Letters written home from Girton by Gwendolen Freeman between 1926 and 1929 and one by Rosemary Freeman in 1930 [date given by GF], who came up to Girton in 1928. The letters in the collection are mostly from the first half of GF’s time at Girton and exist mainly in clusters. Sometimes there are several from a single week, which is a testament to GF’s promise that she would write home twice every week (13 October 1926).
The range and depth of the letters provide valuable insight into GF’s life at Girton, the academic climate for women studying at Cambridge, and GF’s family life. From the first few letters we see in great detail her first impressions of everyday life at Girton and in Cambridge - meals, chores, social events and lectures. There is excitement but also apprehension, particularly of the other girls who seem more to be ‘women of the world’ than GF herself. GF expresses misgivings about her ‘youthful’ character in the light of the other women’s maturity, but these fears prove premature when she receives the results of the Part I English Tripos examinations, in which she achieved a First (22 May 1927). Academic work obviously played a big part in the Cambridge life; GF frequently signs off with the mention of essays that she should be writing instead of the letters, and describes with enthusiasm lectures given by notable Cambridge academics such as FR Leavis. Nevertheless, extracurricular activities were just as pervasive. GF often writes in detail about science lectures and plays that she had attended, the latter ranging from Greek tragedy to Gilbert & Sullivan musicals. GF played netball for the Girton Women’s second team and was part of the College Fire Brigade. She describes a wide circle of friends at Girton, as well as many acquaintances, who include Kathleen Raine, Sybil Crowe and Queenie Roth. All in all GF seems to have led a very active, sociable and diverse life at College.
The letters suggest that GF had a close family life, in terms of their style and the frequency with which they were written. At the very least, they demonstrate that she enjoyed writing home to give her family news. Most of the letters in the collection were written to GF’s mother and sister (‘B’), and a few were written to Rosemary. In particular there is a ‘flurry’ of letters written to ‘B’ in October 1928 after the death of their brother (‘P’), ‘in an attempt to provide distraction’. In fact, she wrote so frequently at the time that B told her to stop (28 October 1928).