Element One

Element One - Mapping Maritime Collection Areas

The aim of this element of the project was to understand how museum and archive repository collection policies address maritime archaeological archives and to quantify the areas that do not have facilities that accept such archives. This was a desk based exersize that focused on the zone between the high water mark and the limit of terrestrial waters (12 nautical miles). A questionnaire was developed to assess whether museums and archive centres:

  • Have collection policies which include the marine zone;
  • Hold any maritime archives;
  • Have the facilities and/ or expertise to curate maritime archives; and,
  • Have ever been approached to accession maritime archives.

It was distributed to all public museums in England and Scotland.

Outcomes

The full project report is available from the ‘Reports and Publications' page
Survey responses indicated that:

  • Only 17% of museum collection policies include maritime archaeological archives;
  • 64% of museum collection areas include the coastal and/or marine zone (although a large number of these are the coastal zone to the low water mark rather than the marine zone);
  • 29% of museums have been approached to accession maritime archaeological archives;
  • 41% of museums currently hold maritime archaeological archives;
  • 22% of museums actively collect maritime archaeological archives;
  • Museums which do not actively collect maritime archaeological archives were asked to provide reasons why, 51 (of 104) museums provided further information which indicated lack of collection was due to:
  • o Never been asked - 27%
    o Lack of remit - 20%
    o Lack of facilities - 14.4%
    o Lack of financial resources - 11.5%
    o Lack of expertise - 10.5%; and
  • Of the museums which do not collect maritime archaeological archives only 19 (18%) indicated they would collect if issues over why they do not collect were resolved.

Issues - Policy

  • There is an urgent need to determine and articulate roles and responsibilities for archaeological archives from the marine zone, on which future policy and best practice can be based. The current absence of clear routes for the deposition of maritime archaeological archives is exacerbated by a lack of clear policy from UK level to local and regional museums;
  • There is a need to define responsibility for areas of collection so these can be articulated within the policy and guidance; and
  • There is a need to provide guidance on the definition of maritime archaeological archive and their potential component parts.


Issues - Practice

  • There are no receiving museums for large areas of the marine zone, meaning that archaeological best practice often cannot be adhered to;
  • There are no maritime reference collections or coordinated approach to collection;
  • Experience of larger maritime archaeological archives may make museum approaches in relation to policy and collection more positive;
  • Few archives from maritime archaeological investigations are currently being deposited, leading to a potential back-log problem; and
  • The general response to developing capacity for maritime archaeological archives by museums was negative.


Actions required - Developing Policy, Guidance and Best Practice

  • Recognising the extent to which maritime cultural heritage is not included within current policy and practice and treating it as a priority in order to fulfil Government obligations to adhere to established best practice such as IfA Standards and Guidance and particularly in light of the adoption of the rules of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage as policy;
  • Urgent need to clarify the roles and remits of museums and archives in relation to the marine zone from the UK level, to the local and regional level;
  • Recognition that maritime archaeological archives may have special requirements or ‘differences' from terrestrial archives that involve the development of appropriate responses and/or guidance;
  • Development of guidance notes for best practice; and
  • Recognition that development of capacity for maritime archaeological archives will require the investment of resources.

Actions required - Developing Capacity: potential solutions

  • Expanding number of currently established coastal museums that could accession maritime archaeological archives, although many of the survey respondents indicated they would not be willing to collect maritime archaeological archives even if the resources were made available; and
  • Developing national or specialist solutions that could include maritime archaeological archive resource centres or the expansion of the facilities and capacity of a currently established museum with maritime holdings that could house a specialist centre.