Scope and Contents
Letters sent between 1896 and 1905 to Frederick Bank's widowed mother and two sisters, and a folder of related correspondence. His letters provide a unique record of the life of a junior in a commercial firm in Africa at this time. He witnessed or comments upon the Kamasia/Nandi expedition of the Kabaka in 1897; the Sudanese Mutiny of 1897-1899; Macdonald’s and Martyn’s expeditions, 1897-1899; and the Nandi Rising, 1900. After working with a coastal merchant, Banks moved into coffee planting and then set off on a prospecting trip to the Congo. He later became a noted big game hunter. Three copies of A.T. Matson's published work 'Report on the letters of Frederick Grant Banks' are included with the collection, as are five photographs with the classmark Y3011ZZ.
Dates
- Creation: 1896 - 1905
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
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).
Biographical / Historical
Frederick Grant (‘Deaf’) Banks was born in London in 1875, but in the mid 1880s the family moved to New Zealand, where he attended Christ’s College, Canterbury, and the Lincoln Agricultural College. After his father’s death, he left for Africa, landing in Mombasa in March 1896. He was successively trader, government official (in agricultural and forestry work), planter, elephant hunter, game ranger and again a planter, in Kenya and, for the most of his career, Uganda. In 1951 he retired to London where he died three years later.
Extent
.003 cubic metre(s) (1 folder containing 73 letters and 1 file of notes.) : paper
Language of Materials
English
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
fair to good condition. Some letters are fragile and should be handled carefully.
Former / Other Reference
Y3011ZZ
Other Finding Aids
Donald H. Simpson, ed., 'The manuscript catalogue of the library of the Royal Commonwealth Society' (London, 1975), p. 103.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Presented to the Colonial Society in 1968 by Captain C.R.S. Pitman, under whom Banks worked in the Uganda Game Department, and the late H.B. Thomas.
Existence and Location of Copies
Available on microfilm: Reel 7.
Bibliography
Further information on Bank's letters can be found in: Matson, A.T. (1975), ‘Report on the letters of Frederick Grant Banks (1875-1954) in Uganda, 1896-1905’, London: Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts. (copies kept with the collection and also in the Manuscripts Reading Room, Cambridge University Library).
The letters have been microfilmed, and the list is published by Adam Matthew Publications Ltd: 'Africa through western eyes, parts 1 & 2: original manuscripts from the Royal Commonwealth Society Library at Cambridge University Library - a listing and guide to the microfilm collection' (2000).
General
This collection level description was created by WS using information from 'Africa through western eyes.'
Originator(s)
Banks, Frederick Grant, 1875-1954, trader and planter
Geographic
- Date
- 2007-01-17 11:31:47+00:00
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Cambridge University Library Repository
Cambridge University Library
West Road
Cambridge CB3 9DR United Kingdom
Map Dept enquiries: maps@lib.cam.ac.uk
all other enquiries: mss@lib.cam.ac.uk