Women's Cricket Archives Discovered in Lancashire Cowshed

A researcher discovered a trove of women's cricket historical materials stored in an old Lancashire cowshed, leading to a major expansion of the MCC Library.

The find represents a critical recovery of sports history. For decades, the official records of women's cricket were largely neglected or stored in unsuitable conditions, leaving a gap in the institutional memory of the game.

The discovery began during a research visit in spring 2011 ^[2]. At the time, the researcher was starting a PhD focused on the history of women's cricket and sought primary source material to support the study. The search led to the discovery of scrapbooks, letters, diaries, and newspaper cuttings hidden away in the cowshed in Lancashire ^[1].

Before this archive expansion, the MCC Library at Lord’s in London held only three books on women's cricket ^[1]. This lack of documentation highlighted the disparity between the recording of the men's game and the women's game within the sport's most prestigious institution.

Working with MCC staff member Neil Robinson, the researcher helped transition these materials into a formal collection ^[1]. The effort transformed the library's holdings from a handful of volumes into a comprehensive archive of the women's game. The materials provide a rare glimpse into the early organization and personal experiences of female cricketers, documents that would have otherwise remained inaccessible to historians.

By securing these records, the MCC Library has shifted its approach to preserving the legacy of the sport. The transition from a cowshed to the archives at Lord's ensures that the contributions of female athletes are documented with the same rigor as their male counterparts ^[1].