Catalogue first
Archive references and part numbers are treated as the primary boundary for claims about what survives.
Folk Club research / recording evidence
Folk Club Recording Evidence Matrix
A source-led crosswalk of the surviving Jim Etheridge recording records currently identified for Chelmsford Folk Club. The purpose is to distinguish what the catalogue itself establishes from details supplied by published Essex Record Office research, and from what remains unknown because only part of a recording survives.
Reading rule: a catalogue description is evidence of what the archive record says survives. It is not automatically evidence that the entire evening, full programme or complete performer list survives.
Established recording records
| Date | Archive reference | Catalogue / published evidence | Survival boundary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | SA 30/6/94/1 | Chelmsford Folk Club Christmas Special. | Performer/programme detail is not expanded here beyond what the surviving source currently establishes. |
| 18 July 1982 | SA 30/6/402/1 | Surviving recording record associated with Mick & Sarah Graves and Geoff & Penny Harris; the Record Office's published research also identifies Sarah and Mick Graves performing at Chelmsford Folk Club on this date. | Do not treat the record as proof that every part of the evening survives unless the catalogue says so. |
| 17 October 1982 | SA 30/6/425/1 | Parts 2 and 4 of 4; Martin Carthy; introduced by Colin Cater. The catalogue supplies a detailed first- and second-half repertoire. | Only parts 2 and 4 of the four-part sequence are represented by this catalogue record. |
| 7 November 1982 | SA 30/6/428/1 | Parts 1 and 3 of 4; floor singers introduced by Mick Graves; Annie Harding sings “Reynardine”; Chelmsford Morris marks its tenth anniversary with three dances. | Only parts 1 and 3 are described in this record. |
| 3 March 1985 | SA 30/6/653/1 | Compere Sam Bond; floor singers and named performers including Peter Billing, Geoff Harris, Simon Ritchie and Bobbie?; parish notices. | The catalogue explicitly says the recording ends abruptly. |
| 22 December 1985 | SA 30/6/712/1 | East Anglian Dulcimers; published Record Office research identifies Paul McCann and Jill Palmer-Swift performing. | Keep the published identification separate from any wider programme reconstruction. |
| 20 April 1986 | SA 30/6/736/1 | Part 1 of 2, Singers' Night; introductory music from Residents' Band, songs from Pete Billinge, Roger Johnson, Countryman's Favour, Tony Wynn and Annie Butcher, dances from Seven Straw Braid and tunes from Phil Heath-Coleman. | Part 1 of 2 only; the record itself does not establish the contents of the second part. |
What the matrix changes
Published research second
Essex Record Office articles can add contextual identifications, but those additions remain visibly distinct from the catalogue wording.
Programme reconstruction last
A complete evening is only reconstructed when independent evidence supports it. Missing parts are not silently filled.
Cross-source testing
Recording details can now be compared directly with oral histories, paper records, Essex Folk News and the venue evidence trail.
Why this matters
The Record Office describes Jim Etheridge's Chelmsford recordings as unusually valuable because he often recorded the whole evening, including announcements, floor singers and applause. That makes the collection useful for understanding club practice as well as individual performances — but it also makes survival boundaries important: the surviving catalogue may represent only selected parts of an evening.
The published Essex Record Office research independently identifies Chelmsford recordings from 1982, 1985 and 1986 and places them within the wider Essex folk-club circuit. This matrix therefore treats the recordings as a documentary spine, not as a complete gig list.
Research routes
Recording Collection · Catalogue Index · Documentary Crosswalk · Performance Records · Venue Evidence Matrix · Venue Source Ledger · Archive Questions