In 2024 the Library purchased a rare example of a manuscript containing an early record of Welsh settlement in Pennsylvania in the US. The volume records the sale of lands to Welsh Quakers in the area known as the ‘Welsh Tract’, Pennsylvania, purchased from that state’s namesake William Penn in the 17th century. Compiled between 1683/4-1686 and 1693/4 at the office of Thomas Lloyd, the Master of Rolls in Philadelphia (formerly of Dolobran, Montgomeryshire), the indentures recorded in at least three clerical hands eighty-one transactions with some fifty-six of these detailing sales by six of the Welsh Original Purchasers (who bought land directly from William Penn) to fifty-six Under Purchasers in six Welsh counties. The volume records a range of purchasers from all over Wales, including from Bala, Meirionethshire (John ap Thomas of Llaithgwm and Edward Jones) and Welshpool, Montgomeryshire (Richard Davies), as well as recording a further twenty-two transactions involving non-Welsh purchasers from Wiltshire, Herefordshire and elsewhere in England and Pennsylvania.
The volume’s long life over several centuries meant it was in poor condition and in need of considerable conservation work and re-binding. Firstly, it was removed from its damaged binding and covers so that a full assessment of the paper could be made. The paper was then washed in a water bath to neutralise the acidity of its iron-gall ink, before being carefully dried and flattened. Each page was then put on to a light box to be repaired and strengthened with a specialist acid-free Japanese tissue paper, and arranged back into gatherings and stitched and re-bound using a method as close as possible to the original. Finally, new boards with brown leather were added to complete the process. Each step in the conservation process uses natural materials and is designed to be fully reversible, so as not to impose upon the original state of the manuscript.
As an exceptional survival of Welsh-American history, this conservation work ensured that the manuscript was strengthened and in good enough condition to be catalogued, digitised and preserved for future use. The full description and digitised edition can be viewed in our Archives & Manuscripts Catalogue.
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