The letters and papers found numbered and placed together as SIC 1-31 (now GCPP Davies 6/1-28), 1864-1870, appear to form part of Emily Davies' personal archive. They are mainly of the periods 11 October 1864 to 28 April 1865 and 8 November 1865 to 12 January 1866. There is some overlap with the LOC group (Local Examinations, GCPP Davies 8) which appears to include letters and papers from ED's personal archive as well as that of the Committee for the Admission of Women to Local Examinations 1862-1869, of which ED was secretary.
The Schools Inquiry Commission (the Taunton Commission) to which ED gave evidence at the end of November 1865 was appointed on 28 December 1864 with Henry J Roby as secretary (GCPP Davies 6/1).
Frequent correspondents in these papers are as follows:
Henry John Roby (1830-1915, educational reformer and classical scholar, Secretary to the Schools Inquiry Commission): see GCPP Davies 6/9, 6/11/1-6, 6/12-15, 6/22-23, 6/25);
Lord Lyttelton (George William Lyttelton, 1817-1876, fourth baron, served on several royal commissions concerned with education, including the Schools Inquiry Commission): see GCPP Davies 6/2, 6/24, 6/26-27;
Matthew Arnold (1822-1888, poet, literary critic and inspector of schools, and an assistant commissioner for the Schools Inquiry Commission): see GCPP Davies 6/4-5, 6/19;
George Grote (1794-1871, historian and politician, a founder of University College, London and at this time vice-chancellor of the University of London): see GCPP Davies 6/6-7;
Sir Thomas Dyke Acland (1809-1898, eleventh baronet, politician and educational reformer): see GCPP Davies 6/3/1-2.
Further items which were not part of Emily Davies’ personal archive have been added to the papers: photocopies of women's evidence to the Schools Inquiry Commission, November 1865 - April 1866, taken from Reports from the Commissioner (given by Ann Dingsdale from her own photocopies, 1991); manuscript memorial to the Schools Inquiry Commission, 'Memorial respecting Need of Place of Higher Education for Girls', signed by 521 teachers and 175 others and sent in to the Schools Inquiry Commission by Emily Davies on 9 July 1867 (GCPP Davies 6/20 is a printed version of part of this) with 3 envelopes of additional signatures, given by Henry J Roby [1869], possibly to Girton College or to ED, and stored with other numbered brown paper parcels (this being no. 7) by the Bursary until its transfer to the Archive in 1990.