual Report and Accounts for the year to 31 December 2022

1

Reference and Administrative Information

www.nmct.co.uk | info@nmct.co.uk | L @TheNMCT

Registered Charity: 802796

Patron

Sir Keith Thomas CH FBA

Trustees

Professor David McKitterick FBA FSA, Chairman Mr Charles Sebag-Montefiore FSA FCA, Treasurer Ms Caroline Checkley-Scott ACR Dr Norman James FRHistS Mrs Caroline Taylor BA DipLib MCLIP

Administrator to the Trustees

Mrs Nell Hoare MBE FSA FMA FIIC P.O. Box 4291, Reading, Berkshire RG8 9JA

Independent Examiner

Galloways Accounting Ridgeland House, 15 Carfax, Horsham, West Sussex RH12 1DY

Solicitor

Anderson Rowntree Wisteria House, Market Square, Petworth, West Sussex GU28 0AJ

Fund Manager

Cazenove Capital Management Ltd 1 London Wall Place, London EC2Y 5AU

Bankers

CAF Bank Limited 25 King’s Hill Avenue, West Malling, Kent ME19 4JQ

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Chairman’s Introduction and Review of the Year

It was a reflection of the aftermath of the pandemic that when the Trustees met in June 2022 they had very few applications in front of them.

The situation looked much more encouraging in the autumn, when they met again, for people had returned to work and had been able to prepare and present proposals. Nonetheless, it remains that for libraries, archives and museums, as well as for the world of conservators, it is still difficult to recruit people with appropriate skills. Nearly everywhere faces financial challenges, and the need for support remains great. The NMCT has continued to encourage applications, and emphasises that the formalities have been kept as simple as possible. As usual, every application has been independently and professionally assessed.

Once again, we remain grateful to all our supporters, whether trusts and other bodies, or private individuals. In a continuing collaboration, the Pilgrim Trust has contributed with notable generosity. In Wales and Scotland, government bodies have encouraged continuing programmes.

Later pages in this report record our usual range of grants. The materials to be conserved bring constant interest. Oldest by some distance was the 6th century BCE papyrus in Manchester, which had been subjected to disastrously destructive treatment some years ago. We have contributed in the past to work on the considerable collection of papyri in the John Rylands Library, but this was by far the largest example, and indeed, at 4.2 metres, one of the largest surviving anywhere.

By no means everything that comes to our attention has a long-established home, or has been long recognised. The 42 substantial volumes of a detailed diary kept by a man in Cornwall and spanning much of the last century, turned up by accident, cast out with rubbish when a house was cleared out, and accidentally spotted by a publicspirited passer-by and her family. Their wealth of everyday detail will certainly be of value to the future. Here it is especially pleasing to recall not just the accident of their being saved, but also the subsequent collaboration for their conservation that has taken place between three bodies, in Cornwall, Sussex and the conservation group Impact Heritage in south London. As noted below, we welcome such imaginative collaborations.

Three collections in Wales deserve especial mention. The wide-ranging 20th-century records of the Risca North Colliery in South Wales are further reminders of the immense risks involved in a key industry. Glamorgan Archives are now home to the papers and drawings of William Burges’s inspired architectural and decorative work at Cardiff Castle and Castell Coch in the latter part of the 19th century. At Swansea, archives of the Cambrian Pottery, and in particular the drawings for decoration by Elizabeth Dillwyn, record one of the most successful firms originally producing work inspired by the Wedgwoods, and then porcelain that stood comparison with Sèvres.

Annual Report and Accounts 2022 3

Some archives are straightforward to store. Some, by their shape, are much less so. By chance we received applications from two cities relating to planning history. Nottingham and Bristol both faced major challenges in the care and presentation of 19th-century building plans, which are in regular demand by people working on the history of cities. Another early 19th-century volume of plans, from the Thames Conservancy, was the subject of a grant to Berkshire Record Office.

Finally, in the year when the library of William Law, a mill owner in Rochdale, was successfully bought and distributed to nearly 70 institutions by the Friends of the National Libraries, a small grant to the Brontë Parsonage Museum enabled the conservation of an important group of letters from Charlotte Brontë, a key part of the Blavatnik Honresfield Library collection. Here, once again, was another example of collaborative management.

Professor David McKitterick

Chairman

The Trustees are indebted to these partners and funders for their support of NMCT’s work in 2022.

This level of grant-giving is possible thanks to our ongoing fundraising efforts. In 2010 we were able to give total net grants of under £70,000.

Since then a total of more than £1.2m has been raised from many generous funders which has transformed our ability to support manuscript conservation projects.

4 The National Manuscripts Conservation Trust

Emily Brontë and Anne Brontë, Autograph manuscript birthday notes, with sketches by Emily, 1842. © Sotheby's and courtesy of the Brontë Society (See page 9) .

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Awards by the National Manuscripts Conservation Trust 2022

BARTS HEALTH TRUST

Case by Case – St Bartholomew’s Hospital Medical and Surgical Case Notes 1826-1924 Project cost: £83,770 Grant award: £20,000

Ginny Dawe-Woodings, Deputy Trust Archivist, writes: The generous grant from NMCT will enable us to conserve 20 volumes of St. Bartholomew’s Hospital medical case notes covering 1884-1901. The volumes are from a subfonds representing a near continuous set of medical case notes covering the 19th and early 20th centuries, which illustrate the history of developments in medical diagnoses and treatments.

The condition of the volumes means they are difficult to use in research or displays, or even to photograph and reproduce, and have therefore not been widely publicised or accessed. There are myriad problems – the large size of certain volumes makes them difficult to move without incurring damage; the depth of the bindings on certain volumes make it difficult to open the volume without damaging the spines further, and so are difficult to support; and the health of the paper and general cleanliness make areas of the records difficult to handle and read. Conservation work will remedy the large-binding issues, make the volumes easier to handle, and make the text more legible.

We are immensely grateful to the NMCT for their grant, which will enable access to these, as yet, not fully researched records. We are looking forward to publicising them as part of the 900th anniversary of St Bartholomew’s Hospital in 2023.

The current condition of the volumes means that they cannot be made available for research and study. Courtesy of Barts Health Trust.

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BERKSHIRE RECORD OFFICE

The conservation of one volume and 21 single-sheet plans from the archive of the Thames Conservancy (part of the Liquid Assets project) Project cost: £83,625 Grant award: £16,625

Mark Stevens, County Archivist, writes: The Thames Conservancy archive is the most significant documentary collection relating to the upper river, itself one of Britain’s most recognisable features. The archive dates from 1771, when a Navigation Commission was created to improve the Thames from Lechlade to its tidal reach at Teddington Lock. This improvement – an HS2 for Georgian England – is the locks, weirs and towpaths that we have today.

The archive contains over 1,300 individual items. It has been recently catalogued and a conservation survey completed, which identified some 62 items that are too damaged for researchers to safely use. Conservation work is underway, funded by Thames Water, the William Delafield Charitable Trust, the Earley Charity and the Englefield Charitable Trust.

Above: Label for Zachary Allnutt’s book of lock plans. Right: Long shot of Sarah Bailey trimming a single sheet repair. Images courtesy of Berkshire Record Office.

The generous grant from NMCT allows us to extend this work by five months and treat more items. Those identified are mostly single sheet plans, drawn during the 19th and early 20th centuries by the Conservancy’s engineering staff. Most evocatively, we will conserve a book of lock plans drawn and compiled by Zachary Allnutt, Surveyor to the Navigation Commission, in 1815. Zachary’s plans have been unsympathetically guarded and bound; thanks to the NMCT, we will recreate the simpler, original structure that Zachary intended and repair tears at the same time.

The project will be completed in autumn 2023.

We are grateful to the Pilgrim Trust for their support of this project.

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BRISTOL ARCHIVES

Bristol’s building plans: a conservation challenge Project cost: £18,285 Grant award: £17,035

Allie Dillon, City Archivist, writes: We hold an extensive but highly vulnerable set of building plans, dated 18511948, submitted by local organisations to Bristol’s Board of Health to manage sanitation. The collection contains around 40,000 plans within 314 large volumes.

The plans record new and altered buildings in Bristol during a century of rapid social change and urban growth. They document how industries and housing developed and, with them, new community, leisure and retail facilities. They form a unique record of a city’s built environment: it appears no other UK city has such complete architectural plans over such duration.

Binding the plans ensured their survival but created a substantial conservation problem. They are amongst our most popular collections, but increasingly fragile, as they are often heavily folded and feature multiple media with different conservation needs.

Through this grant, a conservator will test techniques for disbinding one of the most complex volumes. Every plan will be flattened, digitised, and repackaged, keeping the originals accessible for research. They will also develop a system to prioritise items for further conservation.

From this, we will develop solutions for an ambitious, cost-effective intervention across the whole collection and build the case for further funding. We are grateful to the NMCT (and the Friends of Bristol Museums, Galleries & Archives) for their willingness to fund this exploratory work and we intend to share our learning through training opportunities for conservators and archivists.

The bound plans present major handling and conservation challenges. Courtesy of Bristol Archives.

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BRONTË PARSONAGE MUSEUM, HAWORTH

The conservation of Brontë manuscripts from the Blavatnik Honresfield Library

Project cost: £2,520 Grant award: £2,520

Ann Dinsdale, Principal Curator, writes: The Blavatnik Honresfield Library was put together by William Law, a northern industrialist, towards the end of the 19th century. Law acquired a treasure trove of manuscripts, letters and printed books including autograph manuscripts by the Brontës. The Library was saved for the nation by the Friends of the National Libraries and the manuscripts to be conserved are drawn from the material which they donated to the Brontë Parsonage Museum in 2022.

Eighteen of the items identified for conservation are letters set in a leather-bound volume; 17 of them written by Charlotte Brontë between 1845 and 1854 to her close friend Ellen Nussey. This bound collection, along with four individual letters by Charlotte, is discoloured, acidic and stained. Several are torn and handling is likely to cause further damage.

Two rare diary papers by Emily and Anne Brontë (see image page 5) have also been selected for conservation treatment. These documents are written on small scraps of paper in minuscule script and offer a vivid snapshot of the sisters’ daily lives. Emily’s paper is dated 30 July 1841 and illustrated with two tiny sketches of herself in the dining room of Haworth Parsonage. Anne’s paper was written on the same evening, while working as a governess to the Robinson family. Both diary papers have been tipped into a leather binding. Its pastedown, endpapers and pages are foxed and acidic. Both manuscripts are stained and discoloured and there is a tear following the central fold in Emily’s paper. Once cleaned, repaired and removed from their bindings the diary papers and letters can be exhibited on their own. The diary papers are to be displayed at the Brontë Parsonage Museum throughout 2023.

Letter from Charlotte Brontë to Ellen Nussey following the death of Anne Brontë. Image: © Sotheby's and courtesy of the Brontë Society.

We are grateful to the Pilgrim Trust for their support of this project.

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FIRING LINE MUSEUM, CARDIFF

The conservation of the King's Dragoon Guards' recruiting instructions, 1787 Project cost: £600 Grant award: £600

Hannah Searle, Assistant Regimental Curator, writes: Firing Line Museum is a joint regimental museum for the 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards (QDG) and The Royal Welsh. Items from both regimental archives are displayed in the museum.

The 1787 recruiting document is a valuable piece of military and social history, including instruction to the regiment on matters such as a recruit’s pay, health, religion and civilian life. Eighteenth-century military records are hard to find and little exists in the QDG Collection from this period.

Unfortunately, historic water damage means that the document was unable to be handled or displayed safely and had rendered a large portion of the document unreadable.

Thanks to the generosity of the NMCT, this document is now being conserved. Following conservation, the original document will be made available for researchers to view by appointment within Firing Line Museum. From time to time, the document is expected to be displayed in exhibitions under controlled conditions. At other times, a digital version will be made available for viewing by visitors to the museum. When not on display, the document will be stored within a conservator-approved storage file in the regimental archives.

The King’s Dragoon Guards Recruiting Instructions before conservation. Courtesy of the Queen's Dragoon Guards Heritage Trust.

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FRY ART GALLERY, SAFFRON WALDEN Conservation of an Eric Ravilious Scrapbook

Project cost: £2,000 Grant award: £2,000

Gordon Cummings, Hon. Secretary writes: This 60-page scrapbook, manufactured between the two World Wars primarily for use as an album for wedding photographs, was adapted by Ravilious to paste in his entries of drawings, newspaper cuttings, tracings, correspondence and so on. The page size is 24.5cm x 31.4cm.

Many visitors come specially to see work by Eric Ravilious, whose reputation continues to grow, and his scrapbooks are particularly interesting to those who know only his watercolours and lithographs. This scrapbook will join the three others in our collection and, together, they will provide insights into his working methods and eclectic interests.

The volunteer-run Fry Art Gallery, founded 1985, holds a collection of work by north west Essex artists of the 20th and 21st centuries including Edward Bawden, Eric Ravilious, John Aldridge, and Michael Rothenstein. Over 40 artists are represented in more than 3,000 accessioned objects as well a large collection of ephemera.

The conservator will surface-clean throughout and re-attach loose papers, unfold dog-ears, repair and strengthen folds, creases and splits. The cheap and poor quality binding structure has disintegrated, and some of the bi-folios are detached and most are loose. The binding will be dismantled, and the album pages separated into their constituent bi-folios. They will then be rebound using a more appropriate sewn style into the original covers and spine.

Once conservation is complete, we expect the scrapbook to be on more-or-less permanent display in a glazed cabinet, with pages regularly turned to show content which relates to other, finished, works on display at the time.

Left: Undated Ink and wash drawing, perhaps a layout for a projected wood engraving. Above: Elements of lettering and illustrations for a limited edition of Twelfth Night published by The Golden Cockerel Press in 1932. Courtesy of the Fry Art Gallery.

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GLAMORGAN ARCHIVES

The conservation of William Burges plans and drawings of Cardiff Castle and other buildings Total project cost: £40,595; Phase 1 cost: £11,566 Grant award: £11,566

Laura Cotton, Glamorgan Archivist, writes: The Cardiff Castle collection comprises c.2,000 drawings and paintings compiled by William Burges, the respected architect and designer. The majority of the items relate to his redevelopment of Cardiff Castle on behalf of the Marquis of Bute from 1868 until his death in 1881, although there are also drawings for his reconstruction of Castell Coch, 1872-1881, and other buildings with which he was involved at around the same date.

This collection has been stored for many years within the Castle and has only recently been transferred to Glamorgan Archives. The grant from NMCT will allow much needed repair and preservation work to be carried out across the whole collection, including reversing damaging conservation that was done many years ago. It will consolidate and properly protect the collection enabling full digitisation for use in exhibitions and online. In particular, this phase of work will look at the largest items within the collection and repair tears and flaking paint.

The work of William Burges is a relatively under-researched topic and it is hoped that, by widening research access to the collection, more people will discover these wonderful drawings and paintings. This conservation project will allow on-demand access within the Archives searchroom for the first time.

We are grateful to the Welsh Government for their support of this project.

Images above and on following pages: Lydia Stirling ACR, of Glamorgan Archives, and Emily O'Reilly ACR are conserving the Burges plans; the project is also providing valuable experience for conservation students from Cardiff University. Courtesy of Glamorgan Archives.

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GLOUCESTER CATHEDRAL

The conservation of manuscript music pastedowns in-situ within binding of 1472 printed volume Project cost: £1,800 Grant award: £1,200

Rebecca Philips, Cathedral Archivist, writes: In Gloucester Cathedral Library it is not unusual to find paste-downs from earlier periods inside the covers of our library books. In fact the earliest items in the Library are a set of Anglo-Saxon pages recycled into a binding in 1500 and then scavenged and brought to a high profile in the 1860s.

We are delighted that the NMCT grant will allow us to conserve this book from the junction between print and manuscript cultures and the manuscript pages in situ, retaining their context and second-life as part of the binding. We will be able to display them, without risk of damage, to enable visitors and researchers to better understand the history of book construction and to access the historic musical manuscript without risk of damage.

Inside the covers of a 1472 copy of Lactanius's works are two surviving folded folios of medieval manuscript music. As an early incunable, the book itself includes printed text with both decoration and illumination in places. Although they are badly water damaged and have seen some unfriendly attempts at improvement over the years, the manuscript pages are still intact as a result of their reuse in this binding. The binding of which they are part, and which has protected them, is starting to deteriorate along the spine and so needs care and attention.

The back cover of the 1472 copy of Lactantius's works prior to conservation. Courtesy of Gloucester Cathedral.

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GWENT ARCHIVES

Black Gold: conserving the Risca North Colliery Collection

Project cost: £6,133 Grant award: £5,510

Rhiannon Griffiths, Conservator, writes: The NMCT grant will allow for the treatment of the newly acquired colliery collection of Risca North, which include pre-shift inspection records, duplicate correspondence books, examination books, general report books and inspection report books. The records cover a time of great change and activity in the industry, from strikes and economic difficulties of the 1920s, through Word War II and nationalisation in 1947. The wide span of reports allows for the interrogation of data, statistical analysis and identification of trends. In addition to their use for the study of the industry, the reports and duplicate books contain staff names and are useful for the family and local historians as well as academic researchers.

They cannot be catalogued until they are conserved, due to the health and safety risk from bindings that are heavily soiled with dirt, coal dust and active mould ( see images below ).

Through the conservation programme the collection will be cleaned and packaged; this work will be carried out by a Preservation Assistant whose position will be funded by the grant. The Conservator will oversee this work as well as undertake in-situ conservation treatment such as remedial paper repair.

It is expected that the collection will be in high demand once catalogued. Conservation treatment will ensure that the collection is fully accessible to all.

We are grateful to the Welsh Government for their support of this project.

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HIGHLANDERS' MUSEUM, INVERNESS

The conservation of two diaries of a serving officer in the 72nd Regiment of Foot/Seaforth Highlanders, 1858 to 1910.

Project cost: £2,960 Grant award: £2,960

Eilidh Young, Director, writes: Two diaries were donated to The Highlanders’ Museum in the Autumn of 2021, they contain diary entries and game logs from a serving officer in the 72nd Regiment of Foot / Seaforth Highlanders dating between 1858 and 1910. As the only museum in Scotland dedicated to collecting materials relating to this Highland regiment, we were delighted to be offered these unusual diaries which document first-hand the personal experiences of serving in the regiment during one of the most dynamic periods in its history which includes the Indian uprising – the interpretation of which we have been re-evaluating as part of our Community Curator’s project. They give us a rare insight into a Highland soldier’s career during this period.

The two diaries were in poor condition, however, and not suitable for display, study or digitisation due to the instability of their bindings. Thanks to the NMCT grant both diaries are currently with the conservator. As part of the conservation work, they will be carefully surfacecleaned before being re-bound in a similar historical style using sympathetic methods to stabilise each volume.

We are grateful to the National Manuscripts Conservation Trust for funding the conservation of these unique diaries. Once conserved we will be able to share them with visitors to the museum, in future displays and with researchers virtually once they have been digitised.

We are grateful to the Scottish Council on Archives for their support of this project.

The unstable binding of the second diary with loose leaves. Image: Courtesy of The Highlanders' Museum.

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IMPACT HERITAGE, WEST SUSSEX WITH KRESEN KERNOW [CORNWALL ARCHIVES] The conservation of 42 manuscript journals of John

James Morris

Project cost: £17,641 Grant award: £12,195

Ruth Stevens ACR, Director of Impact Heritage, writes: The NMCT grant allows a unique set of Cornish journals to be conserved before they are donated to Kresen Kernow, Cornwall’s archive centre.

The journals are of social historical importance to Cornwall as they track the immense changes in society from the First World War to the 1980s according to John James Morris from Lanivet. They were discovered by a skip near Truro, destined for the tip.

All volumes have loose and stapled inserts including letters, sketches, printed pamphlets and photographs. The journals were exposed to damp and became mouldy; they are also fragile because they were made using acidic and low-quality materials which have deteriorated over time.

The journals will be stabilised so they can be accessed without causing damage. They will be cleaned, rusty staples removed, damage repaired and put into archival boxes. Ultimately, the conserved journals will be used to engage with the community, to share, preserve and explore the information contained, linking themes of identity, health, history and place.

The conservation work will be delivered by two book conservation graduates under the supervision of Ruth Stevens of Sussex Conservation Consortium Ltd., who will provide training.

Impact Heritage, set up by a group of conservators to support projects for community archives and conservation graduates, are grateful to the NMCT trustees for allowing them to front the bid, unlocking the funding needed to get the conservation work underway.

The NMCT Trustees were impressed by this novel, collaborative approach and would welcome further collaborative applications from archives and others in future. This grant was made possible thanks to the support of the Pilgrim Trust.

Below: A photograph of John James Morris, 1922.

Detail of one of the diaries. Images courtesy of Impact Heritage.

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JOHN RYLANDS RESEARCH INSTITUTE AND LIBRARY, UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER The conservation of Demotic Papyrus 9, c513BCE Project cost: £53,997 Grant award: £10,184

Elisabeth Carr, Collection Care Manager, writes: Dating from the reign of Darius I (c.513 BCE), Demotic Papyrus 9, the Petition of Peteêsi, is regarded as one of the most important documents in the world for studies of Late Period Egypt, not only for the content of the scroll, demonstrating facets of legal, historical, and social life of ancient Egypt between the 6th and 7th centuries BCE, but also as evidence of Demotic script as a cursive recording language. Its content, language and materiality hold significant importance to the global research and conservation community. It is rare for a scroll of such length (4.2m) to remain virtually intact.

In the late 19th century, Demotic 9 was mounted in an oak frame between two sheets of plate glass. In 1967 the papyrus was severely damaged by disastrous treatment involving the application of sunflower oil, surgical spirit, and acacia gum to its surface, in an attempt to improve the legibility of the text. The sunflower oil darkened the papyrus support, rendering the black text almost illegible against the dark brown background. It also caused the support to adhere to the glass sheet on the reverse. The front sheet of glass subsequently shattered while the scroll was stored flat in storage. It seems that the glass had been temporarily removed from the frame in 1967 to facilitate the treatment and had not been properly reframed, making it vulnerable to breakage. Glass shards are embedded in the papyrus, and there are several loose fragments. Since 2003 the papyrus has been stored in a wooden crate, unavailable to researchers.

The loose fragments were rehoused in July 2019 to keep them secure. A stained blotter from these folders was analysed at The University of Manchester in May 2021, the results confirming that the sunflower oil was still actively oxidising the support and it could be partly removed.

The NMCT grant will enable us to stabilise the papyrus chemically and physically through an innovative enzymatic treatment. This will involve the use of a nonwoven hydro-entangled spun-lace fibre material to apply the enzymes, and a custom-made heated mat to achieve ideal, stable conditions for the enzymes to break down the fatty acids and remove them, as much as possible, from the support. This will allow the cleaning, alignment and repair of the loose fragments and re-glazing in its original 1899 oak frame with a new top sheet of glass.

The treatment has been thoroughly researched and samples have been analysed to prove the efficacy of the process. A papyrologist will advise the project team on the reattachment of loose fragments, aided by multispectral imaging to reveal hidden or damaged text.

The Library’s Imaging team will digitise the entire scroll and make it available online, facilitating much wider accessibility of this unique artifact. The project team and other professionals will publish a book about the historical context, conservation treatment and re-housing of the scroll, with a new transcription and translation by the papyrologist (updating the last one produced by F.Ll. Griffith in 1909).

We are grateful to the Pilgrim Trust for their support of this project.

The entire 4.2m scroll is adhered to the glass; in this image conservators are undertaking pH and conductivity tests on the accessible side of Demotic 9. Courtesy of the University of Manchester.

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LANARK LIBRARY

The conservation of the first volume of the Records of the Burgh of Lanark 1488-1576 Project cost: £9,768 Grant award: £9,768

Elena Focardi, Librarian, writes: The first six volumes of the Records of the Burgh of Lanark collection span from 1488 to 1710 and contain some of the earliest records in our collection. These volumes provide significant insight into the formation and development of the self-elected Town Council during the times of Mary Queen of Scots, The Union of the Crowns as well as the Act of Union. The Records of the Burgh of Lanark are written accounts of the decisions and preoccupations of the Town Council of a Royal Burgh in Scotland, lending themselves to studies of social history and late mediaeval town administration. In the Records there are also accounts of the regulation of the measure “troy stone”.

Above: Previous glassine repairs on two of the six volumes have become brittle and discoloured. Right: An example of the condition of the volume that is being conserved in this project. Courtesy of Lanark Library.

In the past, the volumes suffered significant moisture and mould damage, and were repaired and re-bound in unsympathetic bindings that restrict access and increase their fragility. The volumes contain a variety of fragments from different records, the orginal order of which is unclear. Following conservation assessment, the first volume of the collection was selected for treatment.

Conservation will allow the records to be made accessible and safe to handle, increasing readability and facilitating digitisation to make them available to the research community. It will also be a chance to cast some light on which might have been the original codicological units forming these records.

We are grateful to the Scottish Council on Archives for their support of this project.

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THE LATYMER FOUNDATION AT HAMMERSMITH

The conservation of Latymer Foundation Minutes and Accounts Books, 1717-1845

Project cost: £36,000 Grant award: £12,704

Polly Foley, Archivist, writes: The Latymer Foundation was established in 1624 ‘to clothe and educate eight poore boyes’ in Hammersmith. Today, it remains true to the vision of its founder Edward Latymer and offers a first-class education to academically able students from all walks of life. Latymer Upper School has over 1,200 pupils and by 2024 aims to have one in four pupils attending the school on some form of bursary, making it one of the most socially inclusive independent schools in the country.

The NMCT funding will enable the conservation of a selection of bound volumes from the Foundation’s complete collection of trustee meeting minutes and accountancy records. These span from 1624 to the present day and the volumes to be conserved with NMCT support cover 1717-1845. They are unique manuscript documents, not yet digitised or transcribed. Contentwise, they provide a fascinating insight into the journey of educational reform from the 18th century to the modern day, as well as the lives of the ordinary inhabitants of West London during this time.

Previous storage has resulted in the collection being severely affected by mould and so it has been inaccessible. The treatment includes drying, cleaning and then painstaking repair of the paper and bindings. The work will be overseen by Codex Conservation but carried out by a recent graduate conservator as a step towards their Accreditation. After conservation, the documents will be digitised, and housed on the school’s digital archive.

Above: Latymer boy, Henry Bland, dressed in full uniform from the 1870s. Below: The typical condition of some of the collection – The Latymer Foundation Accounts 1821-1845.

Images courtesy of The Latymer Foundation at Hammersmith.

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LICHFIELD CATHEDRAL

The conservation of Lichfield MS 33 Armorial of

the Garter, c1580

Project cost: £2,120 Grant award: £1,470

The Revd Canon Dr Gregory Platten, Canon Chancellor, writes: Lichfield Cathedral Library is unusual amongst Cathedral libraries, in that the core of the collection came from the 17th century library of a stately home. The original mediaeval library was stripped bare during the English Civil War, when the Cathedral endured three violent sieges, and almost all of the early manuscripts were lost or destroyed. One of those surviving manuscripts, the St Chad Gospels, had been given for safekeeping during the conflict to Frances, Duchess of Somerset. She returned it in around 1672, when the extensive damage to the Cathedral had been repaired; at the same time, she bequeathed the library of her late husband, William Seymour, to the Cathedral to form the basis of a new collection.

More than 400 books and manuscripts came to the Cathedral after the Duchess’s death in 1674, including the Armorial of the Garter. Originally belonging to Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford, the Armorial of the Garter (c1580) is a rare manuscript of exceptional quality. The work of one hand, it illustrates the coats of arms of all the Garter Knights in full colour up to Adolf, Duke of Holstein; the last sovereign listed is Queen Elizabeth I.

The NMCT grant will enable conservation including surface-cleaning, works to support the existing sewing structure at the tail, and stabilising the splitting velvet cover on the spine. Once conserved, this visually stunning manuscript will be included as a highlight of a 2023 exhibition exploring the unusual history of the Cathedral’s library collection, and afterwards made available to visitors on Library Tours.

Lichfield Cathedral Library. © Amelia Brown and courtesy of the Chapter of Lichfield Cathedral.

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UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL

The conservation of the Waterhouse Cotton Ledger (LUL MS.138), 1799-1802 Project cost: £4,140 Grant award: £3,000

Katy Hooper, Special Collections Librarian, writes: The Waterhouse Cotton Ledger is one of the few sources for the pre-1815 Liverpool cotton trade. It is an accounts book of the firm of Nicholas Waterhouse and Co, Liverpool cotton brokers; with entries dated 1799-1802 over 550 folios, organised on a client-byclient basis. Clients include Richard Arkwright Jr, and Liverpool slave traders including the Earles, Tarletons, and Hindes. The cotton Waterhouse imported primarily originated in Demerara, and was cultivated by enslaved labour. Former owners of the ledger include Liverpool historians Stanley Dumbell, and Professor F. E. Hyde, who gave it to the University of Liverpool in 1975.

Generations of research have taken their toll. The need for conservation has become more urgent with the increasing interest in sources related to legacies of colonialism. The volume is currently in a deteriorated leather binding, with detached boards, and broken sewing, leaving the pages vulnerable to loss and damage. It cannot currently be accessed without risking further damage.

The process of conservation itself will add to our understanding of the object in its local context: for example, the treatment proposal has identified rope boards, demonstrating the purpose of the Ropewalks area adjacent to the University. Following conservation, the ledger will be safe to produce for teaching and research, and be a potential candidate for digitisation.

The Waterhouse cotton ledger (LUL MS.138) before conservation. Courtesy of the University of Liverpool.

26 The National Manuscripts Conservation Trust

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE ARCHIVES

The conservation of 600 city building plans from Victorian period Project cost: £10,000 Grant award: £9,000

Ruth Imeson, Heritage Services Manager, writes: The Nottingham City collection of building plans is an almost complete run of architectural documents submitted to the city’s planning department between 1874 and 1974. The collection contains plans for many of Nottingham’s key businesses, education and sports facilities, such as Raleigh, John Player & Sons, Boots, the University of Nottingham, and Notts County Football club, and provides an insight into the development of the city’s historic lace and textile industries. Key local architects such as Watson Fothergill, Hine and Howitt, are well represented.

The grant is enabling us to conserve 600 of the plans which are in a poor condition so they can be made available to the public for the first time. The collection contains thousands of documents in varying conditions, therefore this initial project aims to inform an ongoing, longer-term conservation and preservation approach to treat the entire collection.

The earliest documents date from 1871 and include blueprints, diazotypes, transparent papers made from both mechanical techniques (beaten fibres) and impregnated techniques (linseed oil), linen backed paper, and plans made from coated woven textile. The most vulnerable parts of the collection have been identified within the pre-1910 plans where many of the drawings are on transparent papers. These papers are badly degraded resulting in a brittle substrate with multiple losses, tears and no longer any tensile strength. The conservation treatment will humidify, flatten and line these to prevent further damage.

Examples of vulnerable pe-1910 plans printed on transparent paper, which has become badly degraded and brittle. Courtesy of Nottinghamshire Archives.

27

OXFORD UNIVERSITY MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

The conservation of the Buckland Archive 1784-1856 Project cost: £28,140 Grant award: £10,000

Jenny Haimes, Development Officer, and Danielle Czerkaszyn, Librarian and Archivist, write: We are extremely grateful to the NMCT for supporting the conservation of the recently acquired Buckland Archive. William Buckland (1784 – 1856) was one of the greatest geologists of his time. This archive consists of just over 1,000 manuscripts including correspondence, geological notes, works of art and family papers relating to William Buckland and other family members.

The archive will benefit from a range of conservation treatments to stabilise and restore appearance to this collection. Many of the paper items in the archive will benefit from having tears repaired and losses infilled. The majority of the letters need basic cleaning to remove layers of dust and fine dirt while others will undergo humidification to flatten them before they are rehoused in acid-free fascicules. In addition, photographs in the archive will be remounted to ensure they are stable enough to be safely handled. Finally, the collection will be rehoused in archive boxes constructed from acid-free card to protect them from further deterioration.

Letter from the Buckland archive showing creases and dirt layers. Courtesy of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.

Once treated and properly stored, the Buckland Archive will be in a better condition to be made available for research, display and public engagement. This material will complement our existing archive and specimen collections in relation to William Buckland and establish OUMNH as the leading institution for research into his life and work.

We are grateful to the Pilgrim Trust for their support of this project.

28 The National Manuscripts Conservation Trust

SWANSEA MUSEUM

The conservation of the Cambrian Pottery Archive Project cost: £20,325 Grant award: £15,402

Danielle Jenkinson, Documentation Officer, writes: Swansea Museum houses a wide-ranging collection that includes locally produced ceramic items and related archival material; our NMCT grant will be used to conserve some items from the ‘Cambrian Pottery Archive’. Founded in the 18th century, the Cambrian Pottery copied the successful business strategies of Josiah Wedgwood, and by the 19th century, the pottery was producing porcelain that rivalled that of Sèvres.

The ‘Cambrian Pottery Archive’ includes Elijah Brindley’s ‘Memorandum Book’ and Elizabeth ‘Bessie’ Dillwyn’s designs for Etruscan Ware. Brindley was a copperplate engraver who worked in Staffordshire as well as Swansea. His ‘Memorandum Book’, written 1825-1865,

provides invaluable information on the working methods of the industry, including enamel formulae and engraving prices. The pages of his work diary are currently detached and the spine is broken; its conservation will allow researchers to study its contents without risking further damage.

From 1846, Bessie Dillwyn drew up designs for the Etruscan Ware range. In partnership with her husband, the owner of Cambrian Pottery, and the pottery works manager, she also helped to experiment with ceramic body types using red clay from the family estate in Penllergaer; such involvement in the decision making of a business was unusual for a woman at this time. The conservation treatment of her work will include surfacecleaning and the removal of tape formerly used to mount the designs. The majority of the designs will then be secured within fascicules so they can be viewed and stored safely.

We are grateful to the Welsh Government and the Colwinston Trust for their support of this project.

Left and above: Some of Elizabeth ‘Bessie’ Dillwyn’s designs for Etruscan Ware. Courtesy of Swansea Museum.

Annual Report and Accounts 2022 29

The Lasting Benefit of NMCT Grants

NMCT has helped institutions to conserve important manuscripts and collections for thirty years. In this section we give some examples of projects that would not have been possible without NMCT’s support.

DONCASTER ARCHIVES

The conservation of 20 manor court rolls of the Lordship of Conisborough, 1325-1521 Project cost: £87,236 Grant award: £10,000 in 2019

Charles Kelham, Archivist, writes: Spanning the years 1265-1935 and covering 28 townships until 1347 and 16 thereafter, the series of manor court records for the soke of Conisbrough has a geographical and temporal range that makes it unparalleled as a source for the history of South Yorkshire. The series is not complete, but its 160 parchment rolls and 14 parchment and paper volumes are enough for The National Archives to consider it of national importance. Originally deposited with Doncaster Archives in 1982, the rolls were purchased for Heritage Doncaster in 2017, thanks to grants from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Friends of the National Libraries.

Accepting the funding committed Heritage Doncaster to make the records as widely accessible as possible through online publication. This necessitated a programme of conservation so that the best possible digital images of the parchment rolls could be captured without causing harm to documents that in some cases were already in a poor state. All outer membranes had suffered varying degrees of wear and tear, and some rolls had suffered water damage.

Funding from the NMCT allowed us to engage Antony Oliver, at Sheffield Archives, to undertake the conservation work required on 20 rolls, made up of 58 membranes. Antony removed the ties holding the membranes of each roll together, then cleaned and flattened the membranes. Only 13 required no repair work. High-resolution images of both sides of each membrane were captured at Sheffield Archives, after which the rolls were retied, rerolled and repackaged before being returned to Doncaster.

Our immediate aim now is to make the images of the rolls freely accessible to anyone anywhere in the world who wishes to read them. After that we propose putting indexed translations of the rolls online alongside the images themselves. In creating this resource, we will provide opportunities for volunteers who already possess the necessary skills, and for the training of staff and volunteers in palaeography and documentary Latin. The end product will be applicable to various educational and research purposes – in particular by exploiting that invaluable property possessed by manor court records: namely that they shed light on the lives of ordinary people living 500 and more years ago.

30 The National Manuscripts Conservation Trust

Examining a mid-14th century Roll. Courtesy of Doncaster Archives.

Annual Report and Accounts 2022 31

----- Start of picture text -----
Image: Separating the pages of a Consett Iron Company
Locomotive Register by inserting archival polyester sheets.
Below: A page after treatment.
Courtesy of Durham County Record Office.
----- End of picture text -----

32 The National Manuscripts Conservation Trust

DURHAM COUNTY RECORD OFFICE

The conservation Consett Iron Company Locomotive Registers. Project cost: £4,561 Grant award: £2,830 in 2017

Zoe Finlay, Archive Conservator, writes: Iron has been produced in Consett, Co. Durham since 1840, with the Consett Iron Company operating from 1864 until its closure in 1980. The company established themselves as one of the world’s leading iron and steel works thanks to their unique approach, controlling integral operations on-site instead of outsourcing. The town itself owed its existence to the company and, as virtually the sole employer, workers’ families lived and worked beneath the shadow of the giant steelworks.

Crucial to the success of the steelworks was a vast fleet of locomotives which required daily maintenance within the Consett workshops. From the early 1870’s, all repairs, transfers and scrapping of locomotives was recorded within a set of registers.

Seven of these registers dating from 1915 to 1954 are deposited at Durham County Record Office. Prior to acquisition, the registers had collected thick deposits of dirt, dust, and live mould. Three of the registers were completely inaccessible as pages lay in fragmented piles, unable to be turned. Moreover, all volumes posed a health hazard to staff, the public and other collections.

Conservation was essential to physically and chemically stabilise the registers, which would then permit digitisation of these inaccessible volumes. As a result of our NMCT grant, all seven volumes have now been cleaned, repaired, resized where necessary and rehoused.

Once digitised, the Consett Iron Registers will be a major resource of valuable information to researchers. We are grateful that the NMCT grant has allowed us to make available this insight into an important era of industrial and social heritage of North-East England.

An example of an ‘A’ class six-coupled ‘long-boilered’ engine, the No.3, K, 1845/1872, shunts on 5th July 1936. © Durham County Council.

Annual Report and Accounts 2022 33

RHONDDA HERITAGE PARK

The conservation of the Records of Tynewydd Women’s Labour group, 1920-1930. Project cost: £6,204 Grant award: £3,804 in 2021

Darren Macey, Operational Manager, writes: The grant we received from NMCT allowed us to conserve a collection that gives a wonderful insight into the experiences of the Tynewydd Women’s Labour group. The minute books begin at the section's foundation in the early 1920s and run through to the mid-1930s. They are a unique resource in terms of records relating to the organisation of working-class women in politics in the Rhondda of that period and join a handful of other such records from other constituencies in Wales - notably in Caerphilly, Newport, and Swansea. They span the lead up to and impact of the 1926 General Strike on a small Rhondda Valleys community, a period while receiving significant study, lacks an understanding of the female perspective.

The minute books describe how women organised themselves as political activists, what they did, what they talked about and debated, from the general strike to issues of birth control to the post First World War international political situation. They point to the sharp divisions between the Labour Party and Communist Party in the Rhondda and the importance of women's voices in the development of South Walian social democracy. As such the documents offer researchers an opportunity to address the gender imbalance in study of working-class struggle and have already garnered substantial academic interest from Cardiff and Swansea Universities, and the University of South Wales.

Working with students from Cardiff University and the immersive storytelling company ‘Vision Fountain’ will use the conserved minutes and a series of oral history interviews, conducted with women across our county, to record and compare the experiences of the women in 1926 and during the 1984-1985 miners’ strike. The oral history project was by the Welsh Museums Federation. During 2023 we will create a ‘behind the curtain’ exhibition highlighting importance of capturing such intangible heritage of this kind.

Rhondda women during the 1926 1926 General Strike, at a Libanus Rhondda Soup Kitchen. Courtesy of Rhondda Heritage Park.

34 The National Manuscripts Conservation Trust

Maerdy Women's Support Group marching in Rhondda South Wales on 27 August 1984. © Martin Shakeshaft.

‘ Reading a first-hand, contemporary account of the importance of women not just in supporting striking men but also influencing the policy, direction and even the mundane decision-making process has given me a completely new perspective on women’s history’. Eli McHale, MA student, Cardiff University

Annual Report and Accounts 2022 35

Trustees’ Report

The Trustees of the National Manuscripts Conservation Trust present their Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31st December 2022.

Structure, Governance and Management

Constitution

The National Manuscripts Conservation Trust (NMCT) was established on 9th January 1990 by a declaration of trust executed by three Trustees: John Ehrman, representing the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts (HMC); Henry Heaney, representing the British Library board (BL) and Lewis Golden, representing the private benefactors. Since 1st April 2003, the HMC has formed part of The National Archives (TNA), whose Chief Executive is the sole Historical Manuscripts Commissioner.

Administration

The administration of the NMCT is provided by Mrs Nell Hoare, whose address, together with other administrative information, is given on page 2.

Risk Management

The Trustees have identified the principal risks that might have an effect on the NMCT and believe that appropriate action has been taken to manage them. The Trustees continue to review the adequacy of the procedures in place.

Trustees

Both the HMC (as a constituent body within TNA) and the BL each appoint one Trustee, and the two Trustees so appointed are empowered to appoint up to four further Trustees, none of whom shall be a member or an officer of, or employed by, either the HMC or the BL.

The five Trustees as at 31st December 2022, all of whom served throughout the year, are listed at the front of this report. They are Professor David McKitterick (Chairman), Charles Sebag-Montefiore (Treasurer), Dr Norman James (who has specialised knowledge of the library and archive sector in the UK), Caroline Checkley-Scott (a leading book and paper conservator) and Caroline Taylor (retired Librarian of the University of Leicester).

New Trustees are provided with a detailed induction to the charity and to their responsibilities as Trustees, in line with charity best practice.

36 The National Manuscripts Conservation Trust

Objectives and Activities

The chief objective of the NMCT is to advance the education of the public by the provision of financial assistance towards the cost of conserving manuscripts, which, in the opinion of the Trustees, are of historic or educational value.

Applications for grants can be accepted from all county record offices, non-national libraries and museums and other similar publicly funded institutions including local authority, university and specialist record repositories throughout the United Kingdom, and from owners of manuscript material exempt from capital taxation or owned by a charitable trust. National libraries and institutions that are directly funded by the government are not normally eligible for grants from the NMCT. In deciding whether an application merits a grant, the Trustees assess the significance of the manuscript or archive, the suitability of the storage conditions, the applicant’s commitment to continuing good preservation practice, and the requirement for reasonable public access.

The NMCT’s website (www.nmct.co.uk) provides full information for applicants on how to apply for a conservation grant, as well as case studies on supported projects; a full list of recent grants, together with information about the Charity and its Trustees.

The Trustees have had regard to Charity Commission guidance on public benefit. The Trust’s core objective is to support the conservation of manuscripts by archives, libraries, universities, museums and specialist collecting institutions. The public benefits that flow from this are:

In addition, many of the conservation projects that NMCT supports provide a training benefit.

We believe this greatly benefits the institutions supported, researchers and others who access and engage with their collections, and also the public realm. These benefits are clearly demonstrated by the short case studies in this Annual Report.

Since 1990 the NMCT has awarded grants of over £3.7m towards projects with a total value of over £7.3m, which have helped to preserve important historical, literary, scientific and other documents. Many of the manuscripts conserved with our help were fragile and completely inaccessible before treatment; as a result of the NMCT’s grants, these documents have been preserved and can now be made accessible to researchers and the public.

Annual Report and Accounts 2022 37

Achievements and Performance

Grants

The NMCT’s activities and scale of grant-giving, inevitably reduced by Covid, recovered to the level before the pandemic. Grants are normally awarded in June and November each year. In 2022 the Trustees considered 21 applications (2021: 18). They awarded 20 new grants (2021: 18), and topped up one grant awarded in a previous year by £1,000, giving to university libraries, local record offices and other eligible applicants the aggregate sum of £165,140 (2021: £96,212). Full details of grants awarded in 2022 are given in the Review of the Year (pages 6 to 29).

In recent years, NMCT and the Scottish Council on Archives (SCA) have worked increasingly closely to raise awareness of NMCT grants in Scotland and to increase the funding available for Scottish conservation projects. In 2022 SCA once again secured £10,000 from the National Records of Scotland for our ring-fenced fund for Scotland. With NMCT’s contribution the gross equivalent amounted to over £14,000. The two applications from Scotland were both supported, and NMCT and SCA again collaborated to run an online workshop to raise awareness to the fund and stimulate more applications.

Plans for future periods

The Trust’s objectives for 2022 were to seek to maximise investment income and grants receivable and to award conservation grants totalling around £150,000, unless incoming resources turned out to be significantly greater than in the previous year. In the event, investment income grew to £97,521 and aggregate income rose to £182,121 (2021: £129,122) and charitable grants amounted to £165,140 (2021: £96,212).

The Trust’s objectives for 2023 are to continue to seek to maximise investment income and grants receivable and again to award conservation grants totalling not less than £150,000 unless incoming resources turn out to be significantly greater than in 2022.

Our partnership with the Museums Archives and Libraries Department (MALD) of the Welsh Government to stimulate conservation projects in Wales, largely suspended in Covid years, was revived in 2022. Librarians in four museums and archive services were able to submit applications, which we were delighted to support. We are grateful to colleagues in MALD for their work in raising awareness to these grant opportunities.

We are most grateful to colleagues in SCA, MALD and The National Archives for generously contributing their expertise and advice. This ensures that the Trustees are able to make very well-informed decisions on all grant applications.

38 The National Manuscripts Conservation Trust

Financial Review

In 2022 the Charity’s aggregate income reached £182,121 (2021: £129,122). Twenty grants for conservation were approved in 2022, amounting to a net £165,140 (2021: £96,212). These grants are set out in more detail on pages 6 to 29.

The Charity enjoys two streams of income – investment income, which rose markedly to £97,521 (2021: £68,822), and donations, which amounted to £84,600 (2021: £60,300, of which £27,500 is restricted to Scottish and Welsh conservation projects in future years).

Aggregate operating expenses fell to £24,576 (2021: £27,903). The investment manager’s charges amounted to £7,054 (2021: £11,864). Other costs include administration (£8,588) and fundraising for the Trust (£3,506), designing, printing and posting the annual report (£3,344) and the independent examination fee (£1,200).

The balance sheet at 31 December 2022 recorded total net assets of £2,425,609 (2021: £2,672,344). The decrease was caused by unrealised investment losses. Further details of the investment portfolio are given in note 9.

Current assets amounted to £223,033, all represented by cash. Current liabilities, mostly grant commitments, amounted to £196,285 giving net current assets at the end of 2022 of £26,748 (2021: £34,274).

Investments and Reserves

The Trustees have adopted a total return investment policy, intended to maximise total returns whilst accepting a medium degree of risk. To this end, the NMCT’s investment portfolio has been switched into the Cazenove Responsible Multi-Asset Fund. This is a longterm investment fund with a diversified strategy investing in equities, bonds, property and alternative assets. The Fund aims to provide income and capital growth in excess of the Consumer Price Index + 4% per annum (net of fees) over rolling ten-year periods. comprises holdings in a diverse group of UK and international collective funds, respectively focused on the generation of income and capital growth.

Other than the Unrestricted Fund and the Restricted Fund, all the Trust's reserves are regarded as endowment funds, which are normally represented by investments in order to produce a reasonably predictable and regular level of income. The Trustees regard this as necessary to maintain and support the Charity's operation.

Any annual deficit on the Unrestricted Fund is made good by a transfer from unrestricted funds brought forward. Grants awarded from the Restricted Fund are limited to donations received by the Charity and their defined, restricted purpose.

Annual Report and Accounts 2022 39

Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities

The Trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and Charities SORP (FRS 102) “Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” and with regulations made under the Charities Act 2011.

Independent Examiner

Sarah McManus of Galloways Accounting was re-appointed as the Trust’s Independent Examiner during the year.

Approved by the Trustees and signed on their behalf by:

Professor David McKitterick, Chairman

28 April 2023

The law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year, which give a true and fair view of the Charity’s financial activities during the year. In preparing financial statements, the Trustees are required to:

The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008, and the provisions of the trust deed. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Charity and hence or taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

40 The National Manuscripts Conservation Trust

Independent Examiner’s Report

To the Trustees of The National Manuscripts Conservation Trust

I report on the accounts of the trust for the year ended 31st December 2022, which are set out on pages 42 to 47.

Independent Examiner’s statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:

Respective responsibilities of Trustees and Examiner

The Charity's Trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The Charity's Trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year (under Section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act)) and that an independent examination is needed.

It is my responsibility to:

Basis of Independent Examiner’s Report

My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the Charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as Trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts.

Susan McManus FCA Chartered Accountant

Galloways Accounting Ridgeland House, 15 Carfax Horsham, West Sussex RH12 1DY

28 April 2023

Annual Report and Accounts 2022 41

Statement of Financial Activities

For the year ended 31 December 2022

Endowment
Unrestricted
Restricted
Total Funds
Total Funds
Fund 2022
Fund 2022
Fund 2022
2022
2021
Notes
£
£
£
£
£		 Endowment
Unrestricted
Restricted
Total Funds
Total Funds
Fund 2022
Fund 2022
Fund 2022
2022
2021
Notes
£
£
£
£
£		 Endowment
Unrestricted
Restricted
Total Funds
Total Funds
Fund 2022
Fund 2022
Fund 2022
2022
2021
Notes
£
£
£
£
£		 Endowment
Unrestricted
Restricted
Total Funds
Total Funds
Fund 2022
Fund 2022
Fund 2022
2022
2021
Notes
£
£
£
£
£
Income from
Investments
2
Donations
3
Total income
Expenditure on
Charitable activities
4
Administration & fundraising
5/6
Total expenditure
Operating result
Gains/(losses) on investments
Realised
9

Unrealised
9

Net income/(expenditure)

Transfers between funds
Net movement in funds

Reconciliation of funds
Total funds bought forward

Total funds carried forward
 -
97,521 -

-
57,100 27,500
 97,521
68,822
84,600
60,300
-
154,621 27,500
 182,121
129,122
-
133,042 32,098

-
24,576
-
 165,140
96,212
24,576
27,903
-
157,618 32,098
 189,716
124,115



-
(2,997) (4,598)

20,525
- -
(259,665)
-
-
(239,140)
(2,997) (4,598)
-
-
-		 (7,595)
5,007
20,525
194,797
(259,665)
28,603
(246,735)
228,407
-
-
(239,140)
(2,997) (4,598) (246,735)
228,407
2,396,671
219,463 56,210 2,672,344
2,443,937
2,157,531
216,466
51,612 2,425,609
2,672,344

42 The National Manuscripts Conservation Trust

Balance Sheet

As at 31 December 2022

Notes 2022
£		 £ 2021
£		 £
Fixed Assets
Investments
9
Current assets
Debtors
10
Cash at bank and deposits


Creditors: falling due within one year11

Net current assets
Net assets
Representing
Endowment fund
Unrestricted income funds
Restricted fund
-
223,033
223,033
(196,285)

 2,398,861




26,748
2,425,609
2,157,531
216,466
51,612
2,425,609		 2,638,070
468
236,490
236,598
(202,684)
34,274
2,672,344
2,396,671
219,463
56,210
2,672,344

Approved by the Trustees on 28 April 2023 and signed on their behalf by:

Professor David McKitterick Chairman

Annual Report and Accounts 2022 43

Notes to the Accounts

For the year ended 31 December 2022

1. Accounting policies

a. Basis of accounting

The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland and with regulations made under the Charities Act 2011. A summary of the more important accounting policies is below.

The Trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the Charity’s ability to continue as a going concern nor any significant risk that that uncertainty over estimates made for the purpose of these financial statements may cause a material adjustment to the carrying value of assets and liabilities.

The Charity is a public benefit entity.

d. Expenditure

Expenditure is allocated between charitable activities, raising funds and support costs.

Expenditure on charitable activities comprises grants made for the conservation of manuscripts that, in the opinion of the Trustees, are of historic or educational value. These costs are charged, as appropriate, to the unrestricted or restricted funds when they have been committed.

Expenditure on raising funds comprises chiefly the investment manager’s charges and the fundraising element of the administration and fund-raising consultant.

Administration and support costs are those costs which are not attributable to a single activity but provide the necessary organisational support for all the Charity’s activities. They include the administration element of the consultant’s costs, the independent examiner’s fee, the cost of printing the annual report, the expenses of the website and of holding trustee meetings.

b. Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the Charity.

e. Fixed assets

Investments held as fixed assets are re-valued at midmarket value at the balance sheet date and the gain or loss credited to or deducted from the Endowment Fund.

c. Income

Dividends are recognised in the period in which the dividend becomes payable.

Donations and legacies are recognised in the period in which they are received or when there is otherwise certainty of receipt. Other income is recognised in the period to which it relates.

44 The National Manuscripts Conservation Trust

2. Investment income
Dividends received from investments
Interest received on deposits


3. Voluntary income
Donations (unrestricted)
Donations (restricted)
4. Direct charitable expenditure
Grants from unrestricted funds

Grants from restricted funds
Grants approved in year

Under/(over)-provision in previous years
Net cost of grants

5. Expenditure on raising funds
Consultant’s fees for fundraising
Investment management fees
Total fundraising costs
Administration and support costs (from note 6 below)
Total expenditure
6. Administration and support costs
Consultant’s fees for administration
Printing and posting annual report

Independent examination fee
Meeting costs
Website expenses
Bank charges and sundry costs
Total support costs		 2022
£
96,616		 2022
£
96,616		 2021
£
68,801
905 21
97,521 68,822
2022
£
 2021
£
57,100
27,500

50,300
10,000
84,600 60,300
2022
£
133,029
32,098
65127		 2021
£
82,670
14,334
97004
,
13
,
(792)
165,140 96,212
2022
£
3,506
7,054
10,560
14,016
24,576
8,588
3,344
1,200
186
432
266
14,016		 2021
£
1,443
11,864
13,307
14,596
27,903
7,400
3,203
1,200
-
2,544
249
14,596

Annual Report and Accounts 2022 45

7. Transactions with Trustees

No Trustee received any remuneration (2021: £nil) or any reimbursement of the cost of travelling to meetings (2021: £nil).

8. Taxation

As a charity, the National Manuscripts Conservation Trust is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within Part 10 of the Taxes Act 2007 to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects. No tax charges have arisen in the Charity.

9. Investments

In the second half of 2021, the Trust’s investment portfolio was switched into the Cazenove Responsible Multi-Asset Fund, a long term investment fund with a diversified strategy investing in equities, bonds, property and alternative assets. The switch was completed in the first quarter of 2022. The Fund aims to provide income and capital growth in excess of the Consumer Price Index + 4% per annum (net of fees) over rolling ten-year periods. The portfolio as at 31 December 2022 is summarised in the following table:

Responsible Multi-Asset fund

An additional analysis is given below:
Market value at 1 January
Proceeds of sale
Cost of purchases
Realised gains/(losses)
Unrealised (losses)/gains
Movement in year
Market value at 31 December		 Cost
Market
Value
£
£
2,651,904
2,398,860		 Annual
Yield on
income
market
(prospective)
value
£
%
101,286
4.22%
101,286
4.22%
2022
2021
£
£
2,638,070
2,382,138
(268,011)
(2,529,420)
267,941
2,561,952
20,525
194,797
(259,665)
28,603		 Annual
Yield on
income
market
(prospective)
value
£
%
101,286
4.22%
101,286
4.22%
2022
2021
£
£
2,638,070
2,382,138
(268,011)
(2,529,420)
267,941
2,561,952
20,525
194,797
(259,665)
28,603		 Annual
Yield on
income
market
(prospective)
value
£
%
101,286
4.22%
101,286
4.22%
2022
2021
£
£
2,638,070
2,382,138
(268,011)
(2,529,420)
267,941
2,561,952
20,525
194,797
(259,665)
28,603
2,651,904
2,398,860





(239,210) 255,932
2,398,860
2,638,070

46 The National Manuscripts Conservation Trust

10. Debtors

Other debtors (investment income) 2022
2021
£
£
-
468
-
468

11. Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year

Grants payable
Sundry creditors		 2022
2021
£
£
190,303
199,056
5,982
3,628
196,285
202,684

12. Analysis of net assets between funds – 2022

Endowment fund
£		 Unrestricted fund Restricted fund
£		 Total
£ £
Investments 2,398,861 - - 2,398,861
Net current assets (241,330) 216,466 51,612 26,748
Total assets 2,157,531 216,466 51,612 2,425,609

Analysis of net assets between funds – 2021

Endowment fund
£		 Unrestricted fund Restricted fund
£		 Total
£ £
Investments 2,638,070 - - 2,638,070
Net current assets (241,399) 219,463 56,210 34,274
Total assets 2,396,671 219,463 56,210 2,672,344

Annual Report and Accounts 2022 47

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