Throughout its existence, the Commission published periodical reports to the Crown in the form of command papers. Until 1945, the principal medium through which the Commission disseminated its findings was publication: thereafter, it developed other channels of communication (notably the National Register of Archives: see below), but publication always remained important. Since the creation of The National Archives the role of Secretary of the Commission has been filled by Nicholas Kingsley, 2005–15 and Isobel Hunter, 2015–date. The Chief Executive and Keeper of Public Records is now the sole Historical Manuscripts Commissioner, while the role of Secretary of the Commission is combined with that of Head of Archives Sector Development. ![]() This period of independence ended in April 2003, when another Royal Warrant effectively merged the Commission with the PRO to form the new National Archives. Over the next few decades the Secretaries to the Commission included Roger Ellis, 1957–72, Godfrey Davis, 1972–82, Brian Smith, 1982–92 and Christopher Kitching, 1992–2004. A new Royal Warrant, dated 5 December 1959, gave the Commission revised and greatly extended terms of reference. However, in the wake of the Public Records Act 1958 (which transferred responsibility for public records to the Lord Chancellor, while the Commission remained under the authority of the Master of the Rolls) the two bodies diverged to achieve a greater degree of independence from one another. Throughout the 19th and early 20th century the Commission remained closely associated with the Public Record Office: indeed, in 1912 it was stated that "for all practical purposes the Commission itself may be regarded as a branch of the Record Office". Later inspectors included Henry Maxwell Lyte, John Knox Laughton, Joseph Stevenson, Reginald Lane Poole, W. Riley) were appointed in 1869 to survey records under the Commissioners' direction. ![]() A new Royal Warrant of 1876 confirmed the appointment of what had effectively become a standing commission and the Commission's work was extended by further warrants dated 18 December 1897 and 27 March 1919.įour inspectors (including H. ![]() They were shortly afterwards joined by George Butler, Bishop of Limerick and Lord Talbot de Malahide. The first Commissioners were Romilly himself (as chairman) the Marquess of Salisbury the Earl of Airlie Earl Stanhope Lord Edmοnd Petty-Fitzmaurice Sir William Stirling-Maxwell Charles Russell, President of Maynooth College George Webbe Dasent and T. Largely on the initiative of Lord Romilly, the Master of the Rolls, the first Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts was appointed by Royal Warrant dated 2 April 1869. John, 1st Baron Romilly, Master of the Rolls 1851–1873įollowing the passing of the Public Record Office Act 1838, which made statutory provision for the care of government archives, pressure began to grow for the state to pay attention to privately owned records.
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