COMMUNITY
Following the Papers trail
Tucked away in a quiet
corner of the Argyll Estate
is a treasure trove
to compare with any of the
chandeliers, tapestries and
porcelain on display in Inveraray
Castle next door.
The Argyll Papers are the archives
of the Dukes of Argyll,
and one of Scotland’s most
important – and entrancing –
document collections. Spanning
almost 800 years, these
family and estate records contain
letters and diaries, plans,
writs and oral histories pertaining
to some of the most signifi -
cant periods in our history.
The archive is more than the
sum of its parts. Perhaps because
it is stored so close to its
origins, and perhaps because
– amid the accounts and maps
– there are such compelling
human stories within it, a visitor
can almost feel the proximity
of the past. Every giant ledger
and hand-written label seems
8 | JULY 2018
Photos: Argyll Estates
West Coast Review turns the pages of the Argyll
Papers to discover more than just an archive.
to call out: ‘Read me!’ And
read them you can. Since the
13th Duke, Torquhil, inherited
the Argyll Papers, they have
been open to researchers by
appointment, and now their
archivists and owners want to
ensure that their secrets can
be shared more widely.
Written in the Landscape, a
project supported by the Heritage
Lottery Fund and Argyll
and Bute Council, among
others, aims to catalogue and
make available the contents
of the Argyll Papers (and 65
other small local collections).
Key documents are being
restored and digitally photographed,
so content can be
accessed without wear and
tear to the originals.
“These collections are hugely
important in telling the stories
of not just the landed families
who created the records, but
of the various communities
in Argyll who have lived and
worked on the land for generations,”
says archivist Alison
Diamond.
As well as the mammoth tasks
of preserving and cataloguing,
she and colleague Hannah
Baker are spreading enthusiasm
and awareness about the
collection.
They welcome visitors, volunteers
and students, run training
courses in archive skills,
and aim to build connections
with interested community and
history groups – with a view to
providing some digital copies
of documents (for example, an
old letter about a village event
for display in a community hall).
The infl uence of the Campbells