RESCUE

The British Archaeological Trust

15a Bull Plain, Hertford, Hertfordshire SG14 1DX Telephone: 01992-553377

rescue@rescue-archaeology.freeserve.co.uk http://www.rescue-archaeology.org.uk

Trouble in Store: facing up to the archives crisis

A response to the joint statement by FAME, SMA and ALGAO by RESCUE The British Archaeological Trust www.rescue-archaeology.org.uk RESCUE The British Archaeological Trust notes the publication of the joint document prepared by FAME, the SMA and ALGAO1 concerning the ongoing and rapidly escalating crisis in the deposition of and access to archaeological archives. RESCUE has been aware of this problem for many years and has consistently sought to draw attention to it by highlighting specific cases2 and by raising the issue with central government3. Most recently RESCUE has highlighted the fact that the actions of both local and national government in respect of archaeological archives have placed the United Kingdom in breach of the Valetta Convention and has drawn the attention of the European Parliament to this state of affairs4. In the light of this ongoing campaign RESCUE welcomes the statement by FAME, the SMA and ALGAO and looks towards a greater level of collaborative working within archaeology and the museums profession to resolve the issue and to establish a proper level of care for archaeological archives within the UK while at the same time maximising their value to both the professional and amateur/voluntary sectors alike by increasing access to them and encouraging innovative research based upon them. RESCUE fully supports the six principles set out in the joint statement but notes with regret the lack of any concrete proposals beyond the formulation of statements of intent and the provision of unspecified types of support for action to remedy the present urgent and deteriorating situation. RESCUE proposes the following steps as a means of taking forward the good intentions set out in the statement released by FAME: The preparation of a bid or linked bids to the Heritage Lottery Fund and such other grant-giving bodies as might be appropriate with the aim of securing funds to create a specified number of regional archaeological resource centres which would act as repositories for archaeological archives generated by all types of archaeological project (commercial, university-based research, amateur/voluntary research); A restatement by the archaeological profession of the central place of research as a core function of museums and an acknowledgement of this in respect of standards of curatorship and professional expertise within museums together with an explicit rejection of the dispersal, deaccessioning, and discard of existing archives;

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Clarification of the scope and extent of the responsibilities to be borne by the various parties involved in archaeological investigations (developers, local authorities, the museum sector and central government) in respect of the future funding of archaeological archives; Better liaison between commercial archaeological units, professional artefact and ecofact researchers, amateur and voluntary archaeological and local history groups, university archaeology departments and museums to ensure that the research potential of our archives is recognised and the maximum use is made of them in respect of their research potential and the communication of the results of research through museum exhibitions and outreach work; Closer liaison between museums, commercial archaeological units and finds specialists working in the commercial sphere to ensure that the potential value of individual archives and groups of archives (e.g. from the same locality) are recognised, investigated and researched in ways that will generate fresh material for use by museums, the education sector and voluntary groups investigating the pasts of their local communities; The creation of a cross-organisational strategic body with the sole aim of taking the lead on the archiving issue and charged with seeking a practical response to the current crisis and the lobbying the government on this issue. Such a body should include representatives from all of the relevant archaeological organisations as well as the Museums Association, The Society of Museum Archaeologists, a senior representative from English Heritage and representatives from the HLF.

RESCUE believes that these steps are essential if Britain is not to lose a substantial proportion of its unique and irreplaceable archaeological heritage through the storage of archives in unsuitable and insecure conditions or through the implementation of short-term and poorly conceived schemes for the dispersal and/or de-accessioning of archaeological archives.

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13th January 2012 Notes Trouble in store: facing up to the archives crisis A joint statement by FAME, ALGAO and the SMA; see Appendix 1 for the text of the statement.
1

RESCUE NEWS 99 (Summer 2006) covered the case of Saffron Walden Museum in detail. Other cases cited in various letters and documents have included Northamptonshire, South Yorkshire and north Derbyshire (Weston Park Museum, Sheffield) as well as the numerous cases in which RESCUE has counselled against the closure of local and regional museums by local authorities on costcutting grounds. Letters on this issue have included those to Robert Key MP (25th April 2007), Tim Boswell MP, chair All Party Archives group (13th May 2008); David Miliband (April 2006), Mark Taylor (Museums Association; January 2005).
2

Documents prepared by RESCUE covering the archives issue include the following: Archaeological archives in the UK Briefing document for Robert Key MP (October 2007); Caring for our Collections: A response by RESCUE The British Archaeological Trust (Submitted to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee September 2006) Protecting, preserving and making accessible our nations heritage: A response to the call for contributions to the work of the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee by RESCUE The British Archaeological Trust (January 2006) Understanding the future: museums and 21st century life: A response by RESCUE The British Archaeological Trust (June 2005) Better places to live: Government, identity and the value of the historic and built environment: A response by RESCUE - The British Archaeological Trust (April 2005) Museums in crisis: an outline of the RESCUE position (June 2004)
3

Letter to Doris Pack MEP, Chair of the European Committee on Culture and Education (August 2011): text in Appendix 2.
4

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Appendix 1 Text of the joint FAME, SMA and ALGAO statement referred to above:

Trouble in Store: facing up to the archives crisis The next steps

FAME and the Society of Museum Archaeologists (SMA) held a successful joint meeting in July 2011 entitled Trouble in Store: facing up to the archives crisis. With speakers from FAME, the SMA, ALGAO, English Heritage and the Archaeology Data Service, it was clear that there were many common issues to all parties relating to archaeological archives arising principally from developerfunded projects. At the forefront was the issue of archives that cannot be deposited because there is no suitable museum or store. Other significant issues included the absence of data on museum storage capacity, the number of un-deposited archives, and who does or does not use which archives for what purpose. Wider issues included the content of archives, the management of digital data and ownership of the process of archive preparation and deposition within a planning context. The joint meeting was successful, as a first step, in underlining the seriousness of the situation and in agreeing that many of the issues need to be addressed with some urgency. The next step is to decide on a way forward and a pathway to identifying acceptable solutions. This note sets out some broad principles and provides a statement of intent. FAME, the SMA and ALGAO have agreed the following objectives: 1. To support fully the SMAs Evaluating the archaeological resource in store - informing the future survey and will encourage all their members to contribute to it, engage with it, and take on board its recommendations 2. To work with the AAF to support the updating of existing guidance on the processes, preparation and content of archaeological archives that embraces all elements of the archive 3. To encourage, support and publicise initiatives that explore or pilot justifiable, co-ordinated, collaborative and accountable selection and retention policies on archaeological projects and work towards practical guidance for curators and archaeological practices 4. To promote and encourage improved communication and liaison between museum professionals, local authority historic environment advisors and archaeological practices 5. To provide collective and individual support to local authorities, museums or other appropriate organisations that seek to fund and create Archaeological Resource Centres 6. To achieve within a reasonable timeframe an agreed policy statement on the management of archives that cannot be deposited because there is no appropriate museum or store

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Appendix 2 Doris Pack MEP Chair, Committee on Culture and Education European Parliament CULT-secretariat@europarl.europa.eu August 2011

Dear Ms Pack, I am writing to you on behalf of RESCUE the British Archaeological Trust to raise our concerns about impact of budgetary cuts at the national and local level on archaeological services and museums in the United Kingdom. RESCUE is an entirely independent charity which exists to promote and highlight the interests of archaeology and the historic environment primarily within the United Kingdom but also abroad. We have no links with any political party and are funded entirely by the subscriptions and donations of our members. Details of our activities can be found on our website: www.rescuearchaeology.org.uk. Please note that this communication and any response we may receive as a consequence will be placed on our website for the information of our members. As you may be aware, the majority of museums and a substantial component of Britains heritage services (other than English Heritage, CADW and Historic Scotland) are funded and managed by local authorities either directly or, in the case of local and regional museums, through independent trusts. As financial support to local authorities from central government is cut, so local services are reduced or eliminated altogether as local authorities attempt to balance their budgets. At present heritage services have little or no statutory protection other than the advisory note Planning Policy Statement 5 (PPS5) and museums have no protection at all, other than the Valletta Convention. We are aware of a number of cases in which the provision of museum and heritage services have sunk to such a low level that there is a very real danger that Britain is already or will soon be in breach of the provisions of the Valletta Convention, specifically Articles 2 (i), 3(ii), 5, 7 (i) and 9. Britain meets the terms of Article 2(i) through the provision of Historic Environment Records (also known as Sites and Monuments Records) which are funded by local authorities and organised on a county or district basis. The staff have a range of responsibilities which include the maintenance of the inventories of sites and monuments (Article 2(i)) as well as monitoring the impact of proposed development on sites and landscapes of historic significance and the conduct of archaeological excavations in advance of development work (Article 3(ii)). Having no statutory status, these services have been amongst the first to suffer budget and staff cuts with the result that in many areas there are too few staff to adequately meet their responsibilities. Selected examples may give you some appreciation of the problems that are arising from this situation.

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In South Yorkshire there is no officer in post within the South Yorkshire Archaeology Service to maintain and upgrade the sites and monuments record meaning that this essential resource, used by both amateur and professional archaeologists, historians and students, is rapidly moving towards a situation in which it is out of date and will no longer be a reliable guide to the archaeology of the county. This would appear to breach Articles 2(i) and 7(i) of the Convention. In north-west England, the Merseyside Archaeological Advisory Service, jointly funded by the City of Liverpool, Knowsley Council, St Helens Council, Sefton Council and the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral which covered the areas administered by these authorities and which includes the Liverpool World Heritage Site was closed from the 31st March to 6th June 2011. While it has now reopened, it has only one member of staff whose responsibilities include the provision of planning advice to all five local authorities as well as the management of the Historic Environment Record and the Merseyside Historic Characterisation Project. We would suggest that this is an impossible task for a single individual and represents a de facto breach of Articles 2(i) and 3(ii) and probably the whole of Article 5. The same charge could be made with regard to Birmingham where a single individual has similar responsibilities for the second largest city in Britain. In terms of museums and archive facilities the situation is equally if not more serious. The last two decades have seen an expansion in display and exhibition space within museums but no comparable expansion of archive and storage space in spite of a building boom which saw unprecedented redevelopment in both urban and rural areas. The result of this is that existing facilities are wholly inadequate and many unique excavation archives (consisting of written, drawn and digital records as well as finds) are held in temporary stores maintained by commercial archaeology units. While we have no doubt that the people employed by these services are doing their best to care for the material, the fact is that such stores were not designed for longterm storage and there are often only limited facilities to allow researchers access to the material, meaning that its cultural significance is effectively negated by its inaccessibility. We believe that this situation is contrary to the provisions of Article 4 (iii) of the Convention and is likely to get worse in the near future as local and regional museums are further affected by budget and staff cuts. The scale of the problem is being documented by RESCUE on an ongoing basis using out map of cuts which can be viewed here: http://www.rescue-archaeology.org.uk/map4 . One example (of many which could be cited) again comes from Sheffield where the post of Keeper of Archaeology within the Galleries and Museums Trust has been frozen for the last two years. The practical effect of this is that no one can gain access to the extensive archives held by the museum which cover a large area of South Yorkshire and north Derbyshire. These include archives of national importance such as the Bateman collection of Bronze Age antiquities as well as other collections of regional importance (including the Armstrong Collection and archives relating to excavations at Deepcar, Sheffield Castle, Peveril Castle and Sheffield Manor). This would appear to be a clear breach of Articles 4(ii) and 4(iii) of the Convention. The extent of this problem, which will shortly also affect Doncaster Museum has been highlighted by the South Yorkshire Archaeology

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Service who are advising against excavation by competent voluntary archaeological societies on the grounds that the archives generated will have no secure future. This effectively deprives local societies of the opportunity to participate in the investigation, interpretation and presentation of aspects of the past, contrary to the spirit of Article 9 of the Convention and also if the Faro Convention, particularly Articles 4(a) and 5(d). In summary, we believe that the United Kingdom is currently in breach of its obligations under European conventions and that unless there are significant advances in heritage protection, policy and practice, there will inevitably be further and more widespread breaches in the near future as ongoing cuts erode the existing facilities and further impede access to archives and primary records. The inevitable result will be the irreparable loss of valuable archaeological and historical data. We look forward to your response to these issues and will be more than willing to discuss the matter at greater length should you require more examples of our serious concerns in these areas. Yours sincerely

Chris Cumberpatch BA PhD Vice-Chair RESCUE The British Archaeological Trust 22 Tennyson Road Sheffield S6 2WE Tel (0114) 231 0051 E-Mail: cgc@ccumberpatch.freeserve.co.uk

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