GB 0103 MS ADD 299 - Bennett Estate Papers

Identity area

Reference code

GB 0103 MS ADD 299

Title

Bennett Estate Papers

Date(s)

  • 1883-1938 (Creation)

Level of description

Extent and medium

6 boxes, 1 volume

Context area

Name of creator

Biographical history

Born in North Staffordshire, 1867; educated at Middle School, Newcastle under Lyme; joined his father's office in order to finish preparing for matriculation at the University of London and to study for a law degree which he was never to complete, 1885; left Staffordshire to become clerk at a firm of London solicitors, 1888-1893; also worked as a freelance journalist and wrote several novels and short stories, becoming assistant editor of the weekly journal Woman, 1893; editor, 1896; lived in Paris, 1902-1912; wrote plays, romances, articles and novels; married Marie Marguerite Soulié, a Frenchwoman, 1907; returned to England, 1912; during World War One, became a public servant, serving on the War Memorials and Wounded Allies Relief Committee and as head of propaganda in France, 1914-1918; whilst in France, wrote on conditions at the front; after the war, published several novels and contributed articles to the Evening Standard newspaper; separated from his wife, 1921; in 1922 began to live with Dorothy Cheston, who was regarded as his second wife and changed her name to Bennett; had a daughter, Virginia Mary, 1926; after a trip to France, returned to London ill with typhoid fever and died, 1931. Publications include: novels, most famously Anna of the five towns (1902), The Old Wives' Tale (1908) and Clayhanger (1911), all set in the Potteries; and many stage plays.

Archival history

GB 0103 MS ADD 299 1883-1938 Collection (fonds) 6 boxes, 1 volume Bennett , Enoch Arnold , 1867-1931 , author and journalist

Born in North Staffordshire, 1867; educated at Middle School, Newcastle under Lyme; joined his father's office in order to finish preparing for matriculation at the University of London and to study for a law degree which he was never to complete, 1885; left Staffordshire to become clerk at a firm of London solicitors, 1888-1893; also worked as a freelance journalist and wrote several novels and short stories, becoming assistant editor of the weekly journal Woman, 1893; editor, 1896; lived in Paris, 1902-1912; wrote plays, romances, articles and novels; married Marie Marguerite Soulié, a Frenchwoman, 1907; returned to England, 1912; during World War One, became a public servant, serving on the War Memorials and Wounded Allies Relief Committee and as head of propaganda in France, 1914-1918; whilst in France, wrote on conditions at the front; after the war, published several novels and contributed articles to the Evening Standard newspaper; separated from his wife, 1921; in 1922 began to live with Dorothy Cheston, who was regarded as his second wife and changed her name to Bennett; had a daughter, Virginia Mary, 1926; after a trip to France, returned to London ill with typhoid fever and died, 1931. Publications include: novels, most famously Anna of the five towns (1902), The Old Wives' Tale (1908) and Clayhanger (1911), all set in the Potteries; and many stage plays.

Received in April 1985 from Bennett's solicitors Parker Garrett and Company.

Correspondence and papers, 1883-1938, mostly relating to Arnold Bennett's death and the demands on his estate, including his will, arrangements for the funeral, correspondence between the two Mrs Bennetts, the settlement for his daughter, papers of his secretary, financial affairs, and correspondence about sale of rights.

Open.

Normal copyright restrictions apply.
English

Most sections have been fully listed and the list is available online. Files catalogued at MS ADD 299/13-23 have only a basic description.

University College London Special Collections also holds working papers and correspondence of Bennett (Ref: MS ADD 96).

University of London (Library - Senate House) holds holograph manuscripts of works by Bennett, 1913, 1916 (Ref: MS 283, SL V 45), and a limited edition of his The Old Wives' Tale, 1908 (Ref: SL V 46); the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center Library, University of Texas at Austin, USA, has notebooks and a manuscript of 'Instinct', 1906-1926, and letters from George Bernard Shaw, 1910-1930 (Ref: No 419); Houghton Library, Harvard University, Massachusetts, USA, contains a journal, 1908-1909 (Ref: MS Eng 28), and literary papers; the British Library, London, holds a journal, 1912 (Ref: Add MS 59841), letters to Mrs Cheston, 1925-1929 (Ref: Add MS 60391H), letters to Charles Frederick Gurney and Lucy Masterton, 1915-1930 (Ref: Add MS 62111), letters to Michael Morton, 1925-1928 (Ref: Add MS 59877), letters to Ivor Nicholson and Miss Head, 1926-1929 (Ref: RP2848), letters to F F Rosher, 1913-1919 (Ref: RP2614), correspondence of Bennett and his executors with the Society of Authors, 1909-1967 (Ref: Add MS 56668), and correspondence with Marie Stopes, 1918-1931 (Ref: Add MS 58497); Stoke-on-Trent City Museum and Art Gallery contains correspondence and papers, and letters to Annie Truscott Wood, 1892-1925; the University of California Library, Berkeley, USA, holds correspondence and literary manuscripts, [1911-1931] (Ref: NUC MS 75-258); the Beinecke Library, Connecticut, USA, has letters and papers; the Huntington Library, California, USA, contains letters and literary manuscripts; the McLennan Library, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, holds literary manuscripts; The King's School, Canterbury, has a manuscript of, and notes for, 'The price of love', and correspondence with Edward Garnett; the House of Lords Record Office contains correspondence with William Maxwell Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook, 1917-1930 (Ref: BBK/C/31-5), and correspondence with Herbert Louis Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel, 1926-1930 (Ref: Samuel papers); Cambridge University Library holds letters to Richard Bedford Bennett, Viscount Bennett, 1916-1931 (Ref: Add 7650); the Bodleian Library, Oxford University, has letters to Richard Sidney Blaker, 1918-1925 (Ref: MS Eng lett c317); the John Rylands University Library of Manchester contains letters to Basil Dean; the British Library of Political and Economic Science, London, holds letters to Alfred George Gardiner, 1914-[1927] (Ref: Gardiner); Trinity College Dublin has letters to Thomas Patrick Bodkin, 1917-1930 (Ref: MS 6993/10-20a); Keele University Library, contains letters to WW and Tertia Kennerley, verses and miscellaneous papers, 1902-1931 (Ref: ABK); the Rush Rhees Library, University of Rochester, New York, USA, holds correspondence with Edward Knoblock, 1909-1931 (Ref: NUC MS 76-1435); Columbia University Library, New York, USA, has correspondence with Edward Verall Lucas, 1908-1938 (Ref: NUC MS 64-137); the National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh, contains letters to Sir John Ritchie Richmond, 1916-1928 (Ref: Acc 8921); the Brotherton Library, Leeds University, holds letters to Pauline Smith, 1916-[1931]; the University of Arkansas Library, USA, has correspondence with Frank Arthur Swinnerton, 1910-1931; literary papers are held at the New York Public Library, Lilly Library at Indiana University, the Pennsylvania State University Library and Northwestern University Library in Illinois, USA.

  1999, revised Aug 2001  Authors Bennett , Dorothy Muriel , ? 1891-1977 , née Cheston , actress , second wife of Arnold Bennett x Cheston , Dorothy Bennett , Enoch Arnold , 1867-1931 , author and journalist x Bennett , Arnold Bennett , Marie Marguerite , fl 1907-1931 , née Soulié , first wife of Arnold Bennett x Soulié , Marie Marguerite Bennett , Virginia Mary , b 1926 , daughter of Arnold Bennett Playwrights Writers

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

Received in April 1985 from Bennett's solicitors Parker Garrett and Company.

Content and structure area

Scope and content

Correspondence and papers, 1883-1938, mostly relating to Arnold Bennett's death and the demands on his estate, including his will, arrangements for the funeral, correspondence between the two Mrs Bennetts, the settlement for his daughter, papers of his secretary, financial affairs, and correspondence about sale of rights.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

System of arrangement

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

Open.

Conditions governing reproduction

Normal copyright restrictions apply.

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

  • Latin

Language and script notes

English

Physical characteristics and technical requirements

University College London Special Collections also holds working papers and correspondence of Bennett (Ref: MS ADD 96).

Finding aids

Most sections have been fully listed and the list is available online. Files catalogued at MS ADD 299/13-23 have only a basic description.

Allied materials area

Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

Related units of description

University of London (Library - Senate House) holds holograph manuscripts of works by Bennett, 1913, 1916 (Ref: MS 283, SL V 45), and a limited edition of his The Old Wives' Tale, 1908 (Ref: SL V 46); the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center Library, University of Texas at Austin, USA, has notebooks and a manuscript of 'Instinct', 1906-1926, and letters from George Bernard Shaw, 1910-1930 (Ref: No 419); Houghton Library, Harvard University, Massachusetts, USA, contains a journal, 1908-1909 (Ref: MS Eng 28), and literary papers; the British Library, London, holds a journal, 1912 (Ref: Add MS 59841), letters to Mrs Cheston, 1925-1929 (Ref: Add MS 60391H), letters to Charles Frederick Gurney and Lucy Masterton, 1915-1930 (Ref: Add MS 62111), letters to Michael Morton, 1925-1928 (Ref: Add MS 59877), letters to Ivor Nicholson and Miss Head, 1926-1929 (Ref: RP2848), letters to F F Rosher, 1913-1919 (Ref: RP2614), correspondence of Bennett and his executors with the Society of Authors, 1909-1967 (Ref: Add MS 56668), and correspondence with Marie Stopes, 1918-1931 (Ref: Add MS 58497); Stoke-on-Trent City Museum and Art Gallery contains correspondence and papers, and letters to Annie Truscott Wood, 1892-1925; the University of California Library, Berkeley, USA, holds correspondence and literary manuscripts, [1911-1931] (Ref: NUC MS 75-258); the Beinecke Library, Connecticut, USA, has letters and papers; the Huntington Library, California, USA, contains letters and literary manuscripts; the McLennan Library, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, holds literary manuscripts; The King's School, Canterbury, has a manuscript of, and notes for, 'The price of love', and correspondence with Edward Garnett; the House of Lords Record Office contains correspondence with William Maxwell Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook, 1917-1930 (Ref: BBK/C/31-5), and correspondence with Herbert Louis Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel, 1926-1930 (Ref: Samuel papers); Cambridge University Library holds letters to Richard Bedford Bennett, Viscount Bennett, 1916-1931 (Ref: Add 7650); the Bodleian Library, Oxford University, has letters to Richard Sidney Blaker, 1918-1925 (Ref: MS Eng lett c317); the John Rylands University Library of Manchester contains letters to Basil Dean; the British Library of Political and Economic Science, London, holds letters to Alfred George Gardiner, 1914-[1927] (Ref: Gardiner); Trinity College Dublin has letters to Thomas Patrick Bodkin, 1917-1930 (Ref: MS 6993/10-20a); Keele University Library, contains letters to WW and Tertia Kennerley, verses and miscellaneous papers, 1902-1931 (Ref: ABK); the Rush Rhees Library, University of Rochester, New York, USA, holds correspondence with Edward Knoblock, 1909-1931 (Ref: NUC MS 76-1435); Columbia University Library, New York, USA, has correspondence with Edward Verall Lucas, 1908-1938 (Ref: NUC MS 64-137); the National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh, contains letters to Sir John Ritchie Richmond, 1916-1928 (Ref: Acc 8921); the Brotherton Library, Leeds University, holds letters to Pauline Smith, 1916-[1931]; the University of Arkansas Library, USA, has correspondence with Frank Arthur Swinnerton, 1910-1931; literary papers are held at the New York Public Library, Lilly Library at Indiana University, the Pennsylvania State University Library and Northwestern University Library in Illinois, USA.

Related descriptions

Publication note

Notes area

Note

Alternative identifier(s)

Access points

Subject access points

Place access points

Name access points

Genre access points

Description control area

Description identifier

Institution identifier

University College London

Rules and/or conventions used

Status

Level of detail

Dates of creation revision deletion

Language(s)

  • English

Script(s)

    Sources

    Accession area