Welsh Museum’s Parish Records to Be Transferred for Safekeeping
Parish records from a Welsh museum are set to be sent to Hereford for better preservation and public access
Monmouth, Wales, Parish Records, Hereford, Monmouth Museum
Monmouth: So, here’s the scoop. Parish records that have been chilling in a Welsh museum for about 40 years are getting shipped over to Hereford. Pretty interesting, right?
These records come from the Dixton Archive, which is just a mile north of Monmouth, right by the Wye River. They’ve been part of Monmouth Museum’s collection since 1985, but it looks like the county council is ready to hand them over for good.
Rachael Rogers, who manages museums and arts in Monmouthshire, mentioned that Herefordshire Archive already has the rest of the Dixton records. Plus, they’re better equipped to keep them safe and accessible for everyone.
The idea is to make sure these records stay available to the public. Interestingly, the archive was supposed to go to Hereford in the first place, as it originally covered two manors on either side of the river.
Rachael pointed out that they’ve had these documents since 1985, but according to some old rules, they should have been sent to the designated Diocesan Record Office. This office is the official spot for records made by the Church of England, which was active in Wales until it was disbanded in 1914.
So, a formal decision about this handover is expected from Monmouthshire council’s cabinet member, Sarah Burch, on January 15. It’ll be interesting to see how this all plays out!