The Catholic Boys’ Brigade

Most of the material in the Southwark Diocesan Archive relates directly to the Diocese. However, we have several collections of records that help to tell the story of organisations and events which the Diocese were involved with. One such collection, consisting of 3 boxes of material, is that of the Catholic Boys’ Brigade.

The Catholic Boys’ Brigade was founded in September 1896 by Fr Felix Segesser who was a priest in Southwark Diocese. The organisation grew quickly both within the Diocese and in other Dioceses. Bishop Amigo of Southwark became the Vice-President and the headquarters was in the Diocese’s Bishop’s House on St George’s Road. The records that we hold include correspondence and also much relating to the planning and running of the camps which were an important part of the life of the Catholic Boys' Brigade.

Camp in Effingham early 1900s

 

Camp in Effingham early 1900s

 

Letter from the War Office, 1910, about the use of unserviceable arms by the Catholic Boys' Brigade with a warning about sending them to Ireland

Letter on Catholic Boys' Brigade headed notepaper

Advert for uniform and equipment

 

Postcard from Fr Segesser to C.H. Nicholls, 1905. Nicholls later became the National Quartermaster of the Brigade

 

Letter about supplies for a Brigade camp, 1912

 

Fundraising letter, 1907

Cataloguing our collection

Cataloguing our archive collection to the internationally recognised archival standard (known as ISAD(G)) is an important and ongoing task for the archive. 

An archive catalogue enables an archive to care for, and manage, their large and diverse collections:

• It enables staff to know exactly what records they hold in their archive.
• Researchers know what an archive does and doesn’t have and can therefore avoid unnecessary enquiries and visits.
• It opens access to the collection.
• It enables rules to be attached to records e.g. restricted access.
• It gives detailed information about a record or file and shows its context in relation to other records.
• It helps tell the story of the organisation or individual.

Letter from Florence Nightingale, 1849

St Edmund's College, Ware, 1874

Each archive collection is unique so there is no model archive catalogue structure that can be simply adapted for use. Archive catalogues differ from library catalogues in that they have hierarchical structures and the archives are arranged into categories based upon the organisation and functions of the organisation that produced them. 

At the top of the hierarchy is the collection which is usually the organisation or individual that created that particular collection of archives. The collection is then divided down into various subgroups reflecting the different functions/ divisions of the organisation. These subgroups are further broken down in into series of records which are usually linked to the office or entities that created them. These may in turn be further subdivided. The lowest level is usually the file and this is where the records are actually found.

Each entry in an archive catalogue has a description which made up of different elements or fields. There are several essential fields which are shown below.

Reference code	Title	Creator	Scope and content	Dates of creation	Extent	Level of description
SD/PAR	Parish records	Southwark Diocese	Records of parish churches	1847-2004	60 files	Series
SD/PAR/1	Woolwich Parish	Southwark Diocese	Correspondence, visitation forms, plans and drawings	1850-1968	5 files	Sub-series
SD/PAR/1/1	Correspondence	Southwark Diocese	Correspondence between the parish and Diocese	1850-1957	3 files	Item
SD/PAR/1/2	Plans and drawings	Southwark Diocese	Plans and drawings for St Peter’s Church	1850-1863	2 files	Item

Once this cataloguing project is completed the bulk of our archive collection will be catalogued. However, cataloguing will continue periodically as records being produced by the offices of the Diocese are added to the archive. 

The archive is also considering whether to purchase archive cataloguing software. A major benefit of this would be that our archive catalogue could be displayed and searched online. An example of an online archive catalogue can be seen here:  www.catholic-heritage.net

An example of an online archive catalogue taken from the Westminster Diocesan Archives catalogue displayed on Catholic Heritage