Community, Conflict and Change at Chatsworth, 1700-1820
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Sheffield
Department Name: Sch of English Lit, Lang and Linguistics
Abstract
The aim of this project is to use the extensive archival materials in the Devonshire Collection in order to gain an understanding of the wider community who have lived and worked at Chatsworth during the eighteenth century, brought together by relationships of work and service. It will employ an interdisciplinary linguistic-historical approach to explore the changing relationship between masters and servants between 1700 and 1820.
People |
ORCID iD |
| Jane Hodson (Primary Supervisor) | |
| Hannah Wallace (Student) |
| Description | Several of the findings of this project have been used to form parts of exhibitions at Chatsworth. Work on the relationships between masters and servants who travelled together as part of 'The Grand Tour' exhibition at Chatsworth which was displayed throughout the house visitor route in 2015. Research from the project has also been used in the 2018 exhibition 'Chatsworth Renewed: The house past, present and future'. This exhibition has used research about the relationship between servants, workers, and the wider estate community. The presence of costumed interpreters on the visitor route was also used as a way to share some aspects of the research from the project. This allowed visitors to the house to engage with actors who were sharing the stories of the servants and had been briefed on some of the findings of this project. Following the success of this, the findings of this project are in the process of being used by a promenade theatre company who will create a piece a theatre which will take visitors of a journey through the house and grounds using the research undertaken by this project. It is hoped that this is attract to a wider audience which do not usually engage with the house or the history as it will extend beyond the pay barrier. |
| Sector | Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Impact Types | Cultural |
| Title | Chatsworth Servant Database 1700-1914 |
| Description | A database which includes servants recorded in the Devonshire Collection archives as serving the Cavendish family between 1700 and 1914. The database does not include any living individuals and leaves a 100 year gap between the present day and the end of the database. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2018 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | The collection of this data has developed a wider understanding of the range and diversity of servants employed by the country house. It has been used by genealogists. |
| URL | https://www.chatsworth.org/art-archives/access-the-collection/archives-and-library/historic-servants... |
| Description | Chatsworth House Trust |
| Organisation | Chatsworth House Trust |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | The project has contributed to the cataloguing of the Devonshire Archives and transcriptions of key collections and documents which in turn has been of use to staff and other researchers. The project has also provided knowledge and expertise on the archives and on the servants and labourers who worked at Chatsworth which has been used in talks and exhibition materials seen by the general public. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The partner contributed through allowing access to the Devonshire Archive and providing training on how to use the Collections Management System. |
| Impact | Stories from the Servants' Hall Winter Talks series at Chatsworth; Session given as part of the Sotheby's Success Academy; Talk at Chatsworth given to the house guides; Talk at Chatsworth for Friends Day; From Servants to Staff talk at the Derbyshire Record Office |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Article in The Times Newspaper |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | An article based on the research outcomes of the project was included on p. 3 of The Times issue 22nd October 2018. The article was also available online. The interest from the article resulted in other media outlets reaching out to the project as well as a number of emails from the general public about the project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Article on the Daily Mail Online |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | An article about aspects of the research of this project. The article was published on the Mail Online site. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | From Servants to Staff talk at the Baslow Local History Group |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A talk given to over 100 members of the local community of Baslow and other local communities which shared with them current research on the project. The talk included a question and answer session, and feedback from the event and the turn out showed the interest in learning about the wider research of the project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | From Servants to Staff talk at the Derbyshire Record Office |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A group of 30 members of the general public attended the Derbyshire Record Office for a talk on the project and an informal session seeing items from the Devonshire Archives. Both sessions included a question and answer session. Feedback from the day reported that the talk had made people question the myths they had heard about domestic service. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | House of Stories: A pop-up story telling exhibition |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A one day pop up exhibition which was open to members of the public visiting Chatsworth where they could read exhibition panels about the project, see archival documents used in the project and listen to live storytelling of stories taken from the research. This exhibition attracted visitors from across the UK and international visitors. The event was written up in a press release by the University of Sheffield media team which gained interest from national media outlets. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Session given as part of the Sotheby's Success Academy |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | A group session given to underprivileged school children visiting from America as part of the Sotheby's Success Academy. The session included a short talk on some findings from the project and a group activity which invited the students to look at the same primary sources used in the project to form their own understandings on what life would have been like for the servants at Chatsworth and present their findings to the rest of the group. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Stories from the Servants' Hall, Winter Talks (Chatsworth) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | 80 members of the general public paid for a talk on 'Stories from the Servants' Hall' which was a talk based on the findings of the project. The talk included a question and answer session and time for one on one discussions. Feedback after the talk was very positive and reported that the talk brought the stories of Chatsworth alive. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017,2018 |
| Description | Talk at Chatsworth for Friends Day |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A talk given to the general public who form the Friends of Chatsworth group. The talk also included a question and answer session, and feedback showed an interest in further information on the outcomes of the project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Talk at Chatsworth given as part of the Winter Talk Series |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A talk given to members of general public and publicised on the Chatsworth website. Feedback submitted after the talk by participants reported interest in the topic, excitement in its presentation and the desire to hear more about the research undertaken by the project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017,2018,2019 |
| Description | Talk at Chatsworth given to the house guides |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A talk given about the research produced by the project to the house guides at Chatsworth which could form part of their information they deliver to the public. The information was used on the visitor route in the house |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Talk entitled 'Duchess Georgiana's Servants' given as part of the Buxton Fringe Festival at Buxton Museum |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A talk entitled 'Duchess Georgiana's Servants' given as part of the Buxton Fringe Festival at Buxton Museum. The talk was reviewed by the Buxton Fringe Press which was published on their website and the questions and comments from the audience sparked discussions and increased interest in the project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Talk given at U3A Matlock local history society |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A talk given about the research findings of the project to a general audience, the session also included time for questions and discussion and the feedback from the talk showed great interest in the project and a desire to find out more about the subject. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | University of Sheffield Press Release |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | A press release written by the University of Sheffield media team on the University website which included written text and video interviews. The press release was prominent to visitors when they came to the university home page. The press release brought interest from national media outlets. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Workshop between Chatsworth, University of Sheffield and Burn The Curtain Theatre Company |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A three day workshop focused on the research undertaken by the project and the question of how to turn it into engagement activities for the Chatsworth House Trust. The workshop brought together academics from the Computer Science Department and English Department at the University of Sheffield as well as members of the Education team and Collection and Exhibition team from Chatsworth, and two members of the Burn The Curtain Theatre Company. Early discussions are underway for a collaboration between Chatsworth and Burn The Curtain based on the research from this project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |