Access Policy
Our Access Policy for the Archives and Library outlines in detail the various ways in which we provide access to the collections.
Enquiries
We receive a high volume of research enquiries and reply to all of them in order of receipt, within three weeks where possible. Information about the archives (and in some cases links to detailed catalogues) can be found in our guides to the Family Papers and Estate Papers, and overviews of our collections are now also being submitted to the Archives Hub. Please consult these web pages before submitting an enquiry.
Although detailed online catalogues are not yet available for all the archives, we do have some other finding aids which we can supply via email.
Unfortunately, we are unable to spend longer than one hour on a single enquiry, and we do not offer a paid research service. If we believe that our collections may yield useful results through closer study at length, we will inform you of this and recommend that you visit the Study Room to undertake your own research. Alternatively, the Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives may be able to undertake the work for a fee.
Family history and house history enquiries
Our Staff and Servants database contains information about nearly 4,500 individuals who worked at Chatsworth or other Devonshire properties, or lived on one of the Devonshire estates. This resource has been complied using a wide range of archival sources over many years. We plan to continue developing this database, but at the present time are unable to supply any additional information about staff and servants beyond what is already published.
We are unable to answer enquiries relating to the history of individual estate (or former estate) properties. We hold the surviving records of several estate offices, but many of these are not fully catalogued. The archives do not contain information about dates of construction for individual buildings, and there are no historic photographs of estate properties.
Our enquiry service is free of charge and is made possible by the work of Chatsworth House Trust. If you would like to support the charity with a small gift, we would be very grateful. You can make a donation online.
Personal research visits
We offer free access to the Archives and Library at Chatsworth in our Collections Study Room.
The Study Room is open Monday to Wednesday, 10.30am-1pm and 2-4.30pm, excluding UK Bank Holidays and 25 December to 1 January.
We ask researchers to order in advance the collection items you would like to consult as we are generally unable to retrieve items on the day. However, if you are using the Study Room for consecutive days, you can order material to consult the following day. Please see our guides to the Family Papers and Estate Papers for an overview of the collections, and in some cases links to detailed catalogues. Other finding aids can be supplied on request, by emailing the Archives and Library team. We are also now publishing some of our catalogues via The National Archives’ Discovery and the Archives Hub.
If you have requested a large number of items to consult, we may ask you to prioritise the items on your list. Depending on the nature of the material, we may not be able to retrieve all items requested. We are only able to retrieve a maximum of five maps for any one researcher per day.
Please note that the Study Room is on the first floor and access is usually via stairs. However, access by lift can be arranged; please let us know in advance if you have any access requirements.
Requests for access
If you wish to access the Archives & Library in the Study Room, and have not done so previously, please complete the application form below, by which you also confirm that you have read and agree to meet our conditions of access.
On your first visit, please provide two forms of identification, one of which includes a photograph and one which provides proof of address, such as a driving licence and utility bill.
- Conditions of Access and Study Room Regulations
- Application for Access (downloads Word document))
Please return your completed forms by email or post.
Subsequent visits and requests for collection material can be booked by emailing the Archives & Library team direct.
Our Study Room service is free of charge and is made possible by the work of Chatsworth House Trust. If you would like to support the charity with a small gift, we would be very grateful. You can make a donation online.
Copies of collection items
Self-service photography
Researchers may take their own photographs of collection items for the purposes of non-commercial research and private study using a camera, phone or tablet. The charge for this is £15 per day, which is payable by cash, cheque or bank transfer. You will also be asked to fill in a copyright declaration form.
Ordering copies
The Archives and Library team can provide images for non-commercial research or private study purposes. Please contact us with details of your request. Currently, we are able to supply JPEG images of documents and bound items up to A2 in size, depending on the condition of the material. Our current prices are:
- £3 per image (including VAT) for images we already have in stock.
- £6 per image (including VAT) for new images.
If you would like to reproduce an image in a publication or online, you must obtain a publication-quality image and a license. All licensing enquiries should be directed to photo.library@chatsworth.org.
Access Restrictions
Some access restrictions apply to material held in the archives, as follows:
- We may deny access to certain items if they are judged to be in such poor condition that handling would put them at risk.
- Access is not usually granted to uncatalogued material.
- Where maps have been digitised, we ask researchers to use the digital image unless there is a specific reason for seeing the original map.
- Estate records are closed to researchers for a minimum of 30 years from creation, and access to post-1950 estate records is limited: the Archives team must seek approval from the Estate Office before access is granted to these.
- Estate records relating specifically to rental or ownership of property, or otherwise relating to clients or customers of the estate (individuals, institutions and companies) are closed to researchers for 100 years from creation.
- Family papers dating from 1950 onwards are closed to researchers; any material less than 100 years old will also be assessed by curators prior to being issued in the Study Room, and closures applied where deemed necessary for purposes such as Data Protection, confidentiality and sensitivity.
- The Mitford Papers are closed to researchers until 2039, and we regret that we cannot answer any enquiries about this collection.
- All staff records which contain personal/sensitive information are closed to researchers for 100 years from creation.
Contact details
Archives and Library
Collections Department
Chatsworth
Bakewell
Derbyshire DE45 1PP
