The Glass Archives

The Glass Museum has an extensive archive collection relating to the local and British glass industry, including items on loan from glass companies. Original archive material is acquired whenever possible and when funds allow.   The Museum collects pattern books, catalogues, description books, invoices and other paperwork, as well as photographs of factories, workers and their families.  These include modern material as well as historic, as the history of the glass industry is constantly changing. Videos and films of glassmaking are also collected, and some are available for visitors to watch at the Museum. The Museum is the only one in Britain to hold the entire microfiche record of glass pattern books held by the Corning Museum of Glass in New York. Microfiche viewing facilities are available at the Museum, by appointment.

 

The pattern books of Thomas Webb and Sons, and Royal Brierley Crystal were acquired when those companies closed, while pattern books from other local companies such as Richardson, Boulton & Mills, J. & J. Northwood, and Smart Brothers have been saved or acquired at auction.  Important material is also held on individual artists including Daniel Pearce, Joseph Keller, and George and Thomas Woodall, as well as modern figures such as Alexander Hardie Williamson. 

In 2004 the Museum was presented with an extraordinary card index containing the names of thousands of individuals connected with glassmaking in the UK, from the 17th to the 19th century.  The donor was a gentleman from York named Brian Hardyman, and the index was the result of 30 years' work visiting record offices throughout the country consulting original material such as census returns, parish registers, wills and poor law documents. 

 

In 2001 Brian stopped work on the index and kindly donated the index to the Museum in 2004.  The index is invaluable to those researching their ancestors who worked in the glass industry.  Family historians wishing to use the index should contact the Museum to make an appointment.  We also recommend contacting Dudley MBC's Archives and Local History Service (see below) who are used to dealing with genealogy enquiries and even offer courses for beginners in tracing their family tree.

All of the archive material is for reference only and cannot be borrowed.  Some archives are held at the Glass Museum and Himley Hall, but much of the archival material is housed with the Dudley Archives and Local History Service, which is based at Coseley and is open to the public.  We recommend you contact the Museum if you wish to view something specific so we can advise you of its location.  Booking an appointment is essential if you wish to see achival material held at the Glass Museum or Himley Hall - please contact the Museum, do not contact Himley Hall regarding the archives.  If you wish to contact the Archives Service or plan a visit, their details can be found on their web pages.

 

Please note that some manuscript items may be subject to special conditions of access, or they may be too fragile for handling or public viewing.  Bookings at the Archives Service are usually only necessary to view records held on microfilm or microfiche, although it is essential to book to use any material on a Saturday.  Dudley Archives and Local History Service operates a reader's ticket system, so anyone wishing to use the Archives Service is required to register on their first visit and bring their ticket with them on each subsequent visit.