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In undertaking the project, the Badsey Society's first task was to obtain permission to take copies of the
maps. The Aldington map dates back to 1807 when a map was drawn up after a private Act of
Parliament was passed to enclose the lands in the parish. Five years later, in 1812, a similar Enclosure Act was passed
for Badsey. The original maps have been well preserved but are large and unwieldy
and inaccessible to many. The Badsey map is in the library of Christ Church, Oxford (the Patrons of the parish), whilst the Aldington map
is in the Worcestershire Record Office.
Having gained the necessary permissions, the Society then paid for a
professional company, HEDS (Higher Education Digitisation Services),
to scan the maps. This took place at the end of January when the maps and the accompanying
Award Schedules were taken to a laboratory at the University of Central England in Birmingham to be scanned.
HEDS then prepared computer images of the maps and schedules, which will be used by Worcestershire Historic Environment &
Archaeological Service to digitise the maps.
The pictures featured here were taken on 25th January 2005 when the
Aldington map and schedules were scanned. Archivist Michele Meller can be seen studying the
final page of the book into which the map is bound. This is the page on which the Commissioners and the major
landowners signed and affixed their seals.
The map was then
placed on an A1 scanner. Lee Jones, who conducted the scanning, refines the image on his computer screen
prior to scanning. In addition to computer images, HEDS also produced full-size copies of the Award
Schedules to make it easier for transcribing the documents. Following an appeal for volunteers, 18 people volunteered to assist. The Schedules
list in detail every single landowner in Badsey and Aldington, together with the amount of land they
owned. Information from the very wordy
documents will be presented in tabular form and sent to Worcestershire Historic Environment
& Archaeological Service as an Excel spreadsheet, in order for them to assist them in the digitising of the maps.
Maureen
Spinks held training sessions for the volunteers. Irene Grose-Hodge holds an actual-size Award Schedule which
the transcribers will be working from. Meanwhile, Camilla Watkins
and David Pawlyn take a closer
look at what they will be working from.
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