In 2019, Bangor University Archives and Special Collections (BUASC) received a new collection of papers from Plas Newydd, Anglesey, via the current 8th Marquis of Anglesey, Alexander Paget.
The collection is divided into 5 series relating to the lives, interests and activities of five members of the Paget family across the late-19th and 20th centuries, namely:
- Almeric Hugh Paget, Baron of Queensborough (1861-1949)
- Henry Cyril Paget, 5th Marquis of Anglesey (1875-1905)
- Charles Henry Alexander, 6th Marquis of Anglesey (1885-1946)
- Marjorie, Lady Anglesey (1883-1946)
- Lady Caroline Duff (1913-1976)
The extensive collection of 69 large boxes, which consists of photo albums, scrapbooks, journals, correspondence, newspaper cuttings, as well as financial and administrative documents, joined other estate records from Plas Newydd, already held at the Archives, having been deposited with the University over a period of 5 decades.
BUASC and ISWE were pleased to offer an Undergraduate Internship to assist with the processes of transferring the collection from Plas Newydd and integrating the new material into the archives. Under the guidance of University Archivist, Elen Wyn Simpson, Laura Patari, a third-year undergraduate English Language and Literature Student from Finland, helped repackage the collection, carry out simple conservation tasks, number the documents and input data into the online CALM catalogue.
Writing in the Seren student newspaper, Laura commented that: ‘It’s exciting to realise how seemingly mundane personal documents such as a flyer, receipt or a meeting agenda can weave a rich history of both the person and the world around them.’