File of letters written by Joyce Mathews to her parents from Girton College, addressed to Edgbaston, Birmingham. Also one letter from Laurence Cadbury to Joyce’s mother, 1 May 1925, addressed from Northfield, near Birmingham.
The first letter was written on 18 March 1924 while Joyce was undertaking entrance examinations and interviews at Girton: in it she mentions her earlier ambition of gaining admission to Oxford University.
The remaining letters are dated from January to June 1925. They contain much in the way of typical letters home from Girton and include the following: requests for various items to be sent; thanks for items sent; discussion of general family news; news of tennis matches played, chiefly against Newnham College [Joyce was sub-secretary of the tennis club]; mention of some other extracurricular interests such as music and theatre; plans for attending the Trinity College May Ball; and various outings by car, including Bury St Edmunds, Ely, Bedford and Newmarket.
Joyce’s studies are mentioned occasionally: she appears to have been taught by Queenie Leavis amongst others, though she doesn’t mention her by name (see letter dated 27 January 1925). Miss H M R Murray is also mentioned a few times. Joyce mentions the resignation of Miss [Bertha] Phillpotts, Mistress of Girton (see letter dated 4 May 1925) and being given a lift in Miss Phillpotts’ car to hear Lytton Strachey lecture (see letter dated 7 June 1925). Most of Joyce’s Girton friends are referred to by first name only, including Alison, Elizabeth, and ‘Biney’.
A common thread in all the letters is the discussion of Joyce’s engagement to Laurence Cadbury; her decision to leave Girton; and whether it is too early for her to marry and settle down. It appears at one point as though her intention may have been to return to Girton after two years away but once she has decided to leave for good she debates whether it has been a waste of money for her to be at Girton for only one year.