Newcastle University

Unless stated a printed or card catalogue is available. Please contact lib-specenq@ncl.ac.uk for any further information.

Barlow Papers
This collection comprises the musical manuscripts of David Barlow (1927-1975), at one time lecturer in music at the University of Newcastle. It consists of c. 90 items and was deposited in the Library in 1982, though ownership was not formally transferred to the University from David Barlow's family until 1984.

Gertrude Bell Papers
The Library's collection of the papers of Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell (1868-1926) consist of Gertrude Bell's letters to her family, her diaries and a number of miscellaneous items. They are of particular interest to scholars of the archaeology or the early 20th century history of the Near and Middle East. The majority of the letters, diaries and photographs from the collection are available on the Gertrude Bell web site [www.gerty.ncl.ac.uk], however some material, including the miscellaneous collection should be consulted in the Robinson Library’s Special Collections.

The University’s School of Historical Studies curates The Gertrude Bell Photographic Archive which includes several thousand of her photographs, mainly (though not entirely) of archaeological sites.  The photographs are included on the Gertrude Bell web site, but some photographs such as the Personalia series are not.  Further details concerning the Photographic Archive can be obtained from Katie Green.

The library also holds Gertrude Bell's books (see under Books)

John and Thomas Bell Material
The Library has collections of material brought together by, or relating to, local nineteenth century collectors John and Thomas Bell. There are four boxes relating to the local book trade, four more relating to the Port of Tyne, and forty packets of cuttings, correspondence and other miscellaneous items. In addition some items collected by the Bells were bought in the nineteenth century by Robert White and are to be found in the Bell-White Collection. (q.v.)  A typescript catalogue for some of the material is available.

Further Bell material is to be found at a number of other locations in the north-east; please enquire of Special Collections staff.

Bell-White Collection
The Bell-White Collection consists of about 50 items, manuscript as well as printed, and includes material Robert White bought from John and Thomas Bell. It is largely local in nature, containing for example, genealogical material relating to Northumberland and Durham families and several volumes of Northumbrian election broadsides.

Bosanquet Papers
This collection consists of the papers of Bernard Bosanquet, the idealist philosopher (1848-1923), and those of his wife, Helen (1860-1925), a member of the 1909 Poor Law Commission. The material was deposited here in 1968 by C.I.C. Bosanquet, a great-nephew of the philosopher and at that time Vice-Chancellor of the University.

Braithwaite Collection
The late Constance Braithwaite was a member of staff of the University Department of Social Work, and this collection consists of some of her research material.  The collection is uncatalogued at present.

Brewis Diaries
The diaries of William Brewis, farmer, of Throphill Farm, Mitford, Northumberland. The 15 volumes cover the years 1833-1850 and are a fascinating compilation of information and anecdotes about farming matters and the local Mitford community.  Alongside daily notes of the farming year, Brewis has added comments on local and national events of a political and societal nature.  

Chapbooks and Broadsides
Most of the Library's collection of chapbooks and broadsides is from the Robert White Collection (see “Books” section) and many of the items are Newcastle-printed. A microfilm of the chapbooks is available.
The Newcastle-printed chapbooks are listed in Frances M. Thomson's Newcastle Chapbooks in Newcastle upon Tyne University Library (Oriel Press, 1969), while, for those printed in Scotland, see F.W. Ratcliffe's "Chapbooks with Scottish imprints in the Robert White Collection", The Bibliotheck 4, 3-4 (1964). In addition, there is a description of the collection in D.S. Bland’s Chapbooks and Garlands in the Robert White Collection, King's College Library Publications No. 3 (1956).

Chaplin Papers
The papers of the local writer Sid Chaplin (1916-1986) cover the years 1930-1990 and relate to his  writing career.  His work strongly reflects his formative years in County Durham whilst living in various pit villages, his time in the coal industry and his other interests, particularly the history and culture of the North-East. The material consists of typescripts of published and unpublished novels, short stories, poetry, plays and articles; television and radio drama; diaries and notebooks; newspaper cuttings; and correspondence. The collection was donated by Sid Chaplin’s family in 1997, with small subsequent additions, including an oral history interview with Sid Chaplin’s widow Irene, received in 1998-1999.

Charlton Collection of Brass Rubbings
This is a collection of brass rubbings made by Oswin J. Charlton (1871-1941), solicitor and antiquary of Newcastle upon Tyne, mainly during his student days in Cambridge. The rubbings were presented after his death by his brother, Mr. G.V. Charlton. There is a catalogue by W.S. Mitchell, The Charlton Collection of Brass Rubbings (University Library, Newcastle upon Tyne, 1967).

Clarke General Collection
This material, about 20 metres of pamphlet boxes containing printed items, manuscripts, newspapers cuttings and illustrations covering a variety of topics, was donated by the late Dr Edwin Clarke. See also under “Clarke” in the “Books” section. A catalogue is in progress.

Common Papers
The papers of the Tyneside writer Jack Common (1900-1968), which were bought by the Library in 1974, include Common’s diaries and letters from such literary figures as his friend George Orwell, E.M. Forster and V.S. Pritchett. Another friend was Sid Chaplin, whose papers the Library also holds (q.v.).

Catherine Cookson Papers
This small collection of papers of North East writer Dame Catherine Cookson (1906-1998) includes the manuscripts from two of her books, an interview recorded in 1985 and examples of the dictaphone tapes she used to create her books.  
The Library also has a collection of some of Dame Catherine’s books, which is particularly strong in foreign editions of her works (see “Books” section).

R.A. Cookson Collection
Mr R.A. Cookson, former Chairman of University Council, presented this small collection of books, a number of which relate to ornithology, and of photograph albums. The collection is uncatalogued at present.

Crawshaw Collection
This series of household accounts for the years 1929-1970 was presented in 1980 by Mr C.P. Crawshaw of Keswick.

Daguerreotypes
The ten daguerreotypes dating from 1840 were discovered in the Library in 1995. Five, of the Niagara Falls from the Canadian side, are the first known photographic images of the Falls and, together with a sixth of the nearby Clifton Hotel, of any scene in the whole of Canada. The images were known by historians of photography to have existed, but were thought lost.

One, of the Horseshoe Falls, was published in Noël-Marie Paymal Lerebours’ Excursions Daguerriennes (1841-1864), which also contained two other images in the collection, of scenes in Rome. Two further images have faded almost completely as a result of oxidation.

Four of the Niagara plates are signed “H.L. Pattinson, April 1840”. Pattinson was Hugh Lee Pattinson, an eminent metallurgical chemist and industrialist from the north-east of England and Gertrude Bell’s great-grandfather, whose daguerreotypes came to the Library with Gertrude’s photographs in 1926 (q.v. under “Manuscripts”). Other daguerreotyping work he is known to have undertaken is presumed lost.

Duff Diaries
This is a small collection of diaries, correspondence and photographs of J. Wight Duff (1866-1944), at one time Professor of Classics at Armstrong College, and of his wife, Lizzie. The collection is uncatalogued at present.

Gibb Papers
This small collection of papers relating to Dr Charles John Gibb (1824-1916), include certificates of attendance at the Newcastle School of Medicine, journals of travels in Scotland and Europe in 1848 and photographs of the Gibb family home in Sandyford, Newcastle. Dr Gibb was a highly regarded local doctor who, as “Doctor Gibbs” is mentioned in the Blaydon Races song by George Ridley in 1862. (“Sum went to the dispensary, an’ uthers to Doctor Gibbs.”).

Gibson Papers
This collection of manuscript material, almost entirely in the hand of George Gibson, farm steward to Sir M.W. Ridley of Blagdon in Northumberland in the early part of the 19th century, was bought by the Friends of the University Library in 1992.  The collection mainly includes booklets of manuscript poetry on agricultural or religious themes, some interspersed with letters to and from Gibson as well as a number of letters from Gibson to James Hood, chemist of Morpeth.

Havelock Papers
Thomas Henry Havelock (1877-1968), was at one time Professor of Mathematics in the University. Brief details of the contents of this small collection of his papers are available.

Hartlepool Printer's Collection
This collection of material consists of posters and other items printed by F.W. Mason, Printer, of High Street, Hartlepool, in the early years of this century. The collection is uncatalogued at present.

Heslop Harrison Notebooks
The Library has a small collection of notebooks and photograph albums which belonged to John William Heslop Harrison (1881-1967), at one time Professor of Botany at this University.
The collection is uncatalogued at present.

Heslop Papers
This collection of papers comprises R. Oliver Heslop's research material for his Northumberland Words, published by the English Dialect Society in 1892-1894. There is also some Heslop correspondence in Miscellaneous Manuscripts (q.v.); in addition, the Library holds his collection of dictionaries (see “Heslop Collection “) in “Books” section.  The collection is uncatalogued at present.

Hindson Reid Collection
These c.40 items comprise books and other items, especially maps, printed by the University printer Hindson Reid. They date from the 1870s to the 1960s.

Hodgkin Papers
This collection comprises manuscripts and printed books by historian of the Dark Ages Thomas Hodgkin (1831-1913), as well as his travel journals, slides and a small amount of correspondence.
The collection of slides illustrates Thomas Hodgkin's travels in this country and in Europe during the second half of the last century.

Hospital Archives
Included in this collection are early annual reports of the old Newcastle Infirmary and of the present  Royal Victoria Infirmary, 18th and early 19th century reports etc. relating to the Newcastle Dispensary and 19th century minutes of meetings of local medical societies.

Isaac Collection
This collection of papers and printed material was given to the library by Marjorie Isaac after the death of Prof. Peter Isaac in 2002.  The collection encompasses material produced by private presses and includes many examples of national and international private press publications, with a large number from the United States.  In addition there is a  small amount of correspondence relating to the publications and some book material.
Enquiries for material concerning the British Book Trade Index, which Peter Isaac established in 1983, should be referred to the British Book Trade Index web site [www.bbti.bham.ac.uk] which is based at the University of Birmingham.

J2000
The Jubilee 2000 Collection was given to the library by Dr David Golding on behalf of the Jubilee 2000 Coalition in 2001.  Jubilee 2000, the debt cancellation campaign, culminated in 2000 and the papers cover the dates 1996-2000.  The collection includes papers, booklets, printed material, media recordings and petitions associated with the campaign.  The collection is uncatalogued at present, although a handlist is available.

Local Illustrations
The collection consists of several hundred prints and engravings of local scenes, dating from the 18th and early 19th centuries. Many were collected by Robert White (q.v. under “Books”).

McCallum Papers
This collection of material was donated by Emeritus Prof R Ian McCallum, retired Professor of Occupational Health and Hygiene at Newcastle, in 2003.  The papers concern McCallum’s work on the antimony industry of the north-east and research on compressed air conducted during the construction of the Tyne Road Tunnel.  The collection is uncatalogued at present.

MacSweeney Papers
The papers of the poet Barry MacSweeney (1948-2000) cover the years [1955]-2000 andconsist of draft and published works, correspondence, literature reviews, poetry publications, photographs and newspapers articles. Together with his library of books and journals, which has been deposited with the School of English Literature, Language and Linguistic, they were given to the University by Barry MacSweeney’s family in 2001.

Maps
The Special Collections maps number about 100. In the main, they are pre-twentieth century and cover areas in north-eastern England, and there is also a set of what are thought to be John Speed hand-coloured proofs.

Manuscript Album
The basis of the collection of documents known as "Manuscript Album" was a gift to the Library in 1934 of some fifteen letters from such 18th and 19th century notables as Fanny Burney and the 1st Duke of Wellington. It has now been augmented to nearly 200 items, still largely letters, the writers being such people as Alexander Kinglake, A.E. Housman, Thomas Bewick, Hester Thrale, Horatio Nelson, William Wilberforce and Marc Isambard Brunel. There are also two holographs of parts of poems by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. The collection is increasing gradually.

Mediaeval Manuscripts
The Library has a collection of nine mediaeval manuscripts, mostly acquired by gift. They are primarily service books or missals of various dates, but there is also a 13th century Vitae Sanctorum.

Miscellaneous Manuscripts
This is a miscellaneous collection of manuscript material which has been acquired over the years. It includes the agriculturist Robert Bakewell's letters to George Culley, abstracts of local deeds 1590-1881, letters from Henry Liddell about the 1715 Jacobite rebellion, material about the late 17th and early 18th century coal trade, and Sean O'Casey's letters to the People's Theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne.

Moorman Papers
The papers of Mary Caroline Moorman (1905-1994) cover the years 1872-1992 and mainly consist of letters from Mary Moorman’s parents, George M. Trevelyan and Janet Penrose Trevelyan, née Ward.  However, they also include some letters from the extended family, such as Janet Ward’s mother, the novelist Mary Augusta (Mrs. Humphry) Ward, her sister Dorothy and the Philips and Price relatives.
The letters from G. M. Trevelyan were bequeathed to the Library by Mary Moorman, while the other papers were purchased from her estate by the Friends of Newcastle University Library. N.B. Material relating to Mary Moorman’s biography of William Wordsworth and papers about the Arnold family can be found at The Wordsworth Trust, Grasmere, Cumbria.

Otterburn Enquiry Reports
This is a series of documents relating to the 1997 public enquiry, reopened  in 1999, into the Army’s application to extend its use of National Park land near Otterburn in Northumberland. It was a non-statutory enquiry, held under Department of Environment Circular 18/84, Pt.1V.

Playbills
Scattered throughout various collections are a considerable quantity of 18th and 19th century playbills for Newcastle Theatre Royal, the earliest dating from the opening of the theatre in 1788. There are also a number of advertising bills for various entertainments which took place elsewhere in Newcastle and in northern England.

Plowden Papers
This large collection of the papers of the distinguished civil servant, Lady Plowden (1910-2000), were donated by her three surviving children in 2002.  The papers cover Lady Plowden’s many areas of concern, in particular in primary education and on the promotion of high-quality television programming.  Subsequently the papers include material relating to The Plowden Report and to organisations such as ILEA and the Educational Priority Areas.  Her 5 years as the Vice-Chairman of the BBC and further 5 years as Chairman of the IBA are also represented, as is her work with the Advisory Council for the Education of Romany and other Travellers, the Marriage Guidance Council and the Manpower Services Commission.  The collection is uncatalogued at present, although a handlist is available.

Pybus Papers
The papers of Professor F.C. Pybus, who gave the Library his collection of books on the history of medicine (see under “Books”), consist primarily of his correspondence on book-collecting, on cancer and on atmospheric pollution.

Runciman Papers
The political papers of Walter Runciman, 1st Viscount Runciman of Doxford (1870-1949), were deposited here in 1969. They cover Lord Runciman's career as a Liberal M.P. and Cabinet Minister (Board of Education, 1908-11; Board of Trade, 1914-16 and 1931-37) and his attempt to solve the 1938 Sudeten crisis through his mission to Czechoslovakia. The collection also includes the diaries and some of the correspondence of his wife, Hilda, herself briefly a M.P.  

Sharp Papers
This collection of the papers of Thomas Sharp, town planner and author, were given to the University by Rachel Sharp and subsequently deposited in the library by John Pendlebury of the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape in 2003.  The papers consist of plans, associated papers and material concerning planning projects, correspondence re publications, press cuttings and journal offprints.  The collection is uncatalogued at present, although a handlist is available.

Shirley Papers
The Library has 200 letters and other documents relating to a cadet branch of the Shirley family, the head of which was the Earl Ferrers. They date mainly from the 19th century and were deposited by a descendant of the family in 1964.

Sopwith Diaries
The diaries of Thomas Sopwith (1803-1879), mining engineer, land surveyor and philanthropist in the north-east of England, cover the period 1828-1879. They are on 16 reels of microfilm, the originals being in the possession of one of Sopwith's direct descendants. There is no index.

Spriggs Papers
This is a small collection of the papers of Dr. E.A. Spriggs, a local doctor and bibliophile, who died in 1989. The collection is uncatalogued at present.

Stanford Collection
This is a collection of the music, both in manuscript and in published form, of the composer Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924), which was built up over many years by a retired member of staff of the University Department of Music.

Trevelyan Papers
The papers of the Trevelyans of Wallington in Northumberland (now a National Trust property) were deposited here in 1967. They comprise the papers of:

• Walter Calverley Trevelyan (1797-1879), a leading temperance campaigner, amateur botanist and geologist. This collection also includes documents relating to Walter Calverley's wife Pauline (1816-1866), friend of Ruskin, Swinburne, William Bell Scott and a number of the pre-Raphaelites.
• Charles Edward Trevelyan (1807-1886), whose career encompassed the East India Company and the Home Civil Service. He was Assistant Secretary to the Treasury during the Irish Famine and was co-author of the Northcote-Trevelyan report on the reform of the Civil Service. He inherited Wallington late in life from his cousin Walter Calverley Trevelyan.
• George Otto Trevelyan (1838-1928), son of the above, a historian and Liberal M.P., and Chief Secretary for Ireland after the Phoenix Park murders.
• Charles Philips Trevelyan (1870-1958), son of the above, Liberal and later Labour M.P. He was a founder of the Union of Democratic Control in World War I and was President of the Board of Education in early Labour Governments. Together with his papers are some of those of his wife, Molly (1881-1966), half-sister of Gertrude Bell (q.v.), which include her diaries for the years 1892-1917.

There is also a substantial quantity of uncatalogued family correspondence, mainly involving Molly Trevelyan.

N.B. The Library does not have the papers as such of the historian G.M. Trevelyan, C.P. Trevelyan's brother, though the collection contains many letters from him to his family. The Library also holds the papers of his daughter, Mary Moorman (q.v.).

University Publications Archive
The University Publications Archives include long runs of the University Calendar and Vice- Chancellor's Report. There are also a number of departmental publications, but the collection is far from comprehensive. Much more material relating to the history of the University is held in the University Registrar’s office.  The collection is uncatalogued at present.

Wallis Collection
This collection of material relating to the research of Ruth and Peter Wallis was given to the library by Ruth Wallis in 2003.  The papers include, research material, index cards and correspondence relating to the Wallis’ research into mathematics, education and libraries.
The collection is uncatalogued at present.

The Library also has a collection of Wallis books (see “Books” section).

Walton Collection
This collection, kindly donated by Miss Elizabeth Walton, comprises memorabilia associated with the Walton family of Newcastle upon Tyne, some of whom were graduates of Armstrong College (the forerunner of the University of Newcastle upon Tyne).

Spence Watson/Weiss Papers
The papers of Robert (1837-1911) and Elizabeth Spence Watson mainly consist of letters sent to them during a time when the Spence Watsons were involved in many different social, political and educational spheres on both a national and local level.  Their home in Gateshead was visited by politicians, reformers, diplomats, artists, writers and diverse others, many of whom came to give lectures in Newcastle upon Tyne. There is also material relating to the Spence Watson’s son in law, Frederick Ernest Weiss, Professor of Botany at the University of Manchester. A catalogue is in progress.
The Library also has a collection of some of Robert Spence Watson’s books (see “Books” section), consisting mainly of the publications of literary societies.

Robert White Papers
These papers include some of White's correspondence, as well as manuscripts (often by local worthies) and printed ephemera collected by him. (See also Robert White Collection under “Books”).

Frederic Whyte Papers
The papers of Frederic Whyte (1867-1941), publisher, translator, and biographer of W.T. Stead and William Heinemann, were bought by the Friends of the University Library in 1973. Their main interest lies in the material about Stead and Heinemann and in the letters from a number of literary and artistic figures of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, e.g. Arthur Conan Doyle, Havelock Ellis, Arthur Quiller-Couch, Bernard Shaw, William Archer, Max Beerbohm and Harley Granville-Barker.

Wilcox Papers
This is a small collection of the papers of Edwin Wilcox, newspaper correspondent in Russia during the 1917 Revolution. It includes a number of Russian pamphlets of historical interest and some letters from E.C. Bentley. The collection is uncatalogued at present.

Woodblocks
The Hindson-Reid Collection of 900 engraved woodblocks, deposited in 1964 and formerly used by Messrs. Hindson & Andrew Reid Ltd. (now Elanders Hindson) and earlier firms, illustrates local printing for nearly 200 years. There are in addition two other groups of local woodblocks: those cut for the Newcastle Society of Antiquaries' Lapidarium Septentrionale (1875), which were deposited by the Society in 1964, and a number of Joseph Crawhall blocks. See Frances M. Thomson, "A Newcastle Collection of Woodblocks", Book Collector, 17 (1968), 443-457 and Frances Thomson and John Philipson, "Dr. J.C. Bruce and the Reid Collection of Engraved Woodblocks", Archaeologia Aeliana, N.S. 4, O.S. 47 (1969), 147-166.