Before and After
How conservators are bringing records damaged in 1922 back to life
In 1766, the Archbishops and Bishops of Ireland were instructed to return a list of the families in their parishes distinguishing which were Protestants and which were Catholic. This census return from Newchapel parish in the diocese of Cashel and Emly, County Tipperary had been folded many times. As a result the paper had fractured and split along the fold lines into 9 pieces.
The census sheet presented a jigsaw puzzle that had to be solved to realign the 9 pieces. Each fracture in the paper was repaired with re-moistenable starch adhesive-coated Japanese Kozo tissue (4 gsm). The tissue is so fine that the repairs appear invisible.
This marriage bond was repaired by PROI staff in the 1930s. Over time, the silk chiffon used to line the badly damaged paper became discoloured and brittle, so the decision was taken to remove it.
The old silk chiffon repair has been peeled away and the paper carefully washed to remove acidic staining. The areas of missing paper have been repaired using Japanese Kingawa paper (22 gsm) and all the tears supported with a very fine Japanese Kozo tissue (4 gsm).
These Collector account receipts are written on slips of parchment and relate to Dundalk, County Louth. They were salvaged following the destruction of the Public Record Office and show signs of fire damage.
All 34 parchment receipts were cleaned to remove dust and dirt and then humidified. The parchment was then dried under tension to flatten the receipts, making them much easier to handle and read.
There were 10 salvaged volumes of Crown Office books, detailing plaintiffs and defendants names, addresses, the outcome of cases and reason for trial.This volume dates from May 1741 to July 1742. The pasteboard covers are lined with marbled paper with a parchment spine. The marbled paper front cover was detached and the back cover was torn.
The ingrained dust and dirt was first removed. The damaged and torn covers were then repaired using Japanese Tengu tissue (7.3 gsm) and wheat starch paste.Tears to the 63 page text block were repaired with remoistenable starch adhesive-coated Japanese Kozo tissue (4 gsm).
The paper was carefully washed to remove staining. The areas of missing paper were then infilled with repairs of toned Japanese Kingawa paper (22 gsm) and all the tears supported with a very fine Japanese Kozo tissue (4 gsm).
It took nearly a year for the records to be salvaged following the destruction of the PROI. As a result many of the recovered documents were damaged from rain water. This folded lease dated 1708 was very badly mould damaged across all 6 sheets of paper.
The paper was carefully washed and repaired with remoistenable starch adhesive-coated Japanese Kozo tissue (4 gsm).
This parchment fragment is awaiting further study, but is thought to date from 1660 and be associated with the Earl of Clanricarde. The text is written in iron gall ink on sheepskin and had been folded in half, making it difficult to open.
The parchment was slowly humidified using water vapour. The document was then dried under tension using a series of small magnets to remove the fold lines and allow safe access to the text.
