Archive

From exquisite 17th century drawings of fossils to unique historic geological sketches and letters from the frontline in World War 1, the Sedgwick Museum Archives contains over 2000 boxes of irreplaceable records. 

The Archive includes the papers charting the history and development of the modern Museum, as well as the famous Sedgwick Club, started in 1880 in memory of Adam Sedgwick (1854-1875), after whom the Museum is named.

We welcome enquiries about the Archive. Please visit Archive Enquiries for more information about access.

Rows of metal shelving filled with grey archival storage boxes in a narrow aisle.

Colin Forbes Archive Stores, 2026. 

Scope and Content

The archive collections of the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences fall into several categories: records relating to museum administration, specimen collections, and projects (institutional archive). There are also papers of geologists, mineralogists and petrologists. 

Archive records include:

  • Agostino Scilla’s (1629-1700) original pencil sketches of fossils.
  • Professor of Physic John Woodward’s (1665-1728) fossil collection catalogues.
  • Woodwardian Professors’ archives including those of Adam Sedgwick (1735-1873); Thomas McKenny Hughes (1833-1917); John E. Marr (1857-1933); Oliver Bulman (1902-1974) and Harry Whittington (1916-2010).
  • Earth scientists’ archives including those of: William Alexander Deer (1910-2009); Alfred Harker (1859-1939); William Hallowes Miller (1801-1880); Richard Barrie Rickards (1938-2009) and Edward Tawney (1841-1882).
  • Records of the Woodwardian and Sedgwick Museum, including accession registers, correspondence, annual reports and specimen catalogues. 
  • The Sedgwick Club Archive (1880-) including minute books and photographs. Learn more in our online talk
  • The Cambridge Svalbard Exploration Archive (1938-1992) including field notebooks, catalogues of specimens, maps and photographs. Learn more in our online talk.
  • Art Collection, including several oil paintings of Woodwardian Professors. Many of these are available to look at online. 
Fossil sea urchin specimens on an antique engraved plate labeled "TAV. X," with handwritten Latin notes.

Species of fossil sea-urchins (Echinoids) Ref. SCLA Plate 10 

Archive Resources:

Start Your Research

New to archives? Here are some resources to help you courtesy of the Archives Hub. 

The National Archives Discovery
Search for the location of the archives of record creators (business, family, organisation, person) across the UK.  

Cambridge Archives and Collections Fair
A gateway to direct you to organisations and resources in Cambridge and beyond. 

Biographical Resources:

Please note that some of these may only be accessible via your local library provider and/or by purchasing a license. Please see the websites for further information.

ACAD - Cambridge University Alumni Database (1200-1900)
Biographical details of everyone who has been identified as being academically associated with the University of Cambridge, covering the period approximately from 1200 to 1900. 

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
Illustrated collection of more than 60,000 specially written biographies of the men and women from around the world who shaped all aspects of Britain's past.

Who's Who
Biographies of over 30,000 noteworthy and influential people from the UK and beyond.

Other resources:

Ancestry
Ancestry operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites.