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BARLOW, Emma Nora, 1894-1946

 Sub-Series
Reference Code: GBR/0012/MS Add.10286/1/8

Scope and Contents

Contains almost 1400 letters, principally sent from Nora Barlow to her mother Ida Darwin, between 1894 and 1946. Includes a handful of letters from Horace, Erasmus and Ruth Darwin to Ida enclosed with letters from Nora, and very occasionally, letters sent from third parties to Nora and forwarded to Ida for interest.
The letters contain news of Nora's children and in particular their health, school and social activities; accounts of holidays, weekends away and house parties; occasional commentary on Nora's work and charitable commitments and on the work of her husband; discussion of arrangements for meeting up with Ida; reflections on national and world events; and descriptions of plants discovered and gardening activities.

Dates

  • Creation: 1894-1946

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

From the Fonds:

Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).

Extent

6 archive box(es) (6 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

The letters have been arranged in chronological order into 46 folders.

General

Prior to deposit of the collection at Cambridge University Library, it is thought that the correspondence had been dated and sorted into chronological order by two of Nora's sons, Thomas Erasmus Barlow (1914-2003) and Andrew Dalmahoy Barlow (1916-2006). Many of the letters were contained within their original envelopes but the majority had been placed into individual envelopes bearing an actual or approximate date. A small handful of letters and original envelopes carry manuscript annotations possibly in the hand of either Ida Darwin or Nora Barlow.

Repository Details

Part of the Cambridge University Library Repository

Contact:
Cambridge University Library
West Road
Cambridge CB3 9DR United Kingdom