Amendments
I have had to go back and amend things – my artistic note taking (all over the place on a page) had led me to credit a Thomas Watkin Forster sticker in the front of a book to the Norfolk Annal but in fact it was from Blomefield’s Norfolk. Lesson learnt, I hope. I’m not an archivist or trained historian so my recording processes are perhaps more open, and after all mistakes in art practice are so valuable. I wonder how many other mistakes have been made with the materials in the collection, and when they are discovered are articles moved and re-catalogued?
When looking at the opening pages of the book Norfolk Families by W.Rye he states “Of course this work does not pretend to be perfect. It is far from it, and in the nature of things must be full of errors of which any corrections will be thankfully received”. Some of these were formally added to the front of the book under the typed title of errata, however one individual took it upon himself to amend the book itself.
The search room was busy today, people examining documents closely, transcribing information onto computers, photographing, reflecting, making connections and notes. After my visit I had to formulate my thoughts into a residency proposal detailing how I plan to work with the group of history enthusiasts that I will meet for the first time next week.
