Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1877-1940 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
30 volumes and four files
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Rt Hon George Lansbury, 1859-1940, left school at the age of fourteen and worked as a clerk, a wholesale grocer and in a coffee bar before starting his own business as a contractor for the Great Eastern Railway. In 1884 he emigrated to Australia with his wife and children, but did not find the experience satisfactory, returning home in 1885 to enter his father-in-law's timber merchant business. Lansbury was involved in politics from an early age, first as an active Radical and then as a Socialist. He became a borough councillor in Poplar in 1903 and Labour MP of Bow and Bromley in 1910. In 1912, he resigned to fight the seat as an Independent and a supporter of suffrage for women. He was re-elected in 1922 and held the position of leader of the Labour Party from 1931 to 1935. Lansbury was greatly interested in the causes and prevention of poverty and unemployment. He was a member of the Central Unemployed Body for London and also a member of the Royal Commission on Poor Law, where he signed the minority report. In 1929 he became the first Commissioner of Works and also established the first Poor Law Labour Colony and the first Labour Colony for the Unemployed (apart from the Poor Law and under public control) at Hollesley Bay. He was also a founder of the Daily Herald and its editor from 1919 to 1923.
Archival history
GB 0097 LANSBURY 1877-1940 Collection (fonds) 30 volumes and four files Lansbury, George, 1859-1940, Labour politician
Rt Hon George Lansbury, 1859-1940, left school at the age of fourteen and worked as a clerk, a wholesale grocer and in a coffee bar before starting his own business as a contractor for the Great Eastern Railway. In 1884 he emigrated to Australia with his wife and children, but did not find the experience satisfactory, returning home in 1885 to enter his father-in-law's timber merchant business. Lansbury was involved in politics from an early age, first as an active Radical and then as a Socialist. He became a borough councillor in Poplar in 1903 and Labour MP of Bow and Bromley in 1910. In 1912, he resigned to fight the seat as an Independent and a supporter of suffrage for women. He was re-elected in 1922 and held the position of leader of the Labour Party from 1931 to 1935. Lansbury was greatly interested in the causes and prevention of poverty and unemployment. He was a member of the Central Unemployed Body for London and also a member of the Royal Commission on Poor Law, where he signed the minority report. In 1929 he became the first Commissioner of Works and also established the first Poor Law Labour Colony and the first Labour Colony for the Unemployed (apart from the Poor Law and under public control) at Hollesley Bay. He was also a founder of the Daily Herald and its editor from 1919 to 1923.
Lansbury's personal and political correspondence; correspondence between Lansbury's biographer, Raymond Postgate, and others after his death; correspondence and papers on subjects of interest to Lansbury, including schools, the Labour Party, unemployment, agriculture, India, the 1931 Cabinet Crisis, and the Metropolitan Police; photographs, personal and official, and caricatures from the press; press reviews of Lansbury's published works; printed matter, including articles, pamphlets, speeches and leaflets by or concerning Lansbury, election addresses, and personal ephemera. Volumes 1 - 26 consist of the personal and political correspondence and papers used by Lansbury's son-in-law, Raymond Postgate, in researching The Life of George Lansbury, published in 1951. These papers were presented to the British Library of Political and Economic Science by Professor Postgate in 1950. Volumes 27 - 30 were added to the collection some time later, and volume 31 consists of three files of personal correspondence which were added to the collection in 1994 and one file found in 1999.
This collection has been arranged in 31 volumes:
SECTION I. The main body of George Lansbury's personal and political correspondence and papers in one chronological sequence, 1877 - 1940:
- 1877-1900.
- 1901-1906.
- 1907-1909.
- 1910-1911.
- 1912, January - June.
- 1912, June - December.
- 1913-1917.
- 1918-1928.
- 1929-1930.
- 1931-1932.
- 1933, January - March.
- 1933, March - September.
- 1933, October - December.
- 1933, December.
- 1934-1935.
- 1936-1938.
-
(ff. 1 - 274) 1939-1940.
SECTION II. Correspondence between Professor Postgate, Lansbury's son-in-law and biographer, and others after the death of George Lansbury, arranged alphabetically by correspondent, 1940-1950:
-
(ff. 275 - 377) 1940-1950.
SECTION III. Correspondence and papers grouped as found, under subject headings, 1913-1937:
- a. i) Limit Printing and Publishing Co. Ltd. 1913-1914, and ii) Victoria House Printing Co. Ltd., 1917.
- b. Voluntary school problem, 1928-1931; c. Labour Party manifesto and programme, 1929.
19 - 20. d. Unemployment, 1929-1935. - e. Unemployment and migration, 1929-1930.
- f. Claude Leigh papers: Metropolitan Housing Corporation Ltd, "Augusta Johnson Centre", 1929-1930; g. Honorary positions held by George Lansbury, 1929-1931; h. Unemployment and agriculture, 1929; i. Maplescombe Valley model village scheme, 1929-1931; j. Agricultural policy, 1930-1931.
22 - 24. k. India, 1930-1937. -
n. George Lansbury: "Cabinet crisis of 1931", 1931; o. Means test, 1931-1935; p. Metropolitan police, 1933; q. National Hospitals for Dentures, 1935-1936.
SECTION IV. Photographs, c1889-1939:
-
Photographs and caricatures, c1889-1939.
SECTION V. Press reviews, 1928-1938:
-
Press reviews of Lansbury's published works, 1928-1938.
SECTION VI. Additional, 1880-1940:
- Additions to sections I and II, 1880-1940.
- Additions to section III concerning the poor and unemployed, c1904-1911; unemployment and pensions, 1929; India, 1932; and the Cabinet crisis of 1931, 1930-1931.
- Printed matter, including articles, pamphlets, speeches and leaflets by or concerning Lansbury, 1892-1938; election addresses, 1894-1935; periodicals, 1906-1914; Christmas cards, 1909-1930; and material relating to memorial services, 1933-1940.
- Reports on the Poor Law and Ireland, 1908-1909, and additional personal correspondence, 1920-1924.
OPEN
COPYRIGHT IS HELD BY THE LIBRARY
English
Printed handlist available.
Output from CAIRS using template 14 and checked by hand on March 27, 2002 27 Mar 2002; revised 8 May 2002 Accommodation Agriculture Building design Building standards Caricatures Construction engineering Dentistry Drawings Economics of education Educational finance Employment England Europe Government Housing India Ireland Kent Labour Party Lansbury , George , 1859-1940 , Labour politician Leigh , Claude M , fl 1929 Limit Print and Publishing Co Ltd Local government London Maplescombe Valley Medical sciences Metropolitan Housing Corporation Ltd Metropolitan Police Migration Pensions Political science Politics Poor Law administration Postgate , Raymond William , 1896-1971 , socialist historian and journalist Public administration Social security Social services South Asia Surgery UK Unemployment Victoria House Printing Co Ltd Visual materials Western Europe Illustrations
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Lansbury's personal and political correspondence; correspondence between Lansbury's biographer, Raymond Postgate, and others after his death; correspondence and papers on subjects of interest to Lansbury, including schools, the Labour Party, unemployment, agriculture, India, the 1931 Cabinet Crisis, and the Metropolitan Police; photographs, personal and official, and caricatures from the press; press reviews of Lansbury's published works; printed matter, including articles, pamphlets, speeches and leaflets by or concerning Lansbury, election addresses, and personal ephemera. Volumes 1 - 26 consist of the personal and political correspondence and papers used by Lansbury's son-in-law, Raymond Postgate, in researching The Life of George Lansbury, published in 1951. These papers were presented to the British Library of Political and Economic Science by Professor Postgate in 1950. Volumes 27 - 30 were added to the collection some time later, and volume 31 consists of three files of personal correspondence which were added to the collection in 1994 and one file found in 1999.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
This collection has been arranged in 31 volumes:
SECTION I. The main body of George Lansbury's personal and political correspondence and papers in one chronological sequence, 1877 - 1940:
- 1877-1900.
- 1901-1906.
- 1907-1909.
- 1910-1911.
- 1912, January - June.
- 1912, June - December.
- 1913-1917.
- 1918-1928.
- 1929-1930.
- 1931-1932.
- 1933, January - March.
- 1933, March - September.
- 1933, October - December.
- 1933, December.
- 1934-1935.
- 1936-1938.
-
(ff. 1 - 274) 1939-1940.
SECTION II. Correspondence between Professor Postgate, Lansbury's son-in-law and biographer, and others after the death of George Lansbury, arranged alphabetically by correspondent, 1940-1950:
-
(ff. 275 - 377) 1940-1950.
SECTION III. Correspondence and papers grouped as found, under subject headings, 1913-1937:
- a. i) Limit Printing and Publishing Co. Ltd. 1913-1914, and ii) Victoria House Printing Co. Ltd., 1917.
- b. Voluntary school problem, 1928-1931; c. Labour Party manifesto and programme, 1929.
19 - 20. d. Unemployment, 1929-1935. - e. Unemployment and migration, 1929-1930.
- f. Claude Leigh papers: Metropolitan Housing Corporation Ltd, "Augusta Johnson Centre", 1929-1930; g. Honorary positions held by George Lansbury, 1929-1931; h. Unemployment and agriculture, 1929; i. Maplescombe Valley model village scheme, 1929-1931; j. Agricultural policy, 1930-1931.
22 - 24. k. India, 1930-1937. -
n. George Lansbury: "Cabinet crisis of 1931", 1931; o. Means test, 1931-1935; p. Metropolitan police, 1933; q. National Hospitals for Dentures, 1935-1936.
SECTION IV. Photographs, c1889-1939:
-
Photographs and caricatures, c1889-1939.
SECTION V. Press reviews, 1928-1938:
-
Press reviews of Lansbury's published works, 1928-1938.
SECTION VI. Additional, 1880-1940:
- Additions to sections I and II, 1880-1940.
- Additions to section III concerning the poor and unemployed, c1904-1911; unemployment and pensions, 1929; India, 1932; and the Cabinet crisis of 1931, 1930-1931.
- Printed matter, including articles, pamphlets, speeches and leaflets by or concerning Lansbury, 1892-1938; election addresses, 1894-1935; periodicals, 1906-1914; Christmas cards, 1909-1930; and material relating to memorial services, 1933-1940.
- Reports on the Poor Law and Ireland, 1908-1909, and additional personal correspondence, 1920-1924.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
OPEN
Conditions governing reproduction
COPYRIGHT IS HELD BY THE LIBRARY
Language of material
- English
Script of material
- Latin
Language and script notes
English
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Printed handlist available.
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Publication note
Notes area
Note
Alternative identifier(s)
Access points
Subject access points
- Agriculture
- Construction engineering » Building design
- Construction engineering » Building design » Building standards
- Construction engineering
- Medical sciences » Dentistry
- Visual materials » Drawings
- Economics of education
- Economics of education » Educational finance
- Employment
- Government
- Housing
- Government » Public administration » Local government
- Medical sciences
- Migration
- Social services » Social security » Pensions
- Political science
- Political science » Politics
- Government » Public administration
- Social services » Social security
- Social services
- Medical sciences » Surgery
- Employment » Unemployment
- Visual materials
- Visual materials » Illustrations
Place access points
Name access points
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation revision deletion
Language(s)
- English