Provenance
The provenance of an item or collection refers to information on its origins, custody and ownership. It is a central concept in the archival sector and very important for both contextualising and establishing the authenticity of the items and collections held by archives.[1][2] Along with information on storage location(s), this information is valuable not just to the archives but also to researchers using the materials as it can be helpful to their interpretation and contextualisation.
The provenance of Views of England and Wales is something of a mystery because we lack a great deal of the information needed to establish it. Nonetheless, a few pieces of information are known to us so that a potted provenance of the collection can be constructed.
If anyone has any further information on the provenance of Views of England and Wales, we would love to hear from you!
[1] Dictionary of Archives Terminology Society of American Archivists, 'provenance' <https://dictionary.archivists.org/entry/provenance.html> [accessed 15 March 2023].
[2] Oxford English Dictionary Online, 'provenance' <https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/153408?redirectedFrom=provenance#eid > [accessed 15 March 2023].