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Some horrible news from Germany
Tue, 17 Oct 2006 21:41:56 +0200
soc.genealogy.britain
previous
Richard van Schaik...
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L.S.
Slightly off-topic in this group to my regret but:
To my regret I read the following only today in the benelux group
(soc.genealogy.benelux):
Turenne...
About selling some very ancient documents in public, giving away any
control over the availability of these documents to the public.
Turenne...
Alan Summerfield...
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The federal state of Baden-Württemberg announced yesterday that it will
set aside 10 million Euros in order to keep the documents.
Turenne...
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ndschriften+landesstiftung&scoring=3Dd>
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Phil C....
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Perhaps that's what the sellers were hoping for all along? There are
frequent cases in Britain of historic treasures or artworks that are
in danger of being sold to a foreign private collector - then a
museum/private benefactor/public subscription/Government fund saves
them for the nation.
Lesley Robertson...
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You often get old documents turning up on Ebay. I got some 18th & 19th
century ones recently for my 1 place study, the seller apparently got them
when a solicitor's office closed. As they were all labelled "suitable for
framing, will look good on your wall", I regard the purchase as a rescue.
When I'm done with them, I'll give them to NAS.
Phil C....
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I read a few years ago that we've got a unique collection of mediaeval
legal documents in Britain. Many haven't been looked at since the day
they were filed away. I expect there are still some gems waiting to be
discovered.
Jeff...
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I suspect that isn't entirely confined to Medieval documents.
Looking at some of the old documents at the National Archives, the sheer
volume of them suggests that many have probably never been examined
since the day they were written beyond a quick perusal to categorise them.
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A couple of my ancestors were "legal writers" - doing the fancy script
for documents. I expect the novelty of that job wore off pretty
quickly.
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Lelsey Robertson
Jo Taylor...
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Want some French ones? They're very pretty... I bought a small stack of
1600s and 1700s legal docs from a brocante sale (rather like a car boot
sale). The seller had a couple of tables stacked up with boxes of them. I
bought 50 euros' worth (box file full). Some are on parchment or vellum.
It saddens me that these are part of someone's family history.
Jill...
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List some of the basics on a simple website - costs of packing and sending
them
Let web-search do the rest
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Robert Stonehouse...
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The Albert Memorial was a good case. Having been warned it
was a danger to the public, the trustees consulted
structural engineers who reported that mending it would cost
18 million pounds. So the trustees reported that it was
unsafe, it would cost 18 million to mend it, they hadn't
got 18 million, and so they would have to pull it down.
Naturally there was an outcry and they got all the money
they needed.
So now we have a memorial in brand-new condition. Albert,
re-gilt, reflects the rays of the sun with more than
oriental splendour - though there are some who say he looks
a bit like R2D2. I don't suppose the trustees intended that
result, but the method does work!
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Far to late to do anything with the given link on:
Isn't it horrible enough that even the thought of this can be taken?
Hugh Watkins...
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just politics
to get more money for the institution
if they kept high quality scans
Richard van Schaik...
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After having read more reactions in this group I finally feel able to
respond better to this one. It might be politics to get more money, but
also it might be a justified outcry to get more attention for a
neglected part of the cultural inheritance. My opinion in this is that
the documents it concerns are irreplacable. I do know that choices have
to be made how to spend money on cultural and historical important
properties. But irreplacability is in my opinion one of the major points
in this case. High quality scans on any form of storage has always the
drawback of preserving. Even the longest lasting currently available
storage media are being estimated to have an average halflive of about
50 years. So every about 25 years (some 80% chance of failure (I can
calculate that better, but this is an estimate)) or more often
(depending on the ammount of failure which is acceptable) they will have
to be copied to a fresh support. Parchment is still the longest lasting
Jeff...
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Obviously you are correct and the point is well taken.
Although if digital storage is well planned, with a realistic
understanding of the media's longevity, copying to the new media in the
future is relatively trivial.
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type for saving documents (several centuries). Apart from fire, water
and other disasters (all related to less well storage (but I don't blame
the lesser storage facilities lets say before WWII)) all parchments
still survived in a reasonable condition from about 1000 years ago. Let
any floppy / CD / harddrive try to do the same.
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so what
Richard van Schaik...
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Lose all relation to the past?
Phil C....
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What to preserve is always a complicated issue but I'm sure the vast
majority of us would look back and wish that more links to the past
had been saved - even in our own families.
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Richard van Schaik...
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Sorry, this post is getting trilingual already. I'm willing to translate
parts if nessecary.
John Townsend...
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Ich habe deutsch in der Schule verlehrnt, aber ich habe viel vergessen!
Richard van Schaik...
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Ich werde morgenabend versuchen einem zusammenfassung zu machen wenn
mehrere daß wollen. Daß ganze übersetzen is ein bischen zuviel.
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Seriously, shouldn't the previous content be translated if it is to be
accessible to most of the people in the group?
Richard van Schaik...
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I'll try to make a short extract of the texts if wanted. Translating the
whole is a bit much.
Hugh Watkins...
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To the intention of the federal state government Baden-Wuerttemberg of
selling the handwriting existence of the federal state library of Baden
Press statement of the library company of Baden from 21 September 2006
The library company of Baden, for 40 years an existing promotion
association for the federal state library of Baden with approximately
500 members, took the plans of the federal state government with
complete lack of understanding over the sellout our cultural inheritance
to the knowledge.
The members of the library company undertook large efforts in the past
to supplement by generous donations the existence of the library at
handwriting and old pressures as well as provide for the continuation of
appropriate listing, which received internationally large attention.
Thus public spirit supported once more the state with its effort around
the receipt and the care of cultural properties. The interference into
the existence of the library, considered now, karikiert all past
asseverations of the federal state government to recognize and support
the work of our promotion company.
The sales of high-quality cultural properties, which are since
generations in public Obhut and in public consciousness, may not be
possible in a wealthy culture country. Possible political and legal
considerations and projects for support of other cultural things (the
maintenance of Salem plays the main role here) must be covered solidary
from that entire act of the country. We are only one country and no
federation of two principalities. Solidarity of all regions is in demand
and must be organized by the government. Interferences into our specific
culture are taboo. There is only one joint and several liability of the
state with the financing of urgent tasks.
Professor Dr. Dr. H.C. Wolfgang Klose
Chairman of the library company of Baden <<
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in other words a private library with 500 members has run out of money
and want to sell their MSS
Hugh W
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John Townsend
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Hugh W
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