British Records Association

Author: Stephanie

  • 2026 Conference Bursary available

    The British Records Association (BRA) annual conference ‘All Mapped Out: Maps, Plans and Charts in the Archives’ will be held in London on 24th November 2026.

    We are offering a free place to an early career archivist, librarian, historian, or related heritage worker, for the best submission on the benefits of attending the conference. This could cover, for instance, why you are interested in attending, why the particular subject of the conference is important to you, and how the event might contribute to your professional development.

    Submissions of a maximum of 500 words should be emailed to the Secretary by midnight on 27th October, and the decision will be made no later than 10th November. The successful applicant will be asked to write a short conference review for the BRA’s website and e-bulletin and promote the conference on social media during the day.

    The free place will cover the registration fee (including lunch, morning and afternoon refreshments) and reasonable travel expenses.

    The full programme can be found on our Eventbrite booking page: All Mapped Out: Maps, Plans and Charts in the Archives Tickets, Tuesday, November 24  •  9:30 AM – 4:45 PM | Eventbrite.

  • 2026 Conference tickets now available

    All Mapped Out: Maps, Plans and Charts in the Archives

    Tuesday 24 November Tickets £45 BRA Members, students and unwaged, £65 non-members.

    Join the British Records Association at our Annual Conference focusing on a variety of map resources and challenges of their preservation.

    Maps are created for a variety of reasons sometimes explicit, sometimes unknown. They document physical places, but also the people who own and occupy them, and range in scope from ambitious attempts to present a view of the world to detailed records of a particular settlement.

    Maps are interrogated for the information they hold, but can also serve to inspire reflection and creative practice. Digitisation can help to mitigate the preservation and access challenges inevitably associated with large format documents, while providing opportunities for new approaches to mapping drawing on complementary archival sources.

    Programme and tickets are available on Eventbrite.

  • Richard Olney

    Members of the Archives and Records community will be saddened to learn that Richard Olney, formerly of the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts (HMC), died on 9th August after a long illness.   Richard began his career at Lincolnshire Archives and was subsequently an Assistant Keeper at the HMC. Whilst there, he edited and researched a number of publications including guides to politicians’ papers and family and estate collections. The latter drew on his extensive knowledge of the records produced by prominent landed families. In retirement he published a history of the Dixon family of Lincolnshire and the book ‘English Archives: An Historical Survey’, published by Liverpool University Press with support from the British Records Association (BRA). He was an active supporter of the BRA and a member of its Council for many years, and was awarded honorary membership of the Association in recognition of his work and service. There will be no funeral as he expressed a wish to donate his body to the London Anatomy Office, but a celebration of his life is planned for later this year.

    Matti Watton – Chair of Trustees