Map volunteers Richard Furness, Dennis Parkinson
Eddie Cooper and Margaret Carter.

A huge collection of historic maps showing how North Yorkshire has changed over the decades has been catalogued and repaired by staff and volunteer helpers at the County Record Office in Northallerton. For the past four years a team of volunteers from the Northallerton branch of the University of the Third Age (U3A), has dedicated one day a week to help sort out the massive collection of Ordnance Survey maps held by the Record Office.

Their work has involved the removal of duplicates, and the creation of a database to promote ease of access. The remaining collection of OS maps has been repaired and microfilmed, and will be permanently preserved. More than 10,000 maps have been identified and where necessary repaired.

County Councillor Chris Metcalfe, Executive Member with responsibility for the County Record Office said: "We are tremendously grateful to these volunteers who have given so freely of their time. Their work has opened up this valuable collection of historic maps for the benefit of communities and researchers throughout North Yorkshire.

"This is work that we could never have achieved without the help of these volunteers. Storage space is at a premium and many maps were damaged and in need of conservation. Many thanks are due to past and present volunteers for their dedication to this project."

The Ordnance Survey Department was constituted by the Ordnance Survey Act 1841. Maps were vital for national defence, for the management and transfer of land, and for civil engineering (especially roads, canals and railways). By the mid-nineteenth century, the Ordnance Survey was assuming its modern role of providing, as a national service, the surveys and maps of Britain required for government, military and general public use alike.

Historic OS maps at the Record Office are hung vertically in new map cabinets. The 25" scale maps, dating from the 1890s, chart changes in landscape, boundaries, communications and buildings for the whole of North Yorkshire, and provide evidence for the growth of towns and settlements such as Catterick Garrison.

The new database of 25" OS maps listed by date and place is accessible in the Record Office's public searchroom where originals and microfilmed copies are available to view.