News 36, Autumn 1999
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News No 36, Autumn 1999
' ... paper historical research has an importance way beyond its own field.' Peter Bower wrote of the study of paper history in a feature article in Paper Europe in 1996. He noted the proliferation of paper museums in Europe, including the one in Manchester in Britain run by The National Paper Museum Trust, and of societies such as The International Association of Paper Historians and, of course, our own British Association of Paper Historians. He wrote: 'Like paper itself ... paper historical research has an importance way beyond its own field. Increasing use is being made of the results of such research by people working in a variety of fields: in art history, for the dating and attribution of works of art on paper, in the conservation of documents, and in forensic science, to understand the precise materials and technologies used - as well as contributing to specific areas of economic, literary, industrial, technological and social history.' Similarly, Derek Priest, a BAPH member and Trustee of the National Paper Museum Trust, commented in Paper Europe : 'One of the hardest things is getting people to become aware of the historical aspects of paper. People take paper for granted, but paper is important in a cultural and historical context.'
'The first application on the Internet of text watermarking, by which an
undetectable watermarked file containing the article is downloaded to the user
as proof of purchase and forms part of the audit trail of licence use.'
Dr. 'Toby' Rance was at the forefront of the application of technology to the hitherto craft paper industry.
He joined Wiggins Teape (WT) in 1934 at Glory Mill as a research chemist,
becoming Group Technical Director in 1954, a position he was to hold for 21
years until his retirement in 1975, when he became an international consultant.
In 1955 he obtained an exclusive licence agreement for the manufacture and
sale, outside the USA, of the NCR's highly technical and unique copying system
and this opportunism had a dramatic effect on WT. Without his perspicacity and
his tenacity, WT would never have had NCR paper.
He received many honours. The British paper industry presented him with the Paper Trade Gold Medal, and the British Technical Section's Silver Jubilee Medal. The Canadians honoured him, TAPPI presented him with their gold medal, and the Swedes the Mitscherlich Bronze Medal. He will be sadly missed - there were not many like him.
Parliament has decided to change a tradition of several hundred years by
printing Acts of Parliament on paper instead of animal skin. Originally copied
onto parchment rolls, from 1849 Acts were to be written twice, once on
parchment and once on vellum. Increasing scarcity and cost of using goat skin,
perhaps also because it would 'avoid the use of animal products', has led to a
recommendation to using archival paper instead. MPs' approval .is awaited.
If any member can provide information about the date and place of making a paper carrying the watermark illustrated, or about the merchant involved, or the maker responsible for its making, please contact Peter Bower. The full watermark reads: ORIGINAL/ Shield/ RENAGE'S MILL . It is found in several sheets of a machine-made, cream laid writing paper, now slightly discoloured, folded to the English note paper size 7" x 4 7/16" [seven inches by four & seven sixteenths inches]. Fibre analysis shows that the furnish was a blend of esparto grass and a small proportion of linen rag, typical of the furnishes often used for writing papers by British paper makers. Original Renage's Mill is probably a trade name used by a paper merchant for a branded paper rather than the name of a particular mill. No record of a mill under this name exists. |
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