Ever Wondered what Ordnance Survey (OS) stores on behalf of the National Archives?

Abstract

The Public Record Office (PRO) has been (since 1958) a ministerial department under the Lord Chancellor, who has responsibility for the public records system and the PRO. In June 2003 the Prime Minister announced the forthcoming abolition of the post of Lord Chancellor. It is, however, intended that the ministerial responsibilities relating to the public records system will be reassigned to the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs during the coming year. As the national archives for England, Wales and the United Kingdom, the PRO houses records from across the UK central government and, in smaller numbers, from the central courts. A separate national record office for Scotland (The National Archives of Scotland) holds records of departments which are wholly or mainly concerned with Scotland and the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) contains records of the Northern Ireland courts and departments, and local government records. On 2 April 2003 the Public Record Office joined together with the Historical Manuscripts Commission (the UK central advisory body on archives and manuscripts relating to British History) to form a new organization, The National Archives. The responsibilities of the National Archives: PRO are set out in the Public Records Act of 1958. The Act makes government departments responsible for the safe-keeping and selection for preservation of their own records, but under the guidance, supervision and coordination of the National Archives: PRO. The 1958 Act provides for storage of public records outside the National Archives in places where they have a particular local or regional interest, or where as national specialist records they belong naturally with other specialist collections, or require specialist skills or knowledge to manage them. Over one-fifth of all permanently preserved public records are stored and open for public use in these ‘places of deposit’ found in more than 245 locations throughout England and Wales. These include local authority record offices, scientific bodies, museums and libraries. All places of deposit need formal approval from the Lord Chancellor and before designation undergo rigorous testing The Cartographic Journal Vol. 41 No. 1 pp. 55–57 June 2004 © The British Cartographic Society 2004