WIREDGOV

Over the last two years, a team of volunteers have transcribed The National Archives’ records of registered designs from 1885–1888. Jessie O’Keeffe worked on this project and reflected on why these records matter below.

The Victorian era was a time of great innovation. Often, to protect a new design, a business owner or inventor would apply for a design registration. This would give exclusive legal rights over the appearance (look and shape) of a product to its owner.

The National Archives holds a record of every UK design registration since the system began in 1839, including visual and material representations of each design, up to 1991.

Since July 2024, our volunteers have transcribed the design registers from 1885–1888, creating 150,000 searchable entries in Discovery, our online catalogue. This has made records in the BT 50 and BT 51 series accessible for new research and engagement possibilities.

One of the volunteers working on the project, Jessie O’Keeffe, has written this blog about what she uncovered during the project.

Jessie has transcribed a total of 12,719 individual design registration entries, recording everything from cotton textiles to tea trays and carriage lamps. From these records, Jessie has chosen to write about three designs for bottle tops, registered by Barnsley-based glass manufacturer Dan Rylands. Her blog demonstrates how these records of everyday objects can reveal the creativity and ambition of late Victorian Britain.

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