Deciphering the past. Burnley College Students use their skills to transcribe historic journals.

A team of four Burnley College students have completed an enriching six-week work placement at the renowned Lancashire Archives.

Abbie Whitehead (a former pupil at The Hollins, Accrington), Faith Henstock (a former pupil at Skipton Girls’ High School), Patrick Wilson and Paxton McNaught (both former pupils at Mount Carmel High School, Accrington) took advantage of this unique opportunity through Burnley College’s long-standing partnership with Lancashire County Council.

Burnley College prides itself on its wide network of leading employers and community partners, working alongside them to provide students with invaluable hands-on experience to enhance their learning.

During their time at the Archives, Abie and Faith, who are studying A Level History, created a fascinating blog about how they embraced the challenge of transcribing three historic journals. Abbie says it was not straightforward:

“Transcribing the journals was increasingly difficult, but we had great fun trying to decipher weird and wonderful recipes, such as candied oranges, strawberry cream, gingerbread and cherry wine which they ground the pips into!”

The tasks required meticulous care in handling artefacts and ancient texts. Faith said it was an amazing experience:

“We had a great time examining lots of different artefacts, like a beautiful Book of Hours with hand-drawn designs that were amazing to see, as well as a document signed by Queen Elizabeth I.

“We got the chance to visit different strongrooms – which were cold to keep the texts and artefacts safe – and were really interesting for independent research.”

The supportive and friendly staff at the archives provided exceptional assurance and guidance to ensure the Burnley College students could fully immerse themselves in their roles.

The placement also provided an opportunity for independent research. Abbie and Faith learned to use LANCAT, the archives’ online catalogue which tracks artefacts. Faith added:

“That allowed us to track down a letter written by the Earl of Liverpool in 1821, and some awesome photos from the Second World War.”

Throughout the placement, the students were introduced to different facets of archival work, from conservation techniques to exploring the sound room and experiencing the diverse roles of an archivist.

Abbie said they were grateful to staff at the archives:

“We really want to say ‘thank you’. We had a great time over the six weeks we were there and it has been a lovely opportunity to gain experience. This has been an amazing experience and we’ll be returning to continue our own research in future.”

A representative from Lancashire Archives said it is always keen to find ways to get young people engaged in local history and heritage:

“Having students come to the Archives during the summer on a volunteer work placement was brilliant.

“The work they put in will allow us to make these books available and searchable through our online catalogue.

“I was very lucky to work with some really bright and promising students and plan to continue this partnership with Burnley College.”

Burnley College is proud to facilitate such transformative enrichment experiences and looks forward to offering students even more opportunities to excel in their academic and professional journeys in partnership with Lancashire County Council.

Study History A Level at a College with a 100% pass rate in all 39 A Level subjects. Explore your passions at our next Open Evening. Book your place now by searching Events on our website, burnley.ac.uk