Institute of Medieval and Early Modern Studies (IMEMS)
The Mostyn Project
‘The Mostyn Project’ is an initiative of the Institute of Medieval and Early Modern Studies (IMEMS) at the Universities of Aberystwyth and Bangor, in close collaboration with partners such as the National Library of Wales, the Bangor University Archive, the Centre for Advance Welsh and Celtic Studies, and the Mostyn Estate. Its focus is the vast, varied and fascinating body of records – both written and material - that were generated, collected, or at some point owned, by the Mostyn family and estate of North Wales. The records range from the medieval period to the twentieth century; and from literary manuscripts and early printed books, through estate and family archives, to political sources, and on to buildings, paintings and household goods. Much is held at the National Library of Wales, and Bangor University Archives: but there is also much still kept by the Mostyn Estate, and more in the care of Hawarden Record Office and of other repositories around the world. The Mostyn Project is run in association with The Mostyn Estate and the Mostyn family. We are grateful for their support and interest.
The Mostyn Project’s key objectives are:
- To raise public and academic awareness of the range and interest of the Mostyn material.
- To enhance the Mostyn material as a public and academic resource through such activities as locating, cataloguing, digitising, electronically disseminating, restoring and exhibiting it.
- To demonstrate the usefulness of the material for the public and academic understanding of past and contemporary cultures – particularly those of Wales – through research projects, exhibitions and lectures centred on the records of the Mostyn family and estate.
‘The Mostyn Project’ consists of a number of discreet themed research projects which are being coordinated by academics at the universities of Bangor and Aberystwyth. A current list of projects is as follows:
The development of medieval land law
Bardic patronage during the medieval and early modern period
News circulation in the later Stuart era
The Mostyn Libraries: cultural constructions and bibliographic reconstructions
Art and architecture: the material evidence of Welsh dynasty
The Mostyns and Their World, c.1450-1800: The Networks and Horizons of a North Wales Gentry Family
Contacts:
If you would like to know more about any of these projects or about the Mostyn Project in general, please contact Dr Elisabeth Salter, Project Director, English Department, Aberystwyth University, els@aber.ac.uk