In a time when modern technology rules all, the United Kingdom keeps some of their traditions old-fashioned. For over one thousand years, the United Kingdom has printed all of their laws on vellum, which is made from the skin of calves or goats. When the House of Lords made the decision in 2016 to end the printing on vellum due to budget cuts, the Cabinet Office stepped in and decided to provide the money in order for the transcribing of the laws to continue. The first known vellum document of the United Kingdom parliament dates back to 1497. Some argue that the British should switch over to a digital archive, while others like that the tradition has remained for all these years.
Vellum, from the same root as the word “veal”, is made from the skin of calves, soaked in a wash, then scraped to remove any animal fat. It is then stretched onto a frame and scraped for added evenness. Once the skin is completely dry, it can be used for writing. Digital archivists worry that something will happen to the vellum and that all records of the laws will be lost, while calligraphers argue that technological outlets can change and that digital data could be impossible to read down the line. They compare it to floppy disks, which were once the common way of sharing information when computers first became popular. Vellum is known for staying in good condition for hundreds of years. One prime example is the Magna Carta, which was written on vellum and still exists 800 years after its signing.