The Archives and Collections Committee of the Historical Metallurgy Society was set up in 2008 to facilitate the management of its various archives and collections. There is a Memorandum of Agreement between the HMS and the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust (IGMT) where the archives and collections are housed. Follow the links below for further information.
The HMS archive includes the records of the Society itself and other historical documents.
The Tylecote papers comprise a substantial body of notes and other written material amassed by Ronnie Tylecote. The papers have recently been catalogued and a list of the papers is available to download here.
Ronnie Tylecote’s collection of metallographic mounts is subject to a Memorandum of Agreement between HMS and the Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art (RLAHA) at Oxford University who are housing and managing it for HMS. Dr Aurélie Cuenod at the RLAHA produced the original online catalogue, complete with scans of Tylecote’s notebooks. A new version of this database is here.
The HMS Library consists of books, pamphlets and leaflets that have been donated to the Society.
The National Slag Collection, which is the property of the IGMT, was formed from several collections (including those of founding members of the HMS); it is stored at Ironbridge. The procedure and assessment criteria for receiving new acquisitions into the NSC can be found here.
HMS and IGMT were involved with the’Who Cares?” project which explored the role of enthusiasm, creativity and affection in the stewardship of less well-known collections. The Slag Collection provided one of the case studies.
Work is ongoing on the archives and collections if you are interested in joining the committee or attending a Study day please contact ACC Chair accchair@historicalmetallurgy.org.