1. University Challenge:
Uncovering Family History in the
University of Huddersfield Collection
Lindsay Ince
Assistant Archivist

2. TALK TOPICS
Potted History of the University
Stories from the Archive – What can be uncovered?
Development of the University Collection
Types of records
Stories from the Archives
Questions?
Institutional Record Collecting
Contextual Records
‘Name Rich’ Family History Resources
Locating the Records
Researching in the University Archive

3. University Environments/
Universities within their environment
• William Whyte (Redbrick, 2015) described university
history as a kind of Rorschach blot, you see something
different depending on your point of view:
• External/Public view: Unchanging, closed and static.
• Internal/Staff-Student view: Actually chaotic, transitory,
with a new ‘generation’ every 3 years.
• Academic profession steeped in the textual world
existing within an oral/aural uni environment.
• So the existence and consistency of records might not
be as high quality as you expect, there may be gaps!
• Old institutions vs. new institutions, motivations for their
foundation. Old focused on communities, new on HE for
(predominantly) young.
Changing Places
• Keith Vernon (Universities and the State in England, 2004)
discusses ‘civic ideal’ of 19th century institutions: philanthropy;
access to HE; by, for and in their locality vs 60s ‘new unis’

4. The University of Huddersfield Collection
PAST TO PRESENT – MILESTONES
1825 – Failed
attempts at member
libraries etc.
1841 199219701958189618601825 1883 1884
1841 – First classes taught
at Outcote Bank, by 1850s
a Mechanics Institute
1884 – The new building was created and
the institution renamed the Technical
School and Mechanics Institute
1861 – The first dedicated MI
building was built in town
1883 – A Fine Art and
Industrial Exhibition
ran for 5 months
1970 – Institution became a Polytechnic,
and other institutions, e.g. Oastler (1970)
and Holly Bank (1974), merged with it.
1992 – After being granted
a charter, the University of
Huddersfield was created.
1896 – Changes in educational
policy meant the institution became
Huddersfield Technical College
1958 – Institution is re-branded
as the College of Technology

5. The University of Huddersfield Collection
CHANGING THE LANDSCAPE OF HUDDERSFIELD
UoH has been based in the town centre and further
afield before taking over part of the old Ramsden
estate outside Queensgate. Demolishing and
rebuilding isn’t just a modern university phenomenon
we’ve been doing it over a century!

6. Institutional Record Collecting
• The archive service began officially in 1991.
• Records had been collected and kept for their historical
value, for the previous 30 years or so they had been
stored together as an archive (in varying environmental
conditions, not always ideal!)
COVERAGE AND SURVIVING RECORDS
• ‘Ownership’ of records, a push-pull between views of
long serving staff who felt they owned records, and
pressures of space. We needed to advocate for things
to be deposited in the archives.
• Modern Day – An EDRM has been in place since 2006
which captures ‘official’ born digital records for the future.
• A Records Management Service in place from 2008 which performs an
advocacy function, helps bring in historical records too.

7. Legislative Restrictions
Closure Periods – Student Records can be accessed up to 1931, then
closed due to Data Protection legislation.
Personal Information - Apply via a Subject Access Request
Data Protection
Access Applications/Exemptions
CAVEAT INQUISITOR!
Family Information - Apply via a Researcher Undertaking
(Post-1931) Proof of ID of the researcher/relationship to the
data subject
More precise details of information sought, e.g.
name, and dob or parents names, to make sure
it’s the correct information’’
Sensitive information may be redacted

8. ‘NAME RICH’ FAMILY HISTORY RESOURCES
• Student Records: Indexes covering 1890s-1920s and most of the
corresponding registers.
• Class Registers: From the 1960s onwards, recording attendance and
progress. (Subject to DPA)
• Course Timetables: Individual timetables by students on specified course.
Arranged A-Z.
• Exam Registers: Patchy coverage between 1910s and 1970s depending
on subject and status of student. (Subject to DPA)
• Scholarship and Prizes Records: Listed in Prospectuses 1880s-1940s;
Prizes administrative files; Scholarship registers 1900s-1940s.
• Staff Records: Teacher applications 1890s – 1920s; Attendance,
Recruitment and Correspondence 1940s-1960s

9. CONTEXTUAL RECORDS
• Prospectuses: Calendars and Prospectuses 1880s - Present
• Newspaper Cuttings: Contains cuttings, event bills, old exam papers
1880s – 1990s
• Correspondence: Incoming and outgoing Correspondence from College
Secretary and Principals 1880s – 1980s
• Student/Staff Publications: Student publications: The Mock Turtle
1920s-1940s; HP Sauce, UHT, etc 1980s – present; Staff Newsletters -
Intercom, FACET, Huddle, 1967 onward
• Committee Minutes/Annual Reports: Class and Governor Committee
Minutes 1840s-Present; Annual Reports 1850s-Present
• Photographs: 1900s onwards; Campus Views, Student Groups, Events
If you can’t find records of relations or even if you can, what records can you
use to develop their stories

10. LOCATING THE RECORDS
• Online Catalogue – From February 2016. The files won’t be listed to item
level or indexed. Use descriptions to decide if a series will be useful or
examine series grouped in similar areas for related records.
• Set of baseline details are useful (crucial?) in beginning a search, name,
DOB, any addresses from census records, father’s names, etc. Local
surnames are well represented, so you may have to check if you have
the right James Sykes for example.
• Casting a broad enough net through time – differences in educational age
ranges and policy on compulsory and voluntary education. Trawling
through adjacent years may be necessary.

11. RELATED COLLECTIONS
The University Collection contains the records of the main institution from 1841,
other institutions merged into it over the years and are catalogued separately.
Huddersfield Student’s Union
1920s-Present West Yorkshire College of Health Studies
merged in 1996
Oastler College
1963 – merged in 1970
‘Holly Bank’ Huddersfield Technical (Teachers’)
Training College
1947 – merged in 1974
Huddersfield Female Educational Institute
1847 – merged in 1881
Avery Hill College of Education, London
Evacuated to HTC in WWII, now at Greenwich University

12. Stories from the Archive
• 2nd Assistant Art Master at the Technical College
1909 -1916
• Appears in Prospectuses and Class Committee
Minutes, Secretary’s Correspondence
• Contextual Records – Newspaper Cuttings, Job
Specs, Records of Art Department Events, College
War Memorial; Huddersfield Roll of Honour Book
WILLIE SPEIGHT – ASSISTANT ART MASTER (1/2)

13. Stories from the Archive
• Started researching FWW soldiers amongst staff and students. Started in Prospectuses as
serving staff were marked ‘Serving with the Colours’. Then went to online records (census)
which confirmed his role and that he wasn’t living with family. Newspaper cuttings contained a
report of his death, and link to the war memorial through the Art Master. Then able to trace
more of his story through Class Committee Minutes and round of with Margaret Stansfield’s
Roll of Honour.
• Willie Speight was born in Dewsbury to Walter and Clara Speight, 18 High Street, Hanging
Heaton, Batley. He was the middle child in a family of three boys and two girls, his younger
brother Luther was a constable with Huddersfield before the war. He trained and became an
Assistant Master at Batley Technical School, before coming to become 2nd Assistant Art
Master at Huddersfield Technical College in Oct 1909 at £80 per year. After the war began he
enlisted as a Private in the 13th Battalion of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, B Company, which
became known as the University Company (indeed two other members of staff served in it!).
He wrote back to the College in April 1915 charting his progress through training in Llandudno
and Winchester before being sent to France, where he served as a stretcher-bearer. He was
killed by a shell whilst standing by a regimental aid post, 6th July 1916. After his death, a
number of letters in the University Correspondence collection make mention of him and ask
for condolences to be passed to his family.
WILLIE SPEIGHT’S STORY (2/2)

14. Stories from the Archive
JACKSON CALVERT
• Student and Assistant. Data provided in enquiry:
Name DOB Extra Info
Jackson Calvert (Father) Sep 1878 (1901 Census) 22.
Analytical Chemist, 6
Portland St, Hud.
Studied Chemistry
1895-1901?
Harry Shaw Calvert (Sons) Dec 1902 Studied Accountancy at
HTC?
Norman Stanley Calvert ^ Dec 1903 Analytical Chemist with
British Dyestuffs / ICI
Studied Chemistry?

15. Stories from the Archive
JACKSON CALVERT’S STORY
• This began as a genealogical enquiry from a member of the public. He was able to provide certain
demographic details and an idea of what might have been studied. This meant the student indexes
could be checked and links were thrown up to other parts of the collection.
• 1890-1892 A student residing at Brook St, Moldgreen. 1892-1895 Student & Armytage
Scholar residing at Portland St. From 1893 also an Asst in Chemistry Dept., through to 1900.
• Two sons: When looking for them JC began to appear again in 1912, through to 1916. We didn’t
have the registers for first two school years, but the index reports he studied French & German.
Seems strange for the time, but looking at the historical context, makes more sense. German
education in Chemistry around this time was excellent, and many English students went there to
study. Perhaps his growing business before the war drove his later study. Jackson is also
mentioned by name in Alice Robson’s 1966 recollection.
• Student Registers only go through to 1925, but we can trace both Harry and Norman in the
registers between 1920 & 1925. Both are listed as working for their father’s aniline dye
manufacturing company, and living at “Wagaraw” on Greenhead Rd. We can see the eldest son’s
former school was Sedburgh, whilst his younger brother was at the Municipal School. Harry was
working toward a BSc in Science, and is in later years shown as focusing on Maths and Chemistry.
He is also recorded as holding an Armytage Scholarship. From here we can cross reference
leaflets on scholarships and the Full Course timetables to see what he would have been doing day
to day. Younger son Norman is shown as studying Chemistry, later Dyeing and lastly Chemistry
and German. He is also on a ½ fee scholarship.

16. Stories from the Archive
• Appears in Prospectuses, Class Committee and
Governors Minutes, Art Collection.
ANTON LUDWIG – FRENCH AND GERMAN MASTER
• Contextual Records: Job Spec for post; Exam Papers
set during his tenure; 125th Anniversary Recollections
• Head of Modern Languages (French and German)
between 1887-1922, German only after 1912.

17. Stories from the Archive
ANTON LUDWIG’S STORY
• Noticed in the war time prospectuses and his name raised interest, wanted to see how those with German names were treated.
He turned out to be French! Ludwig was born in the Colmar region of Alsace, France in around 1855. He achieved his
Bachelors Degree in Languages in Paris, By 1891, four years after his appointment, he was living with his wife Grace (from
London) in Oak Villas, New North Rd in Huddersfield. In the Class Committee minutes we see a Job Spec advertising the post of
Head of Modern Languages, and the minutes report there were 94 applicants, from which 21 were shortlisted. A committee then
reduced it to 6 who were interviewed and Ludwig appointed.
• He appears in the Class Committee minutes many times over the years, on such issues as beginning French classes for ladies,
to requests for increases in his salary. He seems to have been one of those teachers who made an impression on his students,
as when the College was celebrating the Jubilee of the Ramsden building in 1934, WMV, who attended the college 1892-1895,
wrote in the Mock Turtle:
• “M. Ludwig, who attempted in vain to teach us French, could always be soothed in awkward moments – even when
chasing us round his classroom, armed with a long blackboard pointer – by being asked to give us Alsatian
reminiscences. These safely tidied over the remainder of any lessons, and put the old gentleman in a thoroughly
peaceful frame of mind – except toward Germany.”
• For the College’s 125th anniversary in 1966, recollections were again sought from former students, and Alice Robson, who came
to the college as a day student in the 1890s, replied in January 1966 that her first classes were in Art (‘uninspiring’, ‘very dull’)
and beginners French.
• “French was much more interesting. It was taught by Anton Ludwig, a native of Alsace, who had fought on the side of
France in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870. He was passionately French in outlook and sympathies, and was provoked
to fury by any reminder that his country had become part of the German Empire. It was said that a boy who wished to
conceal the fact he had shirked his homework could divert wrath by asking, “Is it true, sir that you fought in the Battle of
Waterloo?” “Imbecile!” would come the rejoinder, to be followed (with luck) by reminiscences of Sedan and other
experiences, taking up the time of the lesson in a most satisfactory way.”
• He had been made an Officer de L’Instruction Publique, which was a medal given by the French government to anyone making a
significant contribution to French national education, or as in Ludwig’s case ex-patriots expanding French culture across the
world. Ludwig died in December 1922, and his death is marked in the College Governor’s Minutes, where his 35 years devoted
service and scholarly attainments were marked by the Governors.

18. Starting your Research
• First/Last/Reference Stop: http://www.heritagequay.org
• Contact Us: archives@hud.ac.uk
• Telephone: 01484 473168
• Opening Times:
Mondays & Tuesdays - 9.30am – 5.00pm
1st Tuesday in month – 1.00pm-7.30pm
3rd Saturday in month – 9.30am–1.00pm

19. Casting the Net Wider – Other Places to Look
• New 1992 Universities often have 19th century origins
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_UK_universities_by_date_of_foundation
UCLAN – Central Lancs
De Montfort - Leicester
Nottingham Trent
Sheffield Hallam
Leeds Beckett
Uni of Portsmouth
Liverpool John Moores
Birmingham City
Staffordshire University
Glasgow Caledonian
Robert Gordon UniUni of the West of Scotland
Uni of Brighton
Uni of Westminster
Teeside University

20. Online catalogue - February 2016.
Thank you! Any Questions?