The Friends are pleased announce that the Copley Estate Map has finally been acquired for the archives and has arrived safely in Doncaster. Discussions about the map began over 5 years ago and the Friends were asked to donate £1000 towards the cost of over £7000 which enable Heritage Doncaster to approach other funders who were more likely to make a grant if we supported the project.

 Why is it so important? The map belongs to a transitional period in the early 18th century when the old medieval open field agricultural system was being replaced by enclosed fields whose ownership was vested in a local landowner- this map shows the process partway completed and is this very rare. The Friends would like to thank those who has made this acquisition possible, especially our members- without whose support we could not continue to support the different parts of the museum's service. This is the 3rd major donation to the archives over the last two years or so- the Baxter testimonial , marking the coming of the railway to Doncaster, the Copley Map, and a large collection of early twentieth century auction catalogues (donated by a member through the Friends to the archives) marking the breakup of many of the large estates in the area.