Historical paper chase begins

The council does not want the papers to cross the Atlantic

A fund-raising effort is being launched in the Scottish Borders to stop an important local historical archive being taken to the United States.

UK Arts Minister Tessa Blackstone placed a temporary export bar on a set of papers from a solicitors in Kelso.

It means that for the time being the documents will not be transferred to Yale University in the US.

The minister's ruling followed a recommendation by the government-appointed Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art that the decision to export the papers be deferred.

The documents are said to provide a valuable local archive dating from 1750 to 1850.

It is important that collections such as this do not leave the country

Ian Brown
Borders Council

A price of £60,000 has been placed on the documents and it is hoped funds will be raised to keep the papers in Scotland.

Borders Council library service is compiling a grant application to the Heritage Lottery Fund. However, even if that is successful, a further £15,000 will have to be raised by the summer.

Ian Brown, acting head of the council's cultural services, said the archive was of outstanding value for local historians.

"I am very hopeful that we will be able to raise the necessary funds to keep this important collection and that local people, family and local historians will be able to access the information it contains," he said.

The documents are an important source of local history

"It is important that collections such as this do not leave the country because once they are gone the information and evidence they contain is lost to the borders and Scotland.

"We are working very closely with Kelso Community Council in their endeavour to keep this unique archive in the borders," added Mr Brown.

The council has been mired in controversy over financial difficulties and a £3.9m overspend in its education budget.

MSPs on the Education, Culture and Sport Committee spent five months investigating the funding crisis.

As a result of the financial problems, Drew Tulley resigned from his post as council leader.