Strangers' Hall: Norwich museum finds records saved from bombed church

The burnt remnants of marriage certificates were among the discoveries

A deep clean delving into the nooks and crannies of a museum has unearthed charred remains of parish records dating back 250 years.

The remnants of christening and marriage certificates were found tucked away at Strangers' Hall in Norwich.

They are believed to have been salvaged from the ruins of St Bartholomew Church in the city when it was bombed in 1942.

Assistant curator Bethan Holdridge said the "exciting" find provided a "tangible reminder" of World War Two.

The museum's assistant curator of social history, Bethan Holdridge, said the documents were an interesting discovery

The discovery was made as the 14th Century merchant's house, on Charing Cross, underwent its annual January deep clean.

Volunteers help clean the hall's rooms and collections, while also probing for any problems arising due to pests or damp.

Ms Holdridge joked as the museum's resident bookworm she was told to stay away from the bookcase in the Georgian dining room.

However, while poking inside one of its cupboards, she found a folder - with 19th Century papers - among a pile of historic bibles.

"It had been dealt with professionally as it had been bound and was wrapped in acid free tissue," said Ms Holdridge.

"But the tissue had gone very yellow as burnt paper is highly acidic.

"I replaced it and wondered what it was as it wasn't properly labelled... but it quickly became apparent due to the box of [18th Century] charred records also next to it."

The church registers dating back to the 18th Century were found next to a folder containing burnt church documents from the 19th Century

Ms Holdridge said it was possible the damaged documents could have ended up there when a museum closed or following the 1994 fire at Norwich Library, where many historical documents were stored.

She said museum staff were now planning to meet Norfolk Records Office - that also had some similar records from the church - to discuss their preservation and what they might reveal.

While only parts of the remains are legible, she said the records could be useful for people researching family history.

Ms Holdridge felt it was possible someone with generational ties to the documents saved them from the bombed out church 80 years ago.

Only the church tower of St Bartholomew, off Heigham Street, was left standing after the first Baedeker raid on the city on 27 April 1942.

Ms Holdridge said the documents could provide a route to finding out more about the people who lived in Norwich

She said the find had prompted the same feelings as when someone recently donated to them an autograph book belonging to a child killed in the raids.

Betty Smith had lent her journal to a friend overnight, but when she went to return it she found Betty and all her family had died.

Ms Holdridge said Betty's death was not recorded anywhere and it was only established that she existed due to the book being donated.

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"A lot of people when they think about museums, they think about the monetary value of objects," said Ms Holdridge.

"As a curator of social history, a lot of our objects haven't got monetary value, but we get stupidly excited about finds like this.

"Sometimes it can help people comprehend what others in the world are having to go through - it's a tangible reminder of what happened here in Norwich."

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