Archivist entertains

It is dedicated to the preservation of important documents and she had a captive audience when she talked to members of the Winchester Group of the Hampshire Genealogical Society about her role as trust archivist.

Formed as a charity over 15 years ago, the trust is based at the Hampshire Record Office and, in co-operation with record offices at Southampton and Portsmouth, works to preserve material from a variety of sources.

These have included papers from the great estates of the county's landed gentry, solicitors, businesses, Winchester Cathedral, Winchester College, St Cross Almshouses, Knowle Hospital at Fareham, Park Prewett at Sherborne St John and Priddy's Hard military base at Gosport.

Caroline illustrated her talk with slides, many of which showed dedicated staff undertaking rescue work in difficult circumstances. In some they were wearing masks to protect them from dust.

They were shown working in cold corridors, draughty attics, damp cellars and even inside a refuse skip saving priceless documents destined for disposal. Other hazards they encountered included dead mice, other vermin and mould.

A shudder of despair went through the audience when a slide of a parchment, detailing a will, cut into pieces and used to make a lampshade, was displayed.

Of particular interest to the family historians was the rescue work by the trust's highly-skilled team of conservationists.