Research and Special Collections Available Locally - RASCAL Ireland ::Collection

' Research and Special Collections Available Locally - RASCAL Ireland ::Collection

Research and Special Collections Available Locally

Public Record Office of Northern Ireland

Records of Eason & Son Ltd, Belfast

	Collection Information
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Identifier	D/3981 & D/3744
Description	Records of Eason & Son Ltd, Belfast, wholesale and retail newsagents, stationers and booksellers, 1825-1977, relating largely to the Belfast operations of the firm. The collection comprises: articles of association, 1924; minute books, 1924-1956; ledgers, 1870-1961; journals, 1920-1956; cash books, 1923-1958; wages books and associated documentation, c.1891-1968; annual audited accounts, 1922-1972; abstracts of accounts, 1922-1965; accounts with the Dublin branch of the firm, 1921-1926; stock books, 1919-1964; miscellaneous financial records, 1918-1976; title deeds and correspondence relating to Eason's premises in Donegall St, Belfast and John St, Londonderry, 1825-1960; plant books pertaining mainly to the firm's motor vehicles, 1940-1969; papers relating to a fire in 1922 and damage during the Belfast blitz of 1941; correspondence, legal agreements and booklets detailing employees' conditions relating to Easons' bookstalls, 1873-1968; contracts and correspondence relating to advertising on trains and railway stations throughout Northern Ireland and on Belfast Corporation trams, 1916-1966; legal agreements and correspondence pertaining to trading terms with publishers and other newsagents, 1913-1950; newspaper and periodical circulation statistics, 1904-1968; miscellaneous material including documentation relating to the delivery of news parcels by early aeroplane and horse carriage. A smaller constituent of the archive under the reference D/3744 consists of a bundle of c.60 documents, 1932-1938, pertaining to an appeal by Eason & Son, Belfast, to the Commissioner of Valuation against a valuation placed on their bookstalls at stations of the Belfast and Co. Down Railway.
Strength	The collection is particularly strong in that it documents the history of a unique Irish institution from the early 19th century up to modern times. The uniqueness of the material is further highlighted given the paucity of extant documentation about the firm's activities in Dublin prior to 1916 when Eason's Headquarters was occupied by rebels during the Easter Rising of that year. The building and the records it then held were subsequently destroyed during the conflict.
Content Dates	1825/1977
Physical Characteristics	c. 650 items comprising a range of documents, volumes and files occupying 11 PRONI boxes.
Languages	English
Type	Collection. Archive. Text.
Access Control	The collection is stored in secure, closed accommodation and can be requested for on-site consultation using an in-house document ordering system. Access is supervised and for research and/or reference purposes.
Catalogue/Description	See PRONI references D/3981 and D/3744 for catalogue of the papers. The catalogues are available for consultation in PRONI's Public Search Room.
Accrual Status	Policy: Closed. Method: Indefinite Loan. Periodicity: Closed.
Accumulation Date Range	1993
Legal Status	Legally, the papers belong to Eason & Son (NI) Ltd, Ann St, Belfast apart from the small cache of documents under D/3744 which belongs to PRONI. All copyright and permission to publish queries should be directed to the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland in the first instance.
Custodial History	The papers were in the possession of Eason & Son until January 1993 when they were transferred in their entirety to the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland for permanent preservation.

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