King' s College London , College Secretary's Department

Between 1831 and 1988 the College Secretary rose from Secretary to the Principal and Council to senior administrative officer of the College. Throughout the period the College Secretary had responsibility for servicing the Council, its main standing and special subcommittees, and the Academic Board. In the 1960s, the post of Academic Registrar was reorganised to reflect the coordinated responsibility for student admission and examinations with the Department. Between 1828-1919 King's College enjoyed the services of just four College Secretaries, two of whom served for remarkably long periods, H W Smith, 1829-1848 and J W Cunningham, 1848-1894. Until Cunningham's retirement in 1894 the College's in and out correspondence and bills and accounts were arranged in just two sequences. At year end the in-letters and bills were bundled alphabetically and chronologically respectively and until late into the nineteenth century fitted into a single wooden deed box. With the appointment of S T Shovelton in 1895 came the introduction of modern filing (see KAS/GC, AC and AD) but bundles continued to be used on occasion until 1915. The series is remarkably complete until the late 1890s when there is some evidence of modest losses.