Composite collections
These are artificial gatherings of documents based on the name of the collector or source of acquisition.
Norwich Public Library Manuscript Collection (prefix: MS)
Although the library was run by the City of Norwich, it had accepted deposits and donations of records relating to the whole of Norfolk since at least the 1930s.
This included documents collected by the Norfolk Record Society (see below).
Documents were described individually and the descriptions typed on index cards.
The cards are arranged by parish, name and subject, thus breaking the immediate archival context.
However, the cards usually include a note of the provenance so it is possible to re-create an archive where it existed. Some records were purchased.
This collection is not available via our online catalogue.
Norfolk Record Society Collection (prefix: NRS)
The society was active in rescuing records in danger of destruction and encouraging owners to place their records on deposit, firstly with the Norwich Public Library and then the Norfolk Record Office.
Documents were described individually and the descriptions typed on index cards.
The cards are arranged by parish, name and subject, thus breaking the immediate archival context.
However, the cards usually include a note of the provenance so it is possible to re-create an archive where it existed.
This collection is not available via our online catalogue. But for an overview of the Lothian of Blickling Collection see Paul Rutledge's catalogue (PDF) [626KB].
British Records Association (BRA)
This collection contains records acquired by the association from private sources (usually solicitors) and transferred here.