Collection GB 0074 LMA/4507 - FLACK, May (1891-1954)

Identity area

Reference code

GB 0074 LMA/4507

Title

FLACK, May (1891-1954)

Date(s)

  • 1888-2008 (Creation)

Level of description

Collection

Extent and medium

0.38 linear metres.

Context area

Name of creator

Biographical history

May Matilda Hartle was born in Worcestershire on 16 September 1891. In 1901, at the age of 12, May moved to London. Her first job was working at a Chinese laundry on the Barking Road. In 1909, May married Archibald Flack and moved to Limehouse, East London. During the late 19th Century and early 20th Century, Limehouse had a large Chinese community. May set up a boarding house for foreign seamen and became a very prominent figure in the area. She saw first hand many of the changes to London's Chinatown in Limehouse.

In 1932, The People newspaper picked up on her story and proclaimed her the 'White Woman Ruler of Chinatown'. The story of her life in Chinatown was serialised weekly in the Sunday People.

May Flack died in 1954.

Archival history

GB 0074 LMA/4507 1888-2008 Collection 0.38 linear metres. Flack , May , 1891-1954 , boarding house owner

May Matilda Hartle was born in Worcestershire on 16 September 1891. In 1901, at the age of 12, May moved to London. Her first job was working at a Chinese laundry on the Barking Road. In 1909, May married Archibald Flack and moved to Limehouse, East London. During the late 19th Century and early 20th Century, Limehouse had a large Chinese community. May set up a boarding house for foreign seamen and became a very prominent figure in the area. She saw first hand many of the changes to London's Chinatown in Limehouse.

In 1932, The People newspaper picked up on her story and proclaimed her the 'White Woman Ruler of Chinatown'. The story of her life in Chinatown was serialised weekly in the Sunday People.

May Flack died in 1954.

This collection was acquired in 2008 as part of the 'Footprints of the Dragon' Heritage Lottery Fund project led by the Chinese National Healthy Living Centre.

Personal papers of May Flack, owner of a boarding house for the Chinese community in Limehouse, including birth, marriage and death certificates; papers relating to members of Flack's family such as National Service cards, medical cards, letters and so on; family trees and an ancestry by DNA test; family photographs and newspaper cuttings relating to May Flack and Chinatown in Limehouse.

Listed in accordance with LMA Listing guidelines and classification scheme introduced October 2007. Arranged by series then into subseries; thereafter files are listed in chronological order by creation date.

These records are available for public inspection, although records containing personal information are subject to access restrictions under the UK Data Protection Act, 1998.

Copyright to this collection rests with the depositor.

English

Please see online catalogues at: http://search.lma.gov.uk/opac_lma/index.htm

The following Chinese community collections were acquired as part of 'Footprints of the Dragon' Heritage Lottery Fund project led by Chinese National Healthy Living Centre: LMA/4497-4515, 4518, 4520

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.

Records prepared May to September 2011. National identity Chinese (cultural identity) Information sources Documents Primary documents Personal papers Family records Construction engineering Building design Building standards Accommodation Boarding houses Cultural nationalism Cultural identity Family archives Flack , May , 1891-1954 , boarding house owner Limehouse Tower Hamlets London England UK Western Europe Europe

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

This collection was acquired in 2008 as part of the 'Footprints of the Dragon' Heritage Lottery Fund project led by the Chinese National Healthy Living Centre.

Content and structure area

Scope and content

Personal papers of May Flack, owner of a boarding house for the Chinese community in Limehouse, including birth, marriage and death certificates; papers relating to members of Flack's family such as National Service cards, medical cards, letters and so on; family trees and an ancestry by DNA test; family photographs and newspaper cuttings relating to May Flack and Chinatown in Limehouse.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

System of arrangement

Listed in accordance with LMA Listing guidelines and classification scheme introduced October 2007. Arranged by series then into subseries; thereafter files are listed in chronological order by creation date.

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

These records are available for public inspection, although records containing personal information are subject to access restrictions under the UK Data Protection Act, 1998.

Conditions governing reproduction

Copyright to this collection rests with the depositor.

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

  • Latin

Language and script notes

English

Physical characteristics and technical requirements

The following Chinese community collections were acquired as part of 'Footprints of the Dragon' Heritage Lottery Fund project led by Chinese National Healthy Living Centre: LMA/4497-4515, 4518, 4520

Finding aids

Please see online catalogues at: http://search.lma.gov.uk/opac_lma/index.htm

Allied materials area

Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

Related units of description

Related descriptions

Notes area

Alternative identifier(s)

Access points

Place access points

Name access points

Genre access points

Description control area

Description identifier

Institution identifier

London Metropolitan Archives

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