For the academics - a question


I notice that throughout the series Dr. Starkey handles original documents barehanded, freely touching their surfaces. I thought that gloves and special document cradles were required when handling original, fragile material.

This may be a minor point, but I felt it was emblematic of his playing to the stalls instead of the more scholarly approach I had hoped for. (And I understand that the sixty minute episode format was bound to be a 'Cliff Notes' version of history.)

In any case, I wanted to know if anyone else was surprised at his handling of original materials.

reply

They may not have been originals. At one point, he mentions that the copy of the Magna Carta (under glass) he was perusing was not the original because King John didn't save it (why would he?). Also, later in the show during Cromwell's time, Starkey was looking at a document under some sort of plastic cover.

He was quite careful with one book he was perusing, I noticed that.

The other documents that he wasn't so delicate with nor were protected behind a cover or case may just have been replicas. I think that Starkey would take very good care of documents if he knew them to be originals. Documents that old, you can literally blow the remaining words off the vellum with your breath.

reply

I'm far from an academic but I'm enough of a nerd to watch a lot of shows that involve viewing delicate documents...

Apparently there is a theory that gloved hands are less sensitive than ungloved hands. As long as your hands are clean, clean, clean you can handle many things barehanded. So it could go either way.

reply

Gloves are to keep oils from fingers transferring to vellum or parchment.

reply