Stack of General Ledgers, The Baring Archive. Courtesy of The Baring Archive.
Business archives are irreplaceable and reflect the key contribution of industry and commerce to the development of Britain's economy and society. For this reason, the Council has initiated surveys of major national industries. These surveys have identified historically-important records, thereby helping to ensure their preservation and to alert researchers and the business community to valuable source material.
NB. The Council has been particularly successful over the years in producing archival survey volumes of high quality. It is unlikely that new projects will be undertaken in the short-run, but future surveys should not be ruled out, particularly where these were undertaken in partnership with an academic institution. Advice would be taken from the community of business historians as to opportunities for new work.
List of surveys published to date
Pamela Hunter, Veterinary Medicine: A Guide to the Historical records (Aldershot, 2004)
Available on www.ashgate.com. From the publisher's website:
'Veterinary medicine has long been recognized as one of the more neglected areas of medical history. One of the main stumbling blocks to research is the lack of comprehensive information regarding the survival and availability of primary source material. Veterinary Medicine: A Guide to Historical Sources redresses these issues for the first time, offering researchers an unparalleled tool with which to approach the subject.'
Wendy Habgood, Chartered Accountants inEnglandandWales. A guide to historical records (Manchester 1994)
Lesley Richmond and Alison Turton, The brewing industry: a guide to historical records (Manchester, 1990)
Lesley Richmond and Bridget Stockford, Company archives: a survey of the records of 1000 of the first registered companies inEnglandandWales (Aldershot, 1986)
Lesley Richmond & Alison Turton (eds.), Directory of corporate archives (Business Archives Council, 4th ed., 1996)
LA Ritchie, The shipbuilding industry: a guide to historical records (Manchester, 1992)
Alison Turton & John Orbell, British Banking. A Guide to Historical Records (Aldershot 2001). This publication updated a previous survey. Available to members at cost of £50.
Lesley Richmond, Julie Stevenson & Alison Turton, The Pharmaceutical Industry. A Guide to Historical Records (Aldershot, 2003)