PRONI & the Hewitts

During the project, the volunteers went behind the scenes in PRONI to gain access to the Hewitt’s collection and learn more about conservation, digitisation, and access to archives. They also took part in transcription and animation workshops and guest talks by writer Kelly McCaughrain and researcher Frank Ferguson (John Hewitt Society).

Since the end of this creative project, the volunteers have been busy transcribing a selection of material from the Hewitt’s collection which will be made more digitally accessible and searchable via the CollabArchive website and PRONI’s e-catalogue.

As this project demonstrates, Roberta Hewitt was more than the wife of writer John Hewitt. Whilst family history is often channelled towards celebrated figures, our volunteers uncovered the many roles she played in a number of organisations and charities as well as how she was a thinker in her own right.

In this e-book you will find each volunteer’s response to Roberta’s own words and the 13 things they think people should know about her.

Laura Aguiar

Community Engagement Officer & Creative Producer, CollabArchive

CollabArchive Volunteers

Alexandra Barr, Alison Duddy, Anne Bodel, Caroline Pollard, Claire Lowry, Frances McLaughlin, Jennifer Burns, Jennifer McCrea, Joan McGandy, Nuala Noblett, Susan Taylor, Tara McFadden, Kelly McCaughrain.

CollabArchive Team

Laura Aguiar, Community Engagement Officer & Creative Producer

Niall Kerr, Project Manager

Thanks to our PRONI colleagues Janet Hancock (Public Services), Lynsey Gillespie (Archivist), Lorraine Bourke (Private Records), Sarah Graham (Conservation), Joy Carey and Garreth Montgomery (Reprographics & Digitisation), and David Huddleston (Records Management, Cataloguing and Access) for their support during the project. Special thanks to guest speakers Kelly McCaughrain and Frank Ferguson and animation facilitator Dan Wilson.

E-book Design by: Irene de la Mora

The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) is the official archive for Northern Ireland and was created under the Public Records Act (1923). PRONI has a legislative responsibility to acquire, preserve and make available the records of the devolved administration of Northern Ireland.

In addition to this, PRONI also receives collections from private individuals. PRONI currently holds around 3.5 million historical records in its care — more than a third of which have been deposited privately. PRONI's privately deposited collections include church records, local business records, landed estates, records from clubs and societies, families, and individuals. The collections can range in size from thousands of boxes to a single photograph or letter. These privately deposited collections allow us to build a fuller picture of community life and memory in Northern Ireland and help us to tell the story of our people and our place.

The Hewitt Collection (D3838) first came to PRONI after the death of John Hewitt, who bequeathed a large amount of material to the Public Record Office in his will. Further deposits have been made since by the executor of John Hewitt’s will, allowing the collection to continue to grow. Much of what has been donated is personal material and effects.

A large chunk of the material relates to John Hewitt, including hundreds of letters both to and from him, legal correspondence, and ephemera. Roberta, sometimes also referred to as Ruby, has her own specific part of the archive and her diaries, used in this project, were part of the first deposit bequeathed to PRONI by John in his will.

While much of John’s published work has been deposited to other museums and libraries across Northern Ireland, the collection held in PRONI is a fascinating insight into the personal life of the Hewitts. It gives insight into their thoughts, feelings and friendships, their highs, their lows and their relationship with one another. The collection unveils information about John that his work does not, and gives a unique insight into Roberta, a woman who has been largely overlooked and overshadowed by her famous husband. Having this collection freely open to users of PRONI allows many different people to interact with it and to gain a better understanding of John and Roberta Hewitt.

Collabarchive has given PRONI the opportunity to enable a group of volunteers to meaningfully engage with the history that Roberta Hewitt has left behind. Each volunteer has brought a new perspective to Roberta and her collection, breathing new life and meaning into her words and experiences.

Lynsey Gillespie

Archivist, PRONI