GB 0100 KCLCA KSM - King's College London Maxwell Society Records

Identity area

Reference code

GB 0100 KCLCA KSM

Title

King's College London Maxwell Society Records

Date(s)

  • 1939-1970 (Creation)

Level of description

Extent and medium

2 boxes

Context area

Name of creator

Biographical history

The Maxwell Society was founded around 1935 by Sir Edward Victor Appleton, Wheatstone Professor of Physics at the University of London, 1924-1936, and was named in honour of the pioneering physicist, James Clerk Maxwell, Professor of Natural Philosophy at King's College London, between 1860 and 1865. It was established to promote knowledge of physics among students of King's. Events included lectures delivered by staff at King's or by distinguished guest speakers on a wide variety of subjects including nuclear physics, ultrasonics, radiobiology, quantum dynamics and aspects of applied science including the development of the computer and television. Members also undertook study visits to research laboratories and technical and manufacturing facilities, and organised other, more occasional, events and social activities. The Society is still very active in arranging talks and other events.

Archival history

GB 0100 KCLCA KSM 1939-1970 Sub-fonds of King's College London Archives 2 boxes King's College London Maxwell Society
The Maxwell Society was founded around 1935 by Sir Edward Victor Appleton, Wheatstone Professor of Physics at the University of London, 1924-1936, and was named in honour of the pioneering physicist, James Clerk Maxwell, Professor of Natural Philosophy at King's College London, between 1860 and 1865. It was established to promote knowledge of physics among students of King's. Events included lectures delivered by staff at King's or by distinguished guest speakers on a wide variety of subjects including nuclear physics, ultrasonics, radiobiology, quantum dynamics and aspects of applied science including the development of the computer and television. Members also undertook study visits to research laboratories and technical and manufacturing facilities, and organised other, more occasional, events and social activities. The Society is still very active in arranging talks and other events.

King's College Maxwell Society.

The records of the Maxwell Society at King's College London consist of minutes, correspondence, programmes and signature books, 1939-1970. These notably include the manuscript minutes of the Maxwell Society, 1947-1950, mostly summarising the title and content of individual Society lectures on subjects ranging from the development of the calculating machine, to 'reasoning automata' or the early theory of intelligent computers, and to the possibility of interplanetary travel, a talk given by Arthur Charles Clarke, the best-selling science author, an alumnus of King's, who was then Chairman of the British Interplanetary Society. The minutes notably cover the period of the Secretaryship of Peter Ware Higgs, a leading authority on the behaviour of elementary particles. Correspondence, mainly comprising lecture invitations and organisation and other more minor Society business, 1939-1970; accounts, 1939-1940; Secretary's annual reports, 1939-1946, 1952-1958; lecture attendance register, 1941-1948; programmes including bulletins, 1951-1964, relating to Physics Department visits to Cumberland Lodge, Windsor Great Park, the United Kingdom universities' staff and students residential studies venue established after World War Two; presentation copy of Cyril Domb ed., Clerk Maxwell and modern science (London, 1963).

The collection is arranged into the main series of papers as described above in the Scope and Content section.

Open, subject to the signature of reader's undertaking form.

Copies, subject to the condition of the original, may be supplied for research use only. Requests to publish original material should be submitted to the Director of Archive Services.
English

King's College London Archives: Papers of James Clerk Maxwell (Ref: KCLCA K/PP 71); papers relating to the James Clerk Maxwell Foundation (Ref: KCLCA K/ PP 45).

Other papers relating to Maxwell include: Cambridge University Library, Department of Manuscripts and University Archives: correspondence and papers, 1847-1879 (Ref: Add 7655); correspondence with Peter Guthrie Tait, letters to Lord Kelvin, 1854-1879; Cambridge University, Peterhouse Library: family correspondence and miscellaneous papers, 1845-1879; National Library of Scotland, Manuscripts division: paper presented to the Royal Society of Edinburgh, 1846; Glasgow University Library, Special Collections Department: letters to Lord Kelvin, 1857-1873; London Metropolitan Archives: correspondence with Cecil James Monro (Ref: Acc 1063/2078-2110); St Andrews University Library: correspondence with James David Forbes, 1855-1877.

Entry compiled by Geoff Browell. 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. August 2001 Communications media Associations Clarke , Arthur Charles , b 1917 , writer Cumberland Lodge, Windsor Great Park Higgs , Peter Ware , b 1929 , Professor of Theoretical Physics Higher education institutions Higher science education King's College London , Maxwell Society Learned societies Lectures (teaching method) Maxwell , James Clerk Maxwell , 1831-1879 , physicist Organizations Periodicals Physics education Publications Science education Teaching methods Universities Yearbooks Information sciences Educational institutions

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

King's College Maxwell Society.

Content and structure area

Scope and content

The records of the Maxwell Society at King's College London consist of minutes, correspondence, programmes and signature books, 1939-1970. These notably include the manuscript minutes of the Maxwell Society, 1947-1950, mostly summarising the title and content of individual Society lectures on subjects ranging from the development of the calculating machine, to 'reasoning automata' or the early theory of intelligent computers, and to the possibility of interplanetary travel, a talk given by Arthur Charles Clarke, the best-selling science author, an alumnus of King's, who was then Chairman of the British Interplanetary Society. The minutes notably cover the period of the Secretaryship of Peter Ware Higgs, a leading authority on the behaviour of elementary particles. Correspondence, mainly comprising lecture invitations and organisation and other more minor Society business, 1939-1970; accounts, 1939-1940; Secretary's annual reports, 1939-1946, 1952-1958; lecture attendance register, 1941-1948; programmes including bulletins, 1951-1964, relating to Physics Department visits to Cumberland Lodge, Windsor Great Park, the United Kingdom universities' staff and students residential studies venue established after World War Two; presentation copy of Cyril Domb ed., Clerk Maxwell and modern science (London, 1963).

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

System of arrangement

The collection is arranged into the main series of papers as described above in the Scope and Content section.

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

Open, subject to the signature of reader's undertaking form.

Conditions governing reproduction

Copies, subject to the condition of the original, may be supplied for research use only. Requests to publish original material should be submitted to the Director of Archive Services.

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

  • Latin

Language and script notes

English

Physical characteristics and technical requirements

King's College London Archives: Papers of James Clerk Maxwell (Ref: KCLCA K/PP 71); papers relating to the James Clerk Maxwell Foundation (Ref: KCLCA K/ PP 45).

Finding aids

Allied materials area

Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

Related units of description

Other papers relating to Maxwell include: Cambridge University Library, Department of Manuscripts and University Archives: correspondence and papers, 1847-1879 (Ref: Add 7655); correspondence with Peter Guthrie Tait, letters to Lord Kelvin, 1854-1879; Cambridge University, Peterhouse Library: family correspondence and miscellaneous papers, 1845-1879; National Library of Scotland, Manuscripts division: paper presented to the Royal Society of Edinburgh, 1846; Glasgow University Library, Special Collections Department: letters to Lord Kelvin, 1857-1873; London Metropolitan Archives: correspondence with Cecil James Monro (Ref: Acc 1063/2078-2110); St Andrews University Library: correspondence with James David Forbes, 1855-1877.

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

King's College London College 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