IDENTITY

Name

SOCIETY OF THE SACRED HEART ENGLAND AND WALES PROVINCIAL ARCHIVES

Identifier

GB2310

CONTACT

Address

Barat House,

University of Roehampton,

98 Roehampton Lane,

London SW15 5PH

Telephone

020 8876 9880

Fax

Email

Website

www.rscjuk.org

Head of repository

Sheila Mercieca, Provincial Archivist

DESCRIPTION

Institutional context

Records relating to the England and Wales Province of the Society of the Sacred Heart, and to the Society worldwide. Includes:

• Books of biography regarding key rscj (Religious of the Sacred Heart/Réligieuse du Sacré Coeur de Jésus)
• Writings of Superiors General and Provincial
  Papers relating to the administration of the Province, including Chapter documents
• Personal papers and correspondence of many deceased members of the Province (e.g. photographs, published works)
• Records of Society communities
• Records (e.g. registers, journals) of Sacred Heart Schools 
• Material relating to the overseas missionary work of the Province and the wider Society

Most of the material dates from the 19^th – 21^st centuries. Formats: paper, photographs, born-digital material (including video and cassette tapes, CDs, DVDs, electronic newsletters).

Institutional history

The Society was established in France in 1800 by St Madeleine Sophie Barat. As a teaching Order, its members would be sent around the world to set up schools (Primary, Secondary and Tertiary [Teacher Training Colleges]). The English Vicariate, as it was then known, was established in 1842.

Administrative structure

The Society of the Sacred Heart is divided worldwide, for administrative purposes, into a number of Provinces. The Provinces that include countries of the United Kingdom are the ENW (England and Wales) and IRS (Republic of Ireland and Scotland) Provinces respectively.

Collecting policy

The main accessions come from rscj houses, especially those now closed, from Sacred Heart schools past and present, and from the papers of deceased rscj.

Buildings

The archives occupy two rooms on the ground floor of Barat House, formerly part of the convent of the Sacred Heart at Roehampton. There is also a reading room cum archivist’s office.

Archival and other holdings

Records relating to the administration of the Province by the Provincial Superiors. Records of many deceased members of the Province, of rscj communities, of Province works, and material relating to Society of the Sacred Heart schools past and present.

Finding aids and publications

Handwritten list catalogue, approximately 50 per cent of which is also available electronically (in the form of searchable Excel spreadsheets)

ACCESS

Opening times

Thursdays and Fridays, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Other times by appointment.

Conditions and requirements

The collections of the Society of the Sacred Heart comprise a private archive and access is at the discretion of the Archivist. Researchers are required to fill in a registration form at their first visit and to abide by all rules of the archive.

Disabled access

Yes

Transport

The archives are located on the campus of Digby Stuart College, University of Roehampton. Trains run from central London (Waterloo, Vauxhall, Clapham Junction) to Barnes, from where it is a 20-minute walk or bus 72 (which can also be caught at Hammersmith)

SERVICES

Research services

Archive staff are unable to undertake detailed research on behalf of enquirers other than in exceptional circumstances (for which a fee will apply). Limited research enquiries can be carried out free of charge.

Reproduction services

Photocopies or digital images of documents can be ordered subject to preservation and copyright regulations. A full list of fees is available on request.

Readers may take their own digital photographs free of charge, provided they fill in a permissions form.

Public facilities

Yes

CONTROL

Date of creation

06 January 2017