Personal Papers of Gwendolen Freeman

Letters written to Gwendolen Freeman, predominantly by Cambridge academics and a couple by a Cambridge contemporary. Most were written between 1926 and 1929. Those outside the dates are an official letter from the Board of Education (1925) certifying GF's state scholarship, and a couple of letters from Jaquetta Hawkes (1946), a colleague at the Spectator. The Cambridge contemporary is named Bokhari and is described as an Indian prince. One of his letters is undated but presumably written while both he and GF were at Cambridge, since it contains discussion of an essay that he wished her to read. The other is from 1928, giving GF details of his life after Cambridge.

The letters from the Cambridge academics not only contain scholarly discussion but also provide snapshots of different aspects of GF's life at Cambridge; her involvement in the Girton English Society, her various quests to acquire primary and secondary texts, the process of taking examinations, and the results of those examinations. The collection includes letters from FR Leavis and Basil Willey, Miss HMR Murray (tutor), FL Lucas (a Fellow at King's College), and a postcard of Girton from Miss EH Major (Mistress of Girton). There is also a newspaper cutting about Miss Major (undated).

The letters were presented in May 2000 by Gwendolen Freeman, to add to the collections given the previous year.

The collection includes three covering letters from GF. The first gave notice of the gift, the second arrived with the main collection and also provided details for a few of the letters, and the third accompanied a late addition to the collection - the letter from Miss GH Major.