Archivist

Clare Hopkins

  • My role is to care for Trinity’s historical records, which go back to the College’s Foundation in 1555.
  • I manage the Archive, which stores material securely on the main College site, at the top of the Chapel Tower and is used for research by students, historians, private individuals and academics from across the UK and overseas.
  • I oversee the growth of the Archive as new administrative records are created and as past and present members of College add to our collection of undergraduate ephemera.
Clare Hopkins

Profile

As Archivist I have responsibility for the care of and access to Trinity’s historical records. Material in the archive includes parchment rolls and maps, leather bound ledgers and books, letters, building plans, photographs, drawings, ‘office’ files and a small museum-type collection of artefacts associated with Trinity’s past. My time is spent partly in cataloguing and indexing the Archive so that it can be used more effectively, and partly in responding to historical enquiries and research requests.



The Archive is open by appointment on Thursdays and Fridays, and anyone is welcome to make an appointment to use Trinity’s records. I am always interested in the research topics of visitors – whether biographical, local. educational, economic, social, religious, or sporting history – these are frequently the source of useful knowledge about Trinity’s past. I also enjoy meeting former students and staff of the College and their families.



Although Trinity has used the Tower above the Chapel to store old documents since the 16th Century, I was the first professional archivist to be employed by the College, taking up the post in 1985. During my time at Trinity I have overseen great improvements to the standards of storage and environmental monitoring in the archive store, and have greatly improved access to the records through detailed cataloguing. In 2005 I wrote the first full-length history of the College since 1898, which was published to mark our 450th anniversary: Trinity: 450 Years of an Oxford College Community. Copies are still available from the Alumni and Development Office.



I work closely with Trinity’s Fellow Archivist, Professor James McDougall, who represents the Archive on the Governing Body. Together we plan the future direction of the Archive, and decide on topics and themes for future exhibitions.

clare.hopkins@trinity.ox.ac.uk