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. Please visit Archive Enquiries for more information about visiting and access to the Sedgwick Museum Archives.
The Archive includes the papers charting the history and development of the Museum, as well as the famous Sedgwick Club, started in 1880 in memory of Adam Sedgwick (1854-1875), after whom the Museum is named. The Archive also includes field notebooks, sketchbooks and specimen catalogues of Adam Sedgwick himself.
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 Professor’s 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 scientist's 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.
Resources & Links
For information about Archives and how to use them in your research please refer to resources on the Archives Hub website. Explore Your Archive have also created a brief guide - First Things First. This might be useful if you are new to using Archives.
Resources for locating archives in the UK
TNA Discovery
Location of record creators (business, family, organisation, person) across the UK. This resource was formerly known as the 'National Register of Archives' (NRA).
Archives HUB
A gateway to thousands of the UK’s richest archives in UK Universities and Colleges, representing over 180 institutions across the country.
AIM25
A database of archives and manuscript collections from many of London's higher education institutions, learned societies, cultural organisations and City livery companies.
ArchiveSearch
The database provides access to finding aids and links to digital records for the majority of archives located in the city of Cambridge. ArchiveSearch is under development with new records being added regularly. It will include many thousands of records for archives held by Cambridge University Libraries, University faculties and museums and the majority of the colleges of the University.
Cambridge Dissertation And Research Fair
This website will help direct you to organisations and resources in Cambridge.
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.
Who's Who
Biographies of over 30,000 noteworthy and influential people from the UK and beyond.
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.
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. This resource is also available via Ancestry.
Other resources
Ancestry
Ancestry operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites.