With Slips and Scraps: How Early Modern Naturalists Invented the Archive

Abstract

Examines the role of 17th century naturalists in the formation of archives as a means of preserving their papers. Part of the argument is that the loss of libraries resulting from Henry VIII's 16th century dissolution of the monasteries made naturalists keenly aware of the preservation risks and challenges associated with their work. The specific example of the Ashmolean library and museum is offered as an example of how naturalists helped to create the ideas and practices of archives. Others, including John Aubrey, adopted the Ashmolean as a repository for their papers in order ot preserve them.