Collection GB 0097 ASHDOWN - ASHDOWN, Rt Hon Jeremy John Durham (Paddy), b 1941, leader of the Liberal Democrat Party

Identity area

Reference code

GB 0097 ASHDOWN

Title

ASHDOWN, Rt Hon Jeremy John Durham (Paddy), b 1941, leader of the Liberal Democrat Party

Date(s)

  • [1970]-2006 (Creation)

Level of description

Collection

Extent and medium

300 boxes

Context area

Name of creator

Biographical history

Born 1941; served in the Royal Marines, 1959-1972, in 41 and 42 Commando and 2 Special Boat Section; 1st Secretary, UK Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, 1971-1976; Commercial Managers' Department, Westland Group, 1976-1978; Senior Manager, Morlands Ltd, Yeovil, 1978-1981; Youth Officer, Dorset County Council, 1981-1983; Liberal MP for Yeovil, 1983-; Liberal Party Spokesman on Trade and Industry, 1985-1987; Liberal/SDP Alliance Spokesman on Education and Science, 1987-1988; Liberal Party Spokesman on Education and Science, 1987; Social and Liberal Democrat Spokesman on Northern Ireland, 1988; Leader of the Social and Liberal Democrat (later Liberal Democrat) Party, 1988-1999.
Publications: Citizen's Britain: a radical agenda for the 1990s (Fourth Estate, London, 1989); The environment (Phillip Charles Media, 1990); Beyond Westminster: finding hope in Britain (Simon and Schuster, London, 1994); Making change our ally (Liberal Democrat Publications, Dorchester, 1994).

Archival history

Given by Paddy Ashdown in 1993, 1994, 1999, 2001 and 2006.
GB 0097 ASHDOWN [1970]-2006 collection 300 boxes Ashdown , Jeremy John Durham (Paddy) , b 1941 , leader of the Liberal Democratic Party

Born 1941; served in the Royal Marines, 1959-1972, in 41 and 42 Commando and 2 Special Boat Section; 1st Secretary, UK Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, 1971-1976; Commercial Managers' Department, Westland Group, 1976-1978; Senior Manager, Morlands Ltd, Yeovil, 1978-1981; Youth Officer, Dorset County Council, 1981-1983; Liberal MP for Yeovil, 1983-; Liberal Party Spokesman on Trade and Industry, 1985-1987; Liberal/SDP Alliance Spokesman on Education and Science, 1987-1988; Liberal Party Spokesman on Education and Science, 1987; Social and Liberal Democrat Spokesman on Northern Ireland, 1988; Leader of the Social and Liberal Democrat (later Liberal Democrat) Party, 1988-1999.
Publications: Citizen's Britain: a radical agenda for the 1990s (Fourth Estate, London, 1989); The environment (Phillip Charles Media, 1990); Beyond Westminster: finding hope in Britain (Simon and Schuster, London, 1994); Making change our ally (Liberal Democrat Publications, Dorchester, 1994).

Given by Paddy Ashdown in 1993, 1994, 1999, 2001 and 2006.

Papers of Jeremy John Durham (Paddy) Ashdown, [1970]-1999, including material relating to the working of the Liberal Democrat Party (including files on the merger of the Liberal and Social Democratic Parties in 1988), campaigns, and relations with related Liberal groups, such as campaigning within ethnic minorities, the Liberal Youth and Student Office, the Liberal Movement, the European Liberal Democratic and Reform Parties, and Liberal International; material relating to Social and Liberal Democrat and Liberal Democrat conferences, 1989-1993, comprising programmes, agenda and correspondence; files relating to the administration of party political broadcasts and press releases, 1988-1992; papers relating to general, by, local and European elections, 1988-1993, including the 1991 report on general elections, and the European Election Task Group and ASLDC reports on local government elections; files on parliamentary procedure, 1989-1992; financial and administrative papers of the Liberal Democrat Party, 1986-1992, notably relating to fund raising; material concerning the organisation of local parties, 1988-1993, including those in Scotland and Wales; Liberal Democrat correspondence, 1982-1993, mainly with party members; constituency correspondence, 1985-1994, relating to Yeovil; general correspondence, 1983-1994, with members of the public, on subjects including animal rights, the arts, blood sports, capital punishment, constitutional and electoral reform, defence, education, energy, the environment, Europe, foreign affairs/policy, health, housing, human rights, legal aid, minority rights, the Poll Tax, taxation, trade and industry, and transport; correspondence relating to issues in individual constituencies, 1988-1994; files of information and correspondence on particular subjects, 1984-1993; personal material relating to work by Paddy Ashdown, 1983-1994, including books, articles, speeches and details of programmes; files on the employment of staff in Paddy Ashdown's office, 1984-1992. Also: files created by Ashdown as leader of the Liberal Democrats, c1991-1999 (AccNo: M1981); Paddy Ashdown's diaries, July 1988-April 1997 (AccNo: M3059); personal and party correspondence, 1987-1998 (AccNo: M3322); diaries and emails, 1999-2006 (AccNo: M3348).

Expected.

Original collection is arranged in sections as follows: 1. Liberal Democrat Papers; 2. Conferences; 3. Party Political Broadcasts and Press Releases; 4. Elections; 5. Parliamentary procedures; 6. Administration and finance; 7. Regional and Local Government Papers; 8. Liberal Democrat Correspondence; 9. Master Files; 10. General Correspondence; 11. Constituencies Correspondence; 12. Subject Files; 13. Personal Files; 14. Staff files. Additional material has not yet been sorted, although most files have been listed.

Closed for 20 years.

Apply to Archivist for copyright details.
English

Catalogue available from Archives staff

The LSE Archives also hold the papers of the Liberal Party (Ref: Liberal Party), the Liberal Democrats (Ref: Liberal Democrats), the papers of Sir David Martin Scott Steel (Ref: Steel), and material concerning the Liberal/SDP Alliance.

Bristol University Library holds the papers of the National Liberal Club (Ref: DM668); Essex University Library has the records of the SDP; Liverpool University holds the papers of David Anthony Llewellyn Owen, Baron Owen, relating to the SDP, 1981-1992.

Sources: British Library of Political and Economic Science catalogue; Who's Who 1897-1996 (A & C Black, 1996); British Library On-Line Public Access Catalogue 97. Compiled by Sarah Aitchison as part of the RSLP AIM25 project. Updated by Anna Towlson, Apr 2008. Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997. Sep 2000; updated Apr 2008 Accommodation Arts Ashdown , Jeremy John Durham , b 1941 , Liberal Democrat politician x Ashdown , Paddy Building design Building standards Construction engineering Defence Education Electoral systems England Environment Europe European Election Task Group European Liberal Democrat Party Finance Fiscal policy Foreign policy Foreign relations Government Housing Human rights Industry Internal politics International relations Liberal Democratic Party x Social and Liberal Democratic Party Liberal International Liberal Movement Liberal Party Liberal Youth and Student Office Local government Minority groups Parliament Political science Politics Public administration Reform Party Scotland Social Democratic Party Somerset State security Taxation Trade Transport UK Wales Western Europe Yeovil London

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

Content and structure area

Scope and content

Papers of Jeremy John Durham (Paddy) Ashdown, [1970]-1999, including material relating to the working of the Liberal Democrat Party (including files on the merger of the Liberal and Social Democratic Parties in 1988), campaigns, and relations with related Liberal groups, such as campaigning within ethnic minorities, the Liberal Youth and Student Office, the Liberal Movement, the European Liberal Democratic and Reform Parties, and Liberal International; material relating to Social and Liberal Democrat and Liberal Democrat conferences, 1989-1993, comprising programmes, agenda and correspondence; files relating to the administration of party political broadcasts and press releases, 1988-1992; papers relating to general, by, local and European elections, 1988-1993, including the 1991 report on general elections, and the European Election Task Group and ASLDC reports on local government elections; files on parliamentary procedure, 1989-1992; financial and administrative papers of the Liberal Democrat Party, 1986-1992, notably relating to fund raising; material concerning the organisation of local parties, 1988-1993, including those in Scotland and Wales; Liberal Democrat correspondence, 1982-1993, mainly with party members; constituency correspondence, 1985-1994, relating to Yeovil; general correspondence, 1983-1994, with members of the public, on subjects including animal rights, the arts, blood sports, capital punishment, constitutional and electoral reform, defence, education, energy, the environment, Europe, foreign affairs/policy, health, housing, human rights, legal aid, minority rights, the Poll Tax, taxation, trade and industry, and transport; correspondence relating to issues in individual constituencies, 1988-1994; files of information and correspondence on particular subjects, 1984-1993; personal material relating to work by Paddy Ashdown, 1983-1994, including books, articles, speeches and details of programmes; files on the employment of staff in Paddy Ashdown's office, 1984-1992. Also: files created by Ashdown as leader of the Liberal Democrats, c1991-1999 (AccNo: M1981); Paddy Ashdown's diaries, July 1988-April 1997 (AccNo: M3059); personal and party correspondence, 1987-1998 (AccNo: M3322); diaries and emails, 1999-2006 (AccNo: M3348).

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

Expected.

System of arrangement

Original collection is arranged in sections as follows: 1. Liberal Democrat Papers; 2. Conferences; 3. Party Political Broadcasts and Press Releases; 4. Elections; 5. Parliamentary procedures; 6. Administration and finance; 7. Regional and Local Government Papers; 8. Liberal Democrat Correspondence; 9. Master Files; 10. General Correspondence; 11. Constituencies Correspondence; 12. Subject Files; 13. Personal Files; 14. Staff files. Additional material has not yet been sorted, although most files have been listed.

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

Closed for 20 years.

Conditions governing reproduction

Apply to Archivist for copyright details.

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

  • Latin

Language and script notes

English

Physical characteristics and technical requirements

The LSE Archives also hold the papers of the Liberal Party (Ref: Liberal Party), the Liberal Democrats (Ref: Liberal Democrats), the papers of Sir David Martin Scott Steel (Ref: Steel), and material concerning the Liberal/SDP Alliance.

Finding aids

Catalogue available from Archives staff

Allied materials area

Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

Related units of description

Bristol University Library holds the papers of the National Liberal Club (Ref: DM668); Essex University Library has the records of the SDP; Liverpool University holds the papers of David Anthony Llewellyn Owen, Baron Owen, relating to the SDP, 1981-1992.

Related descriptions

Publication note

Notes area

Note

Alternative identifier(s)

Access points

Place access points

Name access points

Genre access points

Description control area

Description identifier

Institution identifier

British Library of Political and Economic Science

Rules and/or conventions used

Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Status

Level of detail

Dates of creation revision deletion

Language(s)

  • English

Script(s)

    Sources

    Accession area