Collection GB 0064 LAU - Laughton, Leonard G Carr (d 1956)

Identity area

Reference code

GB 0064 LAU

Title

Laughton, Leonard G Carr (d 1956)

Date(s)

  • [1900-1937] (Creation)

Level of description

Collection

Extent and medium

81/2ft: 260cm

Context area

Name of creator

Biographical history

Leonard G Carr Laughton, son of Professor Sir John Knox Laughton by his first wife, shared his father's passion for maritime history. Little is known of his early life including his date of birth or details of his education. He seems to have worked alongside his father, collecting many notes and references on a vast variety of naval subjects from documents kept at the Public Record Office, British Museum, Pepysian Library and many other repositories. He also studied archaeology and etymology. He made a study of ship decoration and published Old Ship Figureheads and Sterns in 1925. He was involved in the restoration of HMS VICTORY and wrote a 'Report to the Victory Technical Committee', 1927-32, giving information that would help in restoring her to her condition at the time of Trafalgar. He was the prime mover, alongside others such a Harold H Brindley, Cdr C N Robinson, Sir Alan Moore, William Wyllie and Harold Wyllie, in the formation of The Society of Nautical Research in 1928. He had always wanted to produce a 'Nautical Encyclopaedia or Dictionary', and was one of the Society's main objectives, but L G Carr Laughton was never satisfied he had found out enough to justify publication. He died in 1956.

Archival history

GB 0064 LAU [1900-1937] Collection 81/2ft: 260cm Laughton , Leonard G Carr , d 1956 , historian

Leonard G Carr Laughton, son of Professor Sir John Knox Laughton by his first wife, shared his father's passion for maritime history. Little is known of his early life including his date of birth or details of his education. He seems to have worked alongside his father, collecting many notes and references on a vast variety of naval subjects from documents kept at the Public Record Office, British Museum, Pepysian Library and many other repositories. He also studied archaeology and etymology. He made a study of ship decoration and published Old Ship Figureheads and Sterns in 1925. He was involved in the restoration of HMS VICTORY and wrote a 'Report to the Victory Technical Committee', 1927-32, giving information that would help in restoring her to her condition at the time of Trafalgar. He was the prime mover, alongside others such a Harold H Brindley, Cdr C N Robinson, Sir Alan Moore, William Wyllie and Harold Wyllie, in the formation of The Society of Nautical Research in 1928. He had always wanted to produce a 'Nautical Encyclopaedia or Dictionary', and was one of the Society's main objectives, but L G Carr Laughton was never satisfied he had found out enough to justify publication. He died in 1956.

The papers came in two parts, the first was presented in 1956 by Dr RC Anderson, executor to L G Carr Laughton; and in 1964 by Laughton's niece, Isabella Dunning.

Papers of Leonard G Carr Laughton, consisting of mainly notebooks, both in his hand and that of his father's, containing their research at the Public Record Office, British Museum and other repositories, relating to various aspects of nautical history. Among these are notes on Nelson, extracts from Pepys' diary and notes for articles on HMS VICTORY. There are also blueprints used in the restoration of HMS VICTORY, together with the Technical Committee minutes of meetings, 1927-8 and the Advisory Committee minutes, 1929. There are a series of notes on lectures given by Professor Sir John Knox Laughton, including those given at the Royal Naval College at Greenwich in the early 1900s. The collection contains a typed copy of L G Carr Laughton's 'Nautical Dictionary'; a card index for Dictionary of National Biography entries; a number of albums containing newspaper cuttings; and various correspondence including letters with Dr R C Anderson, 1925-37. Finally, there are some manuscripts written by others including Harold H Brindley and a copy of a personal logbook kept by Dudley Stone on board the ship MONKBARNS, 1913, Buenos Ayres to Australia.

Please contact the Archive for further information.

Please contact the Archive for further information.

English

Detailed catalogue online at the: National Maritime Museum website .

Edited by Sarah Drewery, Sep 2011.

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.

2010-08-26 Australia HMS Victory Royal Naval College , Greenwich Nelson , Horatio , 1758-1805 , 1st Viscount Nelson of the Nile and Burnham Thorpe , Vice-Admiral Pepys , Samuel , 1633-1703 , naval official and diarist Ships logs Naval affairs History Naval history Oceania Buenos Ayres Trinidad and Tobago Caribbean Primary documents Military affairs Documents Military science Information sources Social sciences

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

The papers came in two parts, the first was presented in 1956 by Dr RC Anderson, executor to L G Carr Laughton; and in 1964 by Laughton's niece, Isabella Dunning.

Content and structure area

Scope and content

Papers of Leonard G Carr Laughton, consisting of mainly notebooks, both in his hand and that of his father's, containing their research at the Public Record Office, British Museum and other repositories, relating to various aspects of nautical history. Among these are notes on Nelson, extracts from Pepys' diary and notes for articles on HMS VICTORY. There are also blueprints used in the restoration of HMS VICTORY, together with the Technical Committee minutes of meetings, 1927-8 and the Advisory Committee minutes, 1929. There are a series of notes on lectures given by Professor Sir John Knox Laughton, including those given at the Royal Naval College at Greenwich in the early 1900s. The collection contains a typed copy of L G Carr Laughton's 'Nautical Dictionary'; a card index for Dictionary of National Biography entries; a number of albums containing newspaper cuttings; and various correspondence including letters with Dr R C Anderson, 1925-37. Finally, there are some manuscripts written by others including Harold H Brindley and a copy of a personal logbook kept by Dudley Stone on board the ship MONKBARNS, 1913, Buenos Ayres to Australia.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

System of arrangement

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

Please contact the Archive for further information.

Conditions governing reproduction

Please contact the Archive for further information.

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

  • Latin

Language and script notes

English

Physical characteristics and technical requirements

Finding aids

Detailed catalogue online at the: National Maritime Museum website .

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

National Maritime Museum

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