Public Record Office established

Historical Context Note

Litencyc Editors (Independent Scholar - Europe)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.07: English Writing and Culture of the Victorian Period, 1837-1901.
Vol. editors: Gillian Fenwick (University of Toronto), Jessica Gossling (Goldsmiths College, University of London)

Domains

Administration

Dates

Date of occurrence 1838

Places

United Kingdom (Location)

Resources

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Before the Public Record Office Act was passed in 1838, the records of British government and courts were held in an array of places and in various conditions. This Act was aimed at facilitating public access to these valuable documents, as well as keeping them safe from damage (the Houses of Parliament had burned down only four years earlier). The new office was to act as a non-ministerial department, to centralise safe-keeping of public records. Its headquarters was at Rolls House, on Chancery Lane in central London, and while the first Masters of the Rolls was Lord Langdale, the real responsibility lay with his deputy, Sir Francis Palgrave.

Although the first Act was passed in 1838, it was not until the 1850s that two important developments took place. In 1851, the first stone was laid

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200 words

Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Public Record Office established". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 August 2013 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=4781, accessed 05 May 2024.]

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