Personal papers of Caians

The Archive has only accepted the papers of Caians since the early 1990s. Before that, personal papers were usually offered to the College Library. Personal papers have only been accepted if they were felt to contain a substantial quantity of college-related information; or, if the College has been felt to be the most appropriate repository for their storage and documentation.

Given the nature of College administration, where Fellows take on roles as officers with particular administrative tasks, the distinction between an official College record and a private filing system can sometimes be blurred. In the case of some committees, or officers who do not receive secretarial/office support, the ‘private’ record may be the only surviving record of College business. Where possible, the filing systems of College officers have been classified as part of the official College archive (e.g. Sturdy and Tranchell papers, which can be found in under Chapel and Precentor’s records respectively). However, in cases where a Fellow has held more than one office, but has maintained an undifferentiated filing system, it has proved more appropriate to maintain original order and identify the files by person (e.g. Prichard papers). A distinction has also been made in cases where the official file series have already been transferred to the Archive, but supplementary migrant records have been added by personal gift from private record series (e.g. Needham papers).

The personal papers of the following individuals are currently held by the Archive:

  • Anderson, Mary Desiree (1902-73) author - memoir, diaries and notebook
  • Anderson, Hugh Kerr (1865-1928) Physiologist and academic administrator - correspondence
  • Bates, John Condliffe (1925- ) Retired policeman & mature student - diaries
  • Brink, Charles Oscar (1907-1994) classicist - College papers
  • Brooke, Christopher Nugent Lawrence (1927- ) historian - research notes and College papers
  • Brooke, Zachary Nugent (1883-1946) historian - research papers
  • Buckland, William Warwick (1859-1946) legal scholar - degree certificates
  • Gardiner, John Stanley (1872-1946) zoologist and oceanographer - papers and albums
  • Goodhart, Charles Burford (1919-2000) zoologist - College papers
  • Grierson, Philip (1910- ) numismatist - College papers
  • Guillemard, Francis Henry Hill (1852-1933) traveller and writer - memoirs and family papers
  • Jeffcoat, Reginald (1873-1974) clergyman - diary
  • Maccarthy, Frank Desmond (1905-1988) medic - papers, photographs and memorabilia
  • Mott, Nevill Francis ( 1905-96) physicist - diary
  • Needham, Noel Joseph Terence Montgomery (1900-95) biochemist & sinologist - College papers
  • Powell, Frank Charles (1905-93) Mathematician - College papers
  • Roberts, Ernest Stewart (1847-1912) classicist and academic administrator - College papers
  • Stopp, Frederick John (1911-79) scholar of German language and literature - lecture notes
  • Wigglesworth, Vincent Brian (1899-1994) entomologist - College papers

 

Related material

Given the historical role of the College Library in accepting collections of personal papers, it is worth checking M.R. James, Catalogue of Manuscripts (1907) and the National Register of Archives for personal papers held within its Manuscript Collection.

 

Access information

Access restrictions to personal papers are usually judged on the same criteria as for the College’s own records. While a set closure period, or closure until a specified date is the preferred form of agreement, it may be necessary to agree closure until after the death of the donor/depositor.