Secrets of the Prize Papers: The Science of History

On the Record at The National Archives

The National Archives holds over 4,000 boxes of letters, papers, and artefacts from ships captured by the British between 1652 and 1815.

In the second episode of our three-part series on the Prize Papers collection, Oliver Finnegan explores the scientific techniques and conservation skills used to analyse these items. Guests Marc Vermeulen and Marina Casagrande discuss examining and reading letters without opening them and the discovery of a well-preserved centuries-old knitted jumper.

For a transcript and information about the documents used in this episode visit our show notes: