Janus: The Papers of Charles Robert Ashbee

King's/PP/CRA contains:
A	Memoirs and Journals
B	Essays, Lectures and Pamphlets by C.R. Ashbee
C	Essays, Lectures and Pamphlets by Others
D	Correspondence
E	Jerusalem
F	Creative Writings
G	Photographs
H	Handicraft Guild
J	Artwork
K	Ashbee family history
L	Posthumous

More information

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The Papers of Charles Robert Ashbee

Title	Creative Writings
Reference	CRA/F
Covering Dates	1897–1953 (Some items undated.)
Extent and Medium	10 files and 6 volumes; paper

Content and context

This series includes writings by C.R. Ashbee, Janet Ashbee and their daughters.

King's/PP/CRA/F contains:

'A Modern Morality Play'. Typescript, with some pencil alterations, of a play by C.R. Ashbee to be performed by the Guild.
40 sheets in envelope; paper.

1897

'Mother Hubbard'. Typescript, with some pencil and ink alterations, of a play by C.R. Ashbee, for the 'Green Players', possibly a duplicate copy made for Jane Felicity Ashbee.
55 sheets in envelope; paper.

1939–1940

'Echoes From The City Of The Sun'. Autograph manuscript and typescript poems and songs, assembled for a possible second edition of 'Echoes From The City Of The Sun' (Essex House Press, 1905). The original arrangement of the items within folders has been retained with slight alteration, as have the folder names. The items are currently grouped as follows:. 1. Autograph manuscript covering notes. 2. Folder 1, marked 'That Other England' containing typescript poems: . 'To Rupert Brooke, on first reading his Great Lover', Nov 1915;. 'Whither' ('A Prayer for England'), 1915 [two copies]; . 'In the Cotswolds' ('A Prayer for England'), 1915; . 'When the men come back from the war' ('A Prayer for England'), 1917 [two copies]; . 'Oh England could you but believe...' ('A Prayer for England'), 1917; . 'Men cry 'What should we do?'...' ('A Prayer for England'), 1918; . 'America' ('A Prayer for England'), 1917-18; . 'A Longing for England in a Lament for the Tribal God', 1916-20. 3. Folder 2, marked 'To The Beloved' containing autograph manuscript and typescript poems, all undated, including: . 'Any lover to any beloved', [rough draft]; . 'Any lover to any beloved' [final version]; . 'The Talisman'; . 'The Urging Sea'; . 'The Uranian Venus'; . 'A Cluster of Camphire from the Vineyards of Engedi'; . 'The Secret'; . 'The craftsman's prayer as he shapes a gift for his beloved'; . 'Fiddler Gossip and the Doubter'. 4. Folder 3, marked 'What Else Of Wisdom', containing autograph manuscript poems, all undated, including: . Extracts from ancient Greek, Arab and Eastern verses; . 'No less'; . 'Keep going towards the star'; . 'Death and the Child'; . 'Bluebells in Knole'. 5. Folder 5, marked 'Unclassified or ?Trivia', containing autograph manuscript and typescript poems and songs (undated unless otherwise noted), including: . 1 autograph letter signed, from Hamilton T. Smith to C.R. Ashbee enclosing autograph manuscript copy of 'Ode to the American Bath Room', read by Smith in C.R. Ashbee's place, and an autograph manuscript copy of his introductory speech, 2 Mar 1933; . 'An Ode to the American Bath Room'; . 'A mere apostrophe to the Spirit of Hustle'; . 'Helen's Commission', Mar 1928; . 'The Urging Sea'; . 'The Talisman'; . 'The Driver', 1933 [two copies]; . 'To John Grant "The Great Remainder Man" '; . 'Chinese Idyll'. 6. Pages from 'Echoes From The City Of The Sun' (Essex House Press, 1905) with interleaved autograph manuscript and typescript poems and songs, with notes. The interleaved poems and songs include the following (undated unless otherwise noted): . 'Dedication'; . 'If I should give thee gold...' [rough draft]; . 'If I should give thee gold...', [final version]; . 'Susani, Susani', Jun 1916; . 'The Morris at Campden or Denis Fiddle'; . 'Over the Trails'; . 'Campden Wold or Hey for Cotsal'. . 3 other items possibly belong with these: . 'The Song of the Little Grievances'; . 'Byking out o'fashion or My Old Friend Jack'; . 'Merriandrew'.
115 sheets; paper.

1905–1933

Additional poems. Autograph manuscripts of the following, some with alterations:. 'The Two Roses', undated;. 'Love and Give', undated. 'Come what may!', undated;. 'Three in one', undated;. 'King Intef's harper sings again', undated;. 'Desert Sand Storm', 1939-41;. 'I never saw the Parthenon at Nashville Tennessee', 1920. A manuscript poem 'Oasis' transcribed or written by Francis Coutts-Nevill Lord Latymer (undated) is also included in this file. Additionally, there is an untitled manuscript poem with the first line ' Dear God of Branty, you alone The all-persuader, cry aloud.' It is dated 1913.
16 sheets; paper.

1913–1941

'Grannie'. 2 printed copies, one of which is inscribed, both uncut, of a typescript and annotated copy of 'Grannie'. Includes correspondence, photographs and glass lantern slides which were interleaved within the volume.
2 volumes; paper.

1902–1953

'Trivialities of Tom being Reflections on a Victorian Boyhood'. 2 unpublished typescripts with annotations and corrections by C.R. Ashbee.
2 volumes; paper.

1940–1941

'The Narcissus' (anonymous). Two copies of 'Narcissus':. 1. With explanatory forward by C.R. Ashbee, a list of players for the Masque of Narcissus performed by C.R. Ashbee and his friends. Additionally, in manuscript the book contains a Prologue for Haileybury & Charterhouse by C.R. Ashbee. The fragile cover contains a note in pencil. 2. C.R. Ashbee's second acting copy, with explanatory notes, annotations and news clippings.
2 volumes; paper.

1897

'Rachel'. Unpublished typescript of a novel written by Janet Ashbee.
1 file; paper.

1908

'The Kingfisher'. Manuscript script for 'The Kingfisher'. It includes a small sketch and annotations.
24 pages; paper.

1930

Music: Janet Ashbee. Two manuscript music lectures by Janet Forbes Ashbee. In 'Music I' there is 'Part Seven of the Songbook of the Guild of the Handicraft Being Songs of the Tavern and the Vine' with annotations by C.R. Ashbee.
195 pages; paper.

Poems: "The Sap Rises". Typescript and manuscript copies of a poem "The Sap Rises" by the 'Fairford Bees'. This is the result of a parlour game where each line of the poem was written by another person who each time saw only the last word to give the rhyme as the paper was folded down and handed on. The participants who created this called themselves the Fairford Bees and included Dick Fairbairn, Betty Sandford and 2 Ashbees - the nickname Fairford Bees came from their surnames.
28 pages; paper.

'Home-Made Entertainments'. News programme scripts, notes and a play written by the Ashbees as entertainment. There are 'speeches' by Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin.
30 pages; paper.

70th Birthday Commemorations. 2 poems Felicity Ashbee wrote for her parents on their 70th birthdays. The poem for her father is typescript and is inscribed ' To Daddy from Fifi May 17 1933'. 'One Long Worry' in 4 frets, 'to commemorate the 70th birthday of Janet Elizabeth Ashbee 28 Dec 1947'.
1 file; paper.

1933–1947