In his remaining years, Lister focused on managing his estate at
Shibden Hall and on
local history. With his friend
Arthur Burrell he deciphered the code used by his ancestor
Anne Lister in her diaries. When the content of the secret passages was revealed, Burrell advised John Lister to burn all the diaries. Lister did not take this advice, but as instead continued to hide Anne Lister's diaries behind a panel at Shibden Hall. In 2011, Anne Lister's diaries were added to the
register of the
UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. The register citation notes that, while a valuable account of the times, it was the "comprehensive and painfully honest account of lesbian life and reflections on her nature, however, which have made these diaries unique. They have shaped and continue to shape the direction of UK Gender Studies and Women's History." ==References==