National Library of Wales

Holiaduron Anghydffurfiol 1935-1936

Reference code(s): GB 0210 HOLANGH

Held at:

Title: Holiaduron Anghydffurfiol 1935-1936

Short title: Holiaduron Anghydffurfiol 1935-1936

Dates of creation: 1935-1936

Level of description: Fonds

Extent and medium: 0.029 cubic metres (1 box)

Name of creator(s): National Library of Wales

CONTEXT

Administrative and biographical history: This questionnaire was prepared by the National Library of Wales in 1935-36 to enquire into the existence, content and condition of the records of local churches. The then librarian Sir William Llewelyn Davies in two addresses delivered to meetings of the unions of the Welsh Baptists and the Welsh Independents in 1935 and 1936, emphasised the historical importance of these records. He appealed on behalf of the National Library to the two unions to send out 'questionnaires' to all the chapels in order to secure 'a valuable account of the historical materials which are preserved until today in the care of the various churches throughout the country'. This appeal was backed up by letters and publications of the two unions, but, in spite of this, only 113 replies were received from the Independents and 132 from the Baptist churches out of a total of some 2,500 chapels. This compared with a response rate of almost 100 per cent from the Anglican churches in Wales. The replies showed that very few chapels were in possession of registers which pre-dated the nineteeth century. It was revealed, too, that a number of volumes remained in the possession of the families of former officials of these churches, rather than remaining in the custody of the chapels themselves. An attempt was made to persuade the Independents and the Baptists in Wales to follow the example of the Calvinistic Methodists in collecting their records together for deposit in the Library. This campaign was a general failure.

CONTENT

Scope and content: The archive comprises a circular issued by the Union of Welsh Baptists in 1936 to the Baptist chapels; the completed questionnaires; a list of the chapel records collected; a list of the chapel records compiled from the questionnaire (8 copies); a list of the pre-1837 records compiled from the questionnaire.

ACCESS AND USE

Language/script: Welsh, English

System of arrangement: Arranged as follows: January 1936 circular; completed questionnaires arranged alphabetically by county and then alphabetically by the names of the places within each county; lists of records and registers.

Conditions governing access: Readers consulting modern papers in the National Library of Wales are required to sign the 'Modern papers - data protection' form.

Conditions governing reproduction: Usual copyright regulations apply.

Finding aids: A hard copy of the catalogue is available at the National Library of Wales. The catalogue can be accessed online.
Detailed catalogue

ARCHIVAL INFORMATION

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information: All records have been retained

Accruals: Accruals are not expected

ALLIED MATERIALS

DESCRIPTION NOTES

Note: Title supplied from contents of fonds.

Archivist's note: Compiled by J. Graham Jones for the ANW project. The following sources were used in the compilation of this description: NLW, Rhestr o Holiaduron Anghydffurfiol, 1935-36.

Rules or conventions: This description follows ANW guidelines based on ISAD(G) second edition, AACR2, and LCSH

Date(s) of description: August 2006