2026 marks 250 years since the Declaration of American Independence. Many Middle Templars were involved in this climactic moment and the events which surrounded it, and to commemorate the anniversary an exhibition was mounted in the library. Using material from the Inn’s collections, we sought to tell the story of our long and often complex relationship with America, from the pivotal moment of Magna Carta to the intertwined histories of empire, education, revolution and the ongoing importance to the library’s US collection.
Thanks are due to Amy Kellett, Assistant Librarian, for her collaboration on this exhibition, as well as to Laura Hacon (Diversity & Inclusion Coordinator) for her invaluable assistance in navigating language and presentation around the more challenging subject matter. More can be learned about the exhibition elsewhere in this year’s edition of the Middle Templar.
To coincide with the exhibition, an event was held in the library in late July featuring a sequence of readings, selected and introduced by the Master of the Archive, Master Patric Dickinson, and performed by Middle Templars Crispian Cartwright and Jo Price. The evening was a success, and the readings, which included extracts from the letters home of American law students at the Inn from the 18th Century, brought the stories entertainingly and movingly to life.
February’s edition of ‘Archive of the Month’ also tied into the American theme, looking at the ‘Memorable Masque’ of 1613, a courtly entertainment (and propaganda vehicle) staged by Middle Temple and Lincoln’s Inn themed around colonisation in Virginia. Other articles this year have included pieces on subjects such as the 18th Century kitchen, a Middle Temple murderer, the Hall roof and a look back to 50 years ago at the Inn in 1976.
This year, we were asked to contribute to the theming of the Private Guest Nights, and to that end the team have put together archival displays on re-openings of Hall, former Treasurers, the Inn’s relationship with the City and the Old Bailey, and the rich connections between Middle Temple and the Arts. We have also supplied an (I hope) entertaining range of letters of complaint from the archive to be included in menu booklets for dining events in Hall. Our Archive Evening, held in March, was once again a success, with attendees ranging from students to Senior Benchers.
The first three months of 2026 saw the decennial Hall roof inspection, which entailed considerable work concerning the historic collections displayed in the Hall. The royal portraits hanging at the west end were deinstalled over the course of a day in January by a team from Constantine Fine Art, with the lowering of the large painting of King Charles I being the most nerve-wracking moment. Most of the paintings were taken to the Prince’s Room for storage, but King Charles – being too large to be removed from the room – was safely enclosed in a wooden box constructed by the Inn’s carpenters. The suits of armour were also taken down and kept in the Parliament Chamber for the duration of the works.
These works proved an ideal opportunity to have the condition of the paintings and the frames assessed for the first time in many years. The eminent art conservator Simon Gillespie and colleagues spent several days on site conducting a detailed inspection, and their report will inform the care of these works over the coming years. The armour was also cleaned and repaired at the same time.
The Hall roof passed its inspection with flying colours, and the paintings and armour were all safely reinstalled over several days in March, in time for the Private Guest Night held to celebrate the re-opening of Hall.
Insurance valuations of the Inn’s various historic collections have also been undertaken this year – not just a useful exercise on its own terms but also hugely valuable in the knowledge and insight gained from the experts involved.
Colleagues, Benchers, members and the public have continued to make use of the archive as a resource of knowledge and information, on a wide array of subjects including 3 Temple Gardens, the playwright John Marston, Victorian Porters, the Inns of Chancery, Catherine of Aragon, a statue of William Blackstone, 18th Century legal attire, Thomas Morris Chester (first African American Called to the Bar), and many more.
Two new portraits have been hung in the Inn this year. One, a double portrait of Masters Eleanor Sharpston and Ian Forrester, respectively Advocate General at the Court of Justice of the European Union 2006-2020 and Judge of the General Court of the European Union 2015-2020. This was unveiled in November and hangs on the third floor of the Ashley Building, where the library’s European Union collection can be found. A portrait of Lord Scarman, a former Reader of the Inn, Law Lord and Chairman of the Law Commission, painted by John Bratby, was acquired in the summer and hangs on the second floor of the Ashley Building.
Behind the scenes, work goes on to keep the show on the road. Various paintings and frames have been restored and repaired, including the portrait of the Queen Mother in the Queen’s Room, and the rolling programme of work on the most damaged and vulnerable armorial panels in Hall continues.
The team have been working closely across the organisation to overhaul our approach to records retention and management, and making use of new technological opportunities to help us do so in an efficient and compliant manner. The traditional work of cataloguing continues, and we are adapting to the different challenges presented by an ever-increasing volume of digital material being transferred to the archive from across the Inn.
After a busy and fruitful year, we look forward to a busy Michaelmas term and, beyond that, to 2027.
Barnaby Bryan has been with the Inn since 2015. As Archivist & Head of Collections, he is responsible for the management, care and development of the Inn’s extraordinary Archive. He oversees several of our other historic collections, including paintings, silver, armour and heraldic material. Before joining the department, he undertook archival work at various institutions, including King’s College, Cambridge, and Unilever’s corporate archive in Port Sunlight.
