Closure Letters - Advice Please

[Andy873]

Two days ago I received a copy of no less than 88 letters covering the closure of the Gt. Harwood - Padiham section of the loop line. They make fascinating reading with a couple of surprises too!

These letters are covered by Crown Copyright so I don't think I can quote them directly but I'm also mindful of the forum rules about using quotes etc.

How should I post the general gist of the letters on the forum please? or indeed can I?

 

[The exile]

Check the conditions of the Open Governnent Licence .

 

[Andy873]

Check the conditions of the Open Governnent Licence .

Thanks for that. I decided to get advice via live chat from the National Archives themselves. It seems that as long as I keep it general, that is, the rough gist of the letters, and include a link to the Open Government Licence then that should be okay.

Thinking time required!

 

[Dave W]

Crown Copyright is limited to 50 years in most circumstances involving published work - which these letters are, so I would be of the view you are free to post these. You could always include the OGL anyway as belt and braces. In any case, quoting extracts is generally considered acceptable in nearly all circumstances. And I doubt there'll be anyone racing after you because you republished a letter issued by HMG 70 years after the event!

I'd be interested to see them!

 

[Andy873]

Crown Copyright is limited to 50 years in most circumstances involving published work - which these letters are, so I would be of the view you are free to post these.

Thanks for that, but there is a distinction I have been told about by the National Archives. Whilst the original letters may well be out of copyright, the new images of the letters I have (done by the NA) are not. Once they passed them onto me, the 50 year clock starts ticking again.

I'd be interested to see them!

I would love to pass them on, but I can't because of the above reason.

You could always include the OGL anyway as belt and braces.

Will do, something the NA advises too.

 

[NER1621]

Whilst the original letters may well be out of copyright, the new images of the letters I have (done by the NA) are not. Once they passed them onto me, the 50 year clock starts ticking again.

Hmmm. You cannot create a new copyright in a simple mechanical reproduction of an existing document that requires no skill or judgement to produce.

If the copies TNA have supplied you had been copied by being transcribed in some way then yes, a new copyright would have arisen in the new typographical arrangement. Or if TNA’s reprographics staff had exercised considerable technical skill enhancing the document images so that an otherwise unreadable image was now legible, then a new copyright would exist in that enhanced image. But if they are simple mechanical reproductions of the original document with no editorial or creative input by TNA then no new copyright has arisen and no new clock has started ticking.

Is this what TNA have told you in so many words?

(Full disclosure: I am a qualified archivist and previously archivist for London Transport, Railtrack plc, and the NRM, so I have a professional interest in what is being said to the public about copyright in archival documents.)

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 2 May 2026 ==

PS If the original documents are out of copyright you can quote them (transcribe them) as much as you like. But please give the TNA’s original document reference so that other researchers can check your quotes.

 

[leezer3]

I agree with the poster above completely.

For what I suspect to be a slightly less garbled version of what you were told:

https://cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/information-management/use-of-tna-materials.pdf